Time to Sow Tomato Seed

Time to sow tomato seed Half a century ago I knew this old Melbourne gardener who prided himself on his ability to grow and pick a decent crop of ripe tomatoes by Christmas. No mean feat in Melbourne. He didn’t have any fancy pants propagating systems. During late winter he sowed 2 or 3 tomato seeds 5mm deep in each of half a dozen 7.5cm well watered pots. He placed the pots in a metal tray and sat the tray on his indoor hot water tank. The seeds germinated within a couple of weeks.

After germination he thinned the pots to one seedling per pot and during mild days would sit the tray on some steps on the north side of his house. The plants would be brought inside overnight. During periods of heavy rain the tomatoes would be kept indoors. In early September he potted the tomato plants into 15cm pots. These were then kept outside as long as there was no danger of frosts.

The by now 60cm tall tomatoes would be planted out into their permanent position in the garden by the end of October. He was lucky enough to live in an area where there were no spring frosts.

And voila by Christmas some nice ripe tomatoes.