Sowing Your Seeds

Now that you have prepared your containers with your growing medium, it's the perfect time to sow the seeds. The packet that you received your plants will often have recommendations for how deep to sow. A standard measurement in planting is a depth of two to four times the diameter of the seed. But as with everything, this is not always true. Some seeds prefer to grow on top of the medium and not buried. Confirm individual seed planting depths before sowing. 

Ideally, when starting from seed, there can be between one and three seeds per cell (if starting in a tray) or small container. Multiple seeds act as a redundancy if one fails. This planting method is standard and often determined by germination rate or the percentage of successfully germinated seeds under proper growing conditions. If multiple seeds sprout in a cell, as the plants mature, you can clip the weaker of the seedlings and leave the heartiest. After sowing in the seeds, add a thin layer of vermiculite atop the medium. This layer acts as a secure barrier for the tender seedlings to push through.

Get Germinating

With your seeds in their trays, you can set up a corner of a relatively unused room for germination. With no windows that can provide the necessary light, you plan on using a fluorescent tube light. After placing your tomatoes, you lower the light-fixture until it is inches from the surface. Placing your hand between the bulb and the seeds, you can feel the heat against your skin. You decide to raise your light another inch and feel confident that the temperature won't hurt your developing seedlings.

At this point, your seeds are well on their way towards becoming seedlings and eventually hearty plants to produce for your home. What's next? In my next article, I will be looking at the seedling stage and how to monitor the success of your developing plants. After that, we will finish up the series with a final article on the care of mature plants.