{"id":17695,"date":"2026-02-12T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everpress.everapps.dev\/kitchen-garden\/starting-tomatoes\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T08:00:00","slug":"starting-tomatoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everpress.everapps.dev\/en\/gemuesegarten\/starting-tomatoes\/","title":{"rendered":"Starting tomatoes: from seed to a strong young plant"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Starting tomatoes: from seed to a strong young plant<\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Anyone who wants to harvest their own tomatoes starts on the windowsill in late winter. Raising them is not rocket science \u2013 what matters is enough light, the right temperature and a little patience. The effort is rewarded with varieties that are hard to find in shops, and with plants that are used to your own garden from day one.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n 22<\/span>\n \u00b0C<\/span>\n <\/p>\n

Germination temperature<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n

\n 10<\/span>\n days<\/span>\n <\/p>\n

until germination<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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\n 12<\/span>\n weeks<\/span>\n <\/p>\n

until planting out<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The right time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sowing too early is the most common beginner’s mistake. In January there is not enough daylight, and the seedlings shoot up thin and pale. The ideal time is mid-February to the end of March \u2013 then the plants are exactly the right size for planting out in mid-May.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Period<\/th>Step<\/th>Temperature<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Mid-February<\/td>Sow in seed compost<\/td>20\u201324 \u00b0C<\/td><\/tr>
Early March<\/td>Prick out into 9 cm pots<\/td>18 \u00b0C<\/td><\/tr>
April<\/td>Keep bright and cooler<\/td>16\u201318 \u00b0C<\/td><\/tr>
Early May<\/td>Harden off during the day<\/td>outdoors<\/td><\/tr>
After the last frost<\/td>Plant out<\/td>from 12 \u00b0C at night<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Sowing step by step<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Fill a seed tray with low-nutrient seed compost and press down lightly<\/li>\n\n
  2. Place seeds 2 cm apart and cover with 0.5 cm of compost<\/li>\n\n
  3. Moisten with a spray bottle, cover with a lid or film<\/li>\n\n
  4. Place at 20\u201324 \u00b0C; air briefly every day<\/li>\n\n
  5. After germination remove the lid and move somewhere cooler but very bright<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
    \n \n
    \n \n
    \n\n \"Illustration:\n \n
    Strong young plants have short gaps between their leaves.<\/figcaption>\n \n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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    Pricking out and hardening off<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    As soon as the first true leaves appear, the seedlings are moved into individual pots \u2013 deeper than before, as new roots form on the stem. From early May the pots go outside to a sheltered spot during the day so the plants get used to sun and wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Tomatoes only move outside for good after the last frost in mid-May. A single cold night below 5 \u00b0C can set growth back by weeks.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    No time for seed starting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Grafted young plants are the shortcut: they grow on a robust rootstock, resist soil-borne diseases better and bear considerably more. The tomato plant \u201cHarzfeuer\u201d<\/a> arrives strongly pre-grown from mid-April.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \n

    Pre-order now<\/h3>\n
    Grafted tomatoes are shipped in the right planting size from mid-April.<\/div>\n
    \n\n To the tomato plant <\/a>\n\n\n\n Compost for seed starting <\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
    \n\t\t
    \n\t\tWhy are my seedlings long and thin?<\/span>\n\t\t
    \n\t\t\t

    Too little light and too much warmth. Move them somewhere cooler and brighter, or use a grow light.<\/p>\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t

    \n\t\tDo I need to feed?<\/span>\n\t\t
    \n\t\t\t

    Only after pricking out, then weakly every two weeks. Seed compost is deliberately low in nutrients.<\/p>\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Seed starting begins in mid-February. With light, warmth and patience you get sturdy young plants that can go into the bed after the last frost.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17527,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9817,9821],"tags":[9825],"class_list":["post-17695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gemuesegarten","category-saisontipps","tag-tomaten"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everpress.everapps.dev\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everpress.everapps.dev\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everpress.everapps.dev\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.everapps.dev\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.everapps.dev\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.everapps.dev\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17695\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.everapps.dev\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everpress.everapps.dev\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.everapps.dev\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everpress.everapps.dev\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}