Tomato Lycopersicon esculentum

Grow tomato plants in warm areas with plenty of sunlight, so choose a sunny spot in your garden. Relocate your tomato plants to different parts of your garden each year to avoid disease. The optimum temperature for growing tomatoes from seed is between 80°F and 85°F. Plant your seeds indoors 10 to 12 weeks before setting them outside. Use Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Material for the best germination results. We have tested other Seed Starting mixes and experienced poor germination rates. Do not add any soil, fertilizers, or other chemicals to the seed starting material. Do not use Jiffy peat pots, plugs, or potting soil, or covers, as the soil may become too dry or too wet, which can lead to disease, fungus, and poor germination. Do not bottom-water the seeds, as this can make the seed-starting material too wet and reduce germination. We have experienced disease and low germination when using these products and covering pots and trays. When seedlings are 4" tall, transplant them into larger pots. Transplant outdoors only when plants are at least 10" tall. Grow plants outdoors in shady areas for several days before transplanting. Shelter the transplants to prevent sunburn, wilting, and rain damage. Plant in spring when the soil is warm, at least 3 weeks after the last frost, and temperatures remain above 70 degrees F. You can plant early if you use water towers. To prevent branches from breaking under the weight of tomatoes, use 5- to 6 ft tall cages. To tie plants to stakes, use soft cloth strips. Check indeterminate plants regularly and pinch off suckers and side branches where leaves join the stems. Plants can grow from 1 to 6 ft tall.