Time of sowing as the quintessence of various factors
Tomatoes only germinate and thrive if the factors light, warmth, moisture and time are in perfect harmony. It is important to reconcile the following influences:
- Too early sowing results in too large, rotting seedlings under wintry light conditions
- Too late sowing results in too narrow a time window for maturity
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Since tomatoes can only be planted outdoors from mid-May at the earliest, the weeks from the end of February to the end of March are considered for sowing behind glass. Differentiated according to the possible locations, cultivation begins in the heated, light-flooded greenhouse in the last week of February. On the not so bright windowsill or in the unheated greenhouse, the starting gun will be given in mid-March.
Appointments alone are no guarantee of success
With the choice of the optimal time to start cultivation, a first important step has been taken. In order for magnificent young plants to find their way outdoors in May, other aspects play a decisive role. How to proceed with the sowing:
- The seeds in the poor growing substrate (9.05 € at Amazon *) as light germs only thinly sieved
- Place in partial shade and warm at least 20-24 degrees Celsius until germination
- After germination it is essential to place it cooler at temperatures of 16-18 degrees and lighter
- after the appearance of the second pair of leaves prick out into slightly fertilized soil
- Compensate for any lack of light with special plant lamps
During this growth phase, the substrate is kept constantly moist without waterlogging.
Tips & Tricks
The required germination temperature of 20-24 degrees Celsius is sometimes endangered on the windowsill by cold bridges. You can effectively prevent this by placing the seed pots on styrofoam plates or ideally on small heating mats for growing plants.
