Tomato is such a unique fruit that can be used as a vegetable. It is a major ingredient in most of the dishes. You can eat it raw when you use it in a salad. Tomato is an easy to grow plant and can be harvested within 2 to 3 months.
The interesting thing is that you can get seeds of tomato from the salad or the sandwich you are eating. In this article, we are going to discuss how to grow tomatoes from the tomatoes which you bought from the supermarket.
BEST VARIETIES OF TOMATOES
The summertime is best for growing tomatoes. Before growing tomatoes, you should do some research about the varieties. This will help to boost the yield of tomatoes this year. Here are some varieties which you like to grow in your home garden or indoors.
CELEBRITIES
This variety has a bright red color and its shape is round and full. The weight of each tomato is about half a pound. It will increase the taste of your tomato sandwiches. Purchase seeds on Amazon
BLACK CHERRY TOMATOES
The color of these cherry tomatoes is black. If you want smaller tomatoes to enhance the taste of your salads then you should consider this variety. Purchase seeds on Amazon
BRANDYWINE
The size of this variety is very large and round. Big varieties are good to use in sandwiches and cheeseburgers. Purchase seeds on Amazon
BEEFSTEAK
This is the most common type of tomato which has a red color and its weight can be a pound. They are large so you can use them for making salad, sandwiches or even canning. Purchase seeds on Amazon
DELICIOUS
The red and round variety is mostly seen in grocery stores. As the name shows that they are rich in flavor. Purchase seeds on Amazon
BETTER BOY
This variety can produce the most fruit. High yields can be get from these traditional, beautiful red tomatoes. Purchase seeds on Amazon
BEST TIME FOR TOMATOES
The best planting time of tomatoes depends upon the location and weather conditions. Tomato is a warm-weather plant and most people try to plant it earlier which is not a good decision.
In this way, you will not get early tomato production but your plant has to fight with the unexpected late frosts. The tomato plant will not grow at a temperature less than 50 F or 10 C.
The second important condition is the temperature of the soil. The temperature of the soil should be 60 F or 16 C. You can easily check the temperature of the soil with the help of a finger.
TWO METHODS OF GROWING TOMATOES FROM FRESH TOMATOES
Little tricks make it possible for you to grow your favorite plants easily. Here we are talking about a simple hack of growing tomatoes. There are two ways of growing tomatoes from fresh store-bought tomatoes.
One is from fresh tomato seeds and the other is from fresh tomato slices. We will discuss both methods one by one.
FIRST METHOD: HOW TO GROW TOMATOES FROM FRESH TOMATO SEEDS?
The things you need for growing tomatoes from fresh tomatoes are mentioned below.
THINGS YOU NEED
All the necessary things which you need for growing tomatoes are under.
FRESH TOMATOES
The tomatoes which you bought from any store are enough for growing purposes. This method is very interesting, all you need is seeds of fresh tomatoes for getting fresh tomatoes for your kitchen.
- Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and soak the seeds in water for 14 hours.
- Let the seeds dry and sow them within 7 days in a potting mix in three small pots. You can use a paper towel for drying purposes.
THREE SEED POT
You need 3 seed pots to prepare seedlings for transplanting into the pot or in the garden. Make sure your pots have drainage holes. It is necessary for drainage purposes.
POTTING MIXTURE
The potting mixture is vegetable friendly so you can use it in the pot for growing healthy and nutritious tomatoes. There is a huge difference between a potting mixture and potting soil.
The potting mixture contains peat moss, vermiculite, compost, perlite, and then. It is a lighter growing medium than soil. Soil mixture can hold the moisture but not become soggy.
STEP 1
Fill the three small seed pots with potting mix. Make sure all the pots are filled to the top. You can leave a few inches of room for seedlings.
STEP 2
Now, this is the planting time of seeds, make sure seeds are dried and ready for planting. Plant at least 2-3 seeds in each pot. The reason is that not every seed may sprout.
If all the seeds will sprout then you can easily thin out the pots later. Place the seeds in the pot and co r the seeds about ¼ inch with damp soil.
STEP 3
At this step, cover the pots with plastic wrap for retaining the moisture in the soil. This will help in the germination process as tomato seeds need moisture to germinate.
STEP 4
Tomatoes are fast-growing, ers so the seeds will sprout soon and you will see small green leaves pushing towards the surface. After 2 weeks, you will see little young green plants emerging from the seeds. Carefully, remove the plastic wrap and spray the water.
STEP 5
At this point, your seedlings need sunlight to grow strong enough for transplanting into larger pots or to the permanent spot for the tomato, on plants.
On the first day, the young seedlings need 3 hours of sunlight. You should increase the amount gradually until the plants get a maximum of 6 hours of sunlight in a day. Gradually exposing will prevent your plant from sun damage.
