Starting indoors in January in Zone 8a/9
Why now, why January?
Why not?
Last year I was late starting my tomato seeds and found myself with an abundance of green tomatoes that didn't have time to ripe on or off the vine. I enjoyed making green tomato salsa but we would have enjoyed red tomatoes even more!
Making salads when the weather started warming up was also disappointingly made with store bought flavourless tomatoes and so this year I thought I'll get a head of the game. Long-range weather reports say we are going to have a very hot summer again so let's get started! And if it works we can never have too many tomatoes.
We will also be succession planting to ensure we have a good run if one of our favourite things to grow and eat!
Seeds
I want a variety of tomatoes, not just for asthetic in the garden and on the plate but for uses too. The seeds I have started today are ones I haven't grown before.
Snack Tomatoes
- Garden Pearl - determinate
- Red Cherry - indeterminate
Cooking
- San Marzano - semi-determinate
- Roma VF - determinate
Slicing
- Marmalade - semi-determinate
- Golden Sunrise Yellow - indeterminate
- Tigerella - indeterminate
- White Beauty - indeterminate
Determinate or Indeterminate
The many variety of tomatoes also have various growing styles. This can determine where and how you grow your plants.
What are the growing styles?
Determinate
Bushy plants that only need support if the trusses become overwhelmed by fruits. Do not pinch out side shoots. Only pinch out growing tips if plants become too large.
Indeterminate
These plants will need support with canes teepee style, strakes, strings or even trellis. Side shoots will need pinching out regularly, a great evening job as the evenings will be light. Growing tips will also need pinching out after between 5 and 6 trusses have been set. These can grow tall so make sure you have height, or grow upside down!
Semi-determinate
These plants will grow bushy like their determinate cousins and will need support if they are growing well. Side shoots along with trusses will need removing if they become to large.
How to get seeds start, cheaply!
Simply start with an egg box and fill with soil, whatever you can get your hands on! Potting mix is nice but can be expensive so work with the budget you have.
Wet your soil all the way through.
Work out how many seeds of each variety you want to try. Make a small indent and drop in a seed or two.
I have started only a few of each variety as it's still very early in the season. I will repeat these in a week.
Water again and pop the egg carton on a sunny window sill.
I found the egg cartons were too small to label individually and so making a seed map, marking the top left corner so you know which way found it goes!
On a budget and what will happen next?
As the seedlings grow and weak leggy ones can be removed. This was something I found hard at first, I felt that if this little seed had made it this far I should give it a chance but keeping strong plants alive and well is hard enough don't make more work for yourself!
Once the seedlings start getting taller they will need transplanting into bigger pots so their roots can have more space and become better established. If you don't have pots already ask around friends and family, ask at your local garden centre or on social media. There is always someone trying to get rid of pots. Keep your eye out for bargains on compost and soil, you are going to need it.
At this point I will run out of space in the window sill and so the majority will move to the greenhouse (a fallening down cheap one but better than nothing!). I will keep a few indoors too as protection against the clapped out greenhouse failing. If you don't have a greenhouse keep them indoors as long as you can, transplant into narrower tall pots to maximize space.
Once the weather has warmed up move to bigger pots and raised or in-ground beds with some protection, either plastic tunnels or frost fabric. For ours this will depend on what we have in the shed.
If you have a small patio or balcony look at growing indeterminate varieties upside down! This way they won't need support. Cherry or snack tomatoes grow well in pots and so if you are limited on space these are a good choice.
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