Tomatoes
If you’ve been to any of the home improvement stores or Walmart, you may have noticed that they’ve gotten their first supply of vegetable plants and seeds. One tomato plant costs $3.00. You can get a package of seeds for under $2.00.

If you plan to grow more than a couple of plants then seeds are the way to go. Just remember that if you will be growing your plants in pots, it’s best to buy ‘determinate’ varieties. Those are the tomatoes that grow to a compact height and stop growing when the fruit sets. They’ll ripen over a 2 or 3 week period, and then die.

If you have room for “vining” tomatoes, then indeterminate varieties will grow and produce fruit throughout the growing season – usually until the first frost.

Planting seeds
Any  type of container will do as long as you will be able to easily get the fragile seedling out without damage. Styrofoam cups, peat pots, whatever. Just make sure you use good, fresh potting soil. Follow directions on the package.

Keep warm and moist
Tomato seeds usually germinate within 5 to 10 days when kept in the optimum temperature range of 70 to 80F.  If temperatures drop below 50F or above 95F seeds won’t germinate. Don’t let soil dry out.

Lot’s of light
A south facing window is a good place to start seeds. If that is not possible, use a fluorescent light, or specialized high-intensity grow lamp, or a combination of natural and artificial lighting.

Transplant
You may have to transplant root-bound plants a couple of times before they are ready to go outside. As soon as fear of frost is over, begin acclimating plants to the outdoors. Avoid full sun and wind when you first move them outside.

Given the proper care, full-sized tomato transplants can be grown in 6 to 8 weeks.

Container Gardens
If you’ve been thinking about a vegetable garden but don’t have the time or space, try containers. There is a wide variety of vegetables and fruits that do very well in pots. Also, a couple of potted dwarf citrus trees will yield fruit all winter long, here in Southern California.

Tomatoes
Even if you only have one pot with a tomato plant, it’s worth the effort. Remember, there are 2 types of tomatoes. Determinate and indeterminate. The most readily available are determinate, which you will find in late winter-early spring at your local nursery. This type of tomato plant grows to a certain size, and produces one large crop. The indeterminate plant will continue growing but will have smaller a crop. The nice thing is you can enjoy having tomatoes for salads in the winter with this type of plant.  I like to use a planter that has wheels so I can move the plants during the day to take full advantage of limited winter sunshine. I found the Earthbox to be a real find. Not only does it have wheels, but it also has a self-watering system.