There is one gardening task you should make sure to do before spring gets fully underway that will ensure your tomatoes will thrive over the summer, an expert has revealed.
Gardening expert @Gardening.with.ish explained on TikTok that if your tomato plants have been on the windowsill and are starting to thrive “now is the time to get them potted up”. This is because they are going to start needing “quite a bit of new nutrition” so sharing pots isn’t ideal.
Fill up the pots with compost and use your fingers to make a slight hole in the middle which will allow the new plugs to sit in there “nice and comfy”.
Ish explained that he uses individual module planters when first planting the seeds as it allows a smoother transfer to the pots – and you can just pinch out each individual seedling and minimise root disturbance. If some of the plugs are stuck together, simply pinch in between and tease them apart before potting.
The gardener said: “With my tomatoes now repotted in their new homes, I’ll make sure to give them a really good water and as a result that will allow all the nutrients to mix and allow the roots to find a new home.”
At the moment, you could get away with storing the potted seeds in a greenhouse, but tomato plants are not cold hardy, so it is best to keep an eye on them and see how well they do, Ish said.
“If they are struggling, then bring them inside and around April time you can have these outdoors all the way until they finish fruiting in autumn,” he told followers.
When the plants become a bit more mature, you can pop them into their permanent homes – and make sure to bury a little bit deeper to generate more roots.
One commenter asked if tomatoes could be grown from supermarket seeds, to which Ish replied: “Absolutely.” You need to simply take a slice of the tomato and bury it about 1/2cm under soil and water, and it will sprout in a few weeks. The same principle applies to cherry tomatoes.
For anyone whose seeds aren’t sprouting, Ish recommended sunlight, warmth, and keeping the soil nice and moist. He also said that you can start bigger tomatoes as early as April and they should germinate in a greenhouse without a problem.
If you have sown your tomato seeds in biodegradable containers you can plant them straight into the next pot or the ground, as they will simply break down and the roots will grow through.