STEP 6
Keep an eye on the soil and make sure it stays damp. Moisture is very important for your plants when you see the soil is dry then give the seedlings water. Without water, the seeds will die and too much water is not good for your plants. It is suggested that your pots are well-drained.
STEP 7
If more than one seeds sprout in any pot then keep them strong and remove the weaker shoots when the size of seedlings is 2 inches. One-pot needs only one tomato seedling, allow only one strong seedling in one pot.
STEP 8
When you see the height of the seedlings is about 3 inches and it has four or more leaves, your seedling is ready for transplanting into a larger pot.
The pot which are you using for growing should have holes at the bottom for drainage. The holes make the soil well-drained. Without drainage, the roots of the plant will rot due to sogginess.
STEP 9
When you see the weather is suitable for your tomato plants then you can transfer them outside. Choose a sunny spot for your plants so they propagate properly. A tomato cage is very helpful for providing support as the plant grows larger.
SECOND METHOD: GROWING TOMATOES FROM THE FRESH SLICES OF TOMATOES
The seeds in the fresh tomatoes are the same as the seeds you get from the packet. If you provide the right circumstances to seeds then they will turn into healthy and strong tomato plants.
It is not difficult to grow tomatoes from the slices of fresh tomatoes which you have at your home. In this method, you need fresh tomatoes. After taking healthy and fresh tomatoes, cut the tomatoes into slices.
Make a potting mix for the healthy development of the tomato plant take a pot and fill it with a high-quality potting mix.
A: For making the potting mix, you need 50% off of normal garden soil, 30% of organic compost, and 20% sand. With this proportion, you will create a perfect potting mixture for your tomato plants. Mix all the mentioned things properly.
B: Take a large pot that has drainage holes. Cover the bottom of the pot with stones or gravel. Now fill the tree-forth of the pot with a potting mix.
Place the slices of tomatoes on the surface of the soil but in a circular pattern.
C: After that, cover the slices with a potting mix. Remember, don’t bury the slices too deep in the soil.
D: Place your pot in a sunny spot where it gets at least 6 hours of sunlight and make it possible that the pot gets regular water so the germination of the seeds will do fast.
E: If you are placing the pot in the home then the temperature of the home should be 69-75 °F. When the soil temperature is at least 65 °F then you can transplant your seedlings outside.
F: Within two weeks you will see seeds in the slices will start to germinate, dozens of baby seedlings will start growing in the pot.
G: The new baby seedlings need bright light after germination, this will help to start the germination process quickly.
H: Examine the seedling very early and select those which are strongest and remove the weak ones.
I: Take strong seedlings and transplant them in pots. One strong seedling for one-pot is enough. The diameter of the pot should be 18 to 24 inches. The fuzzy white hairs on the seedlings will turn into roots so bury this part of the seedlings in the soil.
J: Tomatoes like to suck water from the soil so water generously keeps the soil moist. Water the seedlings regularly so they turn into healthy plants fast and you will get fresh and juicy tomatoes for your dishes.
K: As tomatoes are heavy so the plants can’t bear the fruit so it needs some support to grow upright. For this purpose, you can use tomato cages which are easily available at hardware stores. A cage should be placed over the plant in the pot when your plant is small. This should be done at an early stage so the cage will not damage the roots of the tomato plants.
L: Within one to two months, you will see little flowers which will turn into tomatoes.
HARVESTING
After doing a great deal of hard work, the time comes for harvesting your favorite tomatoes. There are many ways to use tomatoes in your dishes.
Remember, color is not a good indicator of the best time of picking tomatoes. If you are waiting for your fruit to turn uniformly red then you can be late for picking the tomato.
WHEN TO PICK TOMATOES?
Tomatoes emit ethylene gas which turns green tomatoes into a red or yellow color. Ethylene increases the carotenoids means red and yellow color which results in decreasing the chlorophyll (green color).
The interesting thing about the tomatoes is that you can pick them even if they are not completely ripe.
HOW TO HARVEST TOMATOES?
In late summer you can harvest tomatoes when the tomatoes are at their mature green stage. The ripe fruit will sink in water, this shows your fruit is ripe completely. The vine ripen tomatoes are sweetest but sometimes they are heavy so the vine can’t bear its fruit.
The bottom of the tomatoes is a place where they start to ripen. You can check the firmness of the tomatoes by lightly squeezing. When you see the first bloom of red on the skin then it means harvest time for tomatoes is nigh.
The picking process is very simple, first, grasp the fruit and gently pull it from the stem. Break the stalk above the calyx.
The harvested tomatoes can be stored indoors to continue to ripen. If you wrap the green tomatoes in newsprint, it will fasten the ripening process. The best temperature for storing tomatoes is 55-70 °F or 13-21 °C. At this temperature, they can last 3-5 weeks.
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