Germinating Tomato Seeds Faster

By The Mother Earth News Editors
Updated on December 27, 2022
article image
by Adobestock/Zarina Lukash

Germinating tomato seeds is somewhat intensive but generally produces good results. Learn how to germinate tomato seeds faster with the following steps.

Starting tomatoes from seed is a necessity if you want to try multiple tomato varieties, since most just aren’t often available as already started plants. Don’t be frightened off, though … you’ll find that it’s easy as well as inexpensive to raise your own “starts.” Here’s how:

Germinating Tomato Seeds

First, get out your calendar and mark the occurrence of the last frost in your area (you can get the information from your county agricultural agent) . . . then count back six to eight weeks. The date you come up with is when you should plan to start your tomatoes-to-be.

To germinate the seeds, you’ll need some soilless mix (sold under such names as Jiffy Mix, Pro-Mix, Metro Mix, or Terra-Lite Tomato Soil . . . and available through seed catalogs and garden centers), some seed flats to hold the mix, plastic bags for “instant greenhouses” to enclose the flats in, milled sphagnum moss (not peat moss), and a source of mild heat–75 to 80°F is ideal. Use an electric heating pad, tray, cable, or a well-insulated radiator or heat pipe.

How Long for Seeds to Germinate in soil?

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368