Which Tomato Seedlings Should Go In First

It is the first day of Spring, and the nurseries have a big stock of tomato seedlings. But the weather is still quite cold. Don’t buy those seedlings, yet. There is no advantage to putting tomato seedlings out extra early.

You will find that early planted tomatoes and and later planted will mature and produce at about the same time. Neither get growing until the soil gets warmed up. The nursery hopes you don’t know that!

If you have your own green house, go ahead and buy them early. But don’t put them out in the garden until you are sure you are at least 2 weeks past the last freeze, and the soil has warmed up.

The tomato plant is the largest seller of all plants in the United States. Did you know that? No surprise to me. And that is why you will find them in the nursery so early. A long buying season is great for the nurseries. But, don’t be tempted too soon. They will be there for quite a while!

And they will offer you lots of variety. Tomatoes are of two types, but, many varieties with-in those types. You know the types, hybrid and heirloom. Heirloom is the old standbys. The ones your Grandmother served you with sugar, or maybe salt, like a real treat. And indeed they can be. They can be counted on for flavor, every variety. In fact, my Grandfather used to save his own seeds, every year.

Hybrids are just what they sound like. Developed for a purpose. Usually performance and keeping qualities. Most store bought tomatoes will be of a hybrid variety for obvious reasons. They are going to have to last for the travel time between harvest and your table.

But, don’t be afraid to grow hybrid tomatoes yourself. They won’t be the hard and tasteless red rocks you find in the grocery. You can let them ripen on the vine, and harvest when they are truly ripe. They will be delicious.

For a home garden, I suggest planting (not too early) both types. The hybrids will give you a great crop, and will keep after picking for a good time. The heirlooms for their unbeatable flavors. You tomato crop will be enviable!

Now that you know which tomato seedlings you will buy, you probably want to learn how to plant and all that goes with that. There is a web site, www.ourhomegarden.infowhere you can learn all that you need to know andmuch, much more. My immigrant Irish farmer Granddad would be impressed with all the information that is available from www.ourhomegarden.info