OK, so it is getting to the right time to think about getting your tomato plants off to a good start. So what makes a good start?

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Well the first think to think about is use a tomato seed which is best quality. Sure we all like a bargain but it can be a false economy to use cheap seed. The cheapest seed is one you save yourself and this can be very successful. In fact I save my own seeds with my chili plants but not tomatoes. The reason for this is that I grow what is know as an F1 Hybrid. This means that it is the first generation seed which has been bred from specific parent plants. As such, were I to grow a seed I had saved it would then be a second generation seed and would probably not grow as I had hoped. You can save your own seed but I also grow 3 different types of tomatoes close together so there also may be some cross pollination which again may make the seed different from the parent plant. I buy my seeds from a seed company I trust but not necessarily every year. If I buy a packet with 20 seeds in, I tend to grow half of them as I only really need 5 plants and grow the rest the following year. This saves costs and as I store the seeds in a sealed container in a cool garage they are still fairly fresh the next year.

Starting off tomato seeds is fairly simple and can be done in many ways. What you need to consider is when to start them. I live in the UK and start mine off at the end of January. In the south of the US you may be able to grow them at any time of the year but in the north of the US this may be too early. I cannot offer specific advice and you need to do some local research as to when you can plant them into a greenhouse or your yard. I start about 10 weeks before planting them out. Of course, if you live in the southern hemisphere, somewhere like Australia you start them in your late winter/early spring.

I used to start my seeds off in flats, (seeds trays to many people), and this works well. I place them on the surface of the compost and cover them with about a quarter of an inch of fine grade vermiculite. This is a moisture retentive product which is lightweight and not only keeps moisture close to the seed it is light enough for the emerging seedling to push through easily. However, I now grow them in plug trays which are trays of cells using a peat based compost. I cover them with a sprinkling of sieved compost. I also used to use a heated propagator to do this but find the kitchen windowsill is just as good. Because I use plug trays the root ball that develops allows me to easily transfer the entire plug easily when potting these on to a proper plant pot.

When potting on into larger pots I simply push the entire plug out of the tray and transfer this into the top of the compost in a plant pot. All I do is fill a new plant pot with fresh compost and make a hole in it with my finger and push the plug into it. Simple but it works and works well. Gardening is not a complicated science.

I use a fresh plant pot so there is no change of transferring any disease to my new plants and fresh compost because it is fresh and I assume better. Just think which you would choose. A glass of fresh water, or one which has been stood in a room for 5 weeks. Like you I would want the fresh one just as your tomatoes will prefer fresh compost. I will grow these tomatoes in the pots until they are large enough to be transferred to a large pot or even planted into the plant pots I use in the greenhouse. Whilst I have used these before, they have been cleaned and sterilised.

Remember to keep your tomatoes well spaced apart whilst growing them on in the small pots. If they are too close together they will grow faster and become a tall stretched plant which is something you do not really want. I continue to grow the tomato seedlings on my kitchen windowsill, keeping them watered but do not feed them. There should be enough food in the compost for a few weeks – up to 6 with better quality composts.

I finally plant my tomatoes into sterilized plants pots in a greenhouse. You may be growing them to plant outside and these are likely to need planting out a little later than ones in the greenhouse. What you do need to do is to make sure that you avoid frosts getting to the plants as frost is a tomato killer. You tomato plants can stand some cold but not frost. One of the main things you need to consider when planting them out into a greenhouse or yard is the climate you are growing them in and above all the last date for frosts. I cannot give you specific advice on this as it depends on where you live. Use your common sense and do not plant them out too early.

You can learn more about High Density Gardening and growing tomatoes by checking out http://www.highdensitygardening.com/home.html which also has free downloadable worksheets on building hotbox compost bins.

Ric Wiley is an internet writer and gardener. His website about High Density Gardening can be found at http://www.highdensitygardening.com/home.html and his latest ebook is High Density Gardening