Costoluto Genovese Tomato Seeds, 30 Count

Tomato Growing Guide: A Comprehensive Approach

Selecting the Right Tomato Variety When choosing tomato varieties, consider your climate and growing conditions. If you live in the deep South or another warm, humid region, opt for heat-tolerant and blossom drop-resistant varieties. Regardless of your location, ensure your plants receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.

Additionally, think about your harvest preferences - do you want to gather the fruit all at once or gradually over the season? Determinate varieties, which grow as 3-4 foot bushes and set all their fruit within a few weeks, are ideal for canning. Indeterminate varieties, which grow as vines and require staking, are suited for enjoying tomatoes throughout the season. For a balance, consider semi-determinate types like Sweet 'n' Neat Scarlet Improved and Orange Paruche, which stay compact enough for containers yet continue bearing all season.

Starting Tomato Seeds with BioDome Park's BioDome seed starter is an excellent choice for sowing tomato seeds. Each Bio Sponge has a pre-drilled hole, allowing you to simply drop in a single seed - no thinning required, minimizing seed waste. Place the BioDome in a 70-75°F room or use a seedling heat mat to maintain the ideal temperature. Expect to see the first sprouts in 3-8 days. As soon as the seedlings emerge, position them under bright, fluorescent light for 14-16 hours daily, keeping them just inches from the bulbs to prevent "stretching." If natural sunlight is your only option, the BioDome's clear dome will protect the seedlings from chilly drafts.

Special Considerations Avoid planting tomatoes where peppers, eggplants, or tomatoes were grown the previous year, as these plants share similar disease and nutritional needs, which can deplete the soil. Additionally, do not over-fertilize, as this can inhibit flowering. Use a tomato-specific fertilizer like Tomato AlgoFlash for best results.

To protect young plants from frost, employ Kozy Coats - their water-filled tubes absorb and release sunlight, keeping the surrounding air a few degrees warmer.

Transplanting and Planting Two weeks before transplanting, thoroughly work the garden soil, adding generous amounts of compost and 4 pounds of 5-10-10 fertilizer per 100 square feet. Cover the soil with a tarp or plastic mulch to prevent weed growth.

Ten days before transplanting, begin "hardening off" your seedlings by gradually exposing them to the outdoors, eventually leaving them outside overnight. When planting, bury the stem up to the lowest set of leaves, or even plant the stem horizontally, to encourage root growth along the buried portion.

Ongoing Care Mulch heavily around the plants to suppress weeds and retain soil moisture. Space determinate and compact indeterminate varieties 2 feet apart, indeterminate staked plants 18 inches apart, and indeterminate caged plants 3 feet apart. Container varieties need a 2-gallon pot.

Water consistently after fruit set, tapering off as the fruit ripens to improve flavor. Protect plants from frost with tarps or Kozy Coats. Harvest tomatoes when they are full, red, and firm, either eating fresh or storing at around 60°F.

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