The Thrifty Homemaker: Think Spring - Gardening! by Gale Luby
 
Now in the cold white of winter is the time to dream of colorful flowers and fresh garden fruits and vegetables! Would you like tomatoes in June? Ladies, start your seeds now!
 
Tomatoes are easy, like weeds, but here’s a few tips to have tomatoes early and all summer long.  
 
Start in February in soil-less mix in a warm place. When sprouted, place under fluorescent shop lights 2 inches from the plants and maintain this distance to planting out. Windowsills are unacceptable unless it’s a sun porch. If they bend toward the light, there’s not enough. Use one inexpensive white light and one full spectrum or acquarium light. I hang my lights under my upper kitchen cabinets, in cheap metal shelf units, from brackets screwed into wall studs or custom made shelves.
 
I scrounge for containers and trays. Once the plants have a second set of leaves, water the soil well and with a fork, gently ease them out of the nursery tray into small individual containers , such as small yogurt cups, remember to punch drainage holes in all your containers. Spread the roots out and fill in with soil and water well. Do not touch (throttle) the stem of the plant, just the leaves and roots if you must.
 
When the tomato plants are 6 inches high, transplant them into tall, narrow containers, such as ? gallon waxed milk cartons with the tops cut off. Gently tap the plant out of its small cup and place in the bottom of the container, firming it in with more soil. As it grows you will add more soil, and that will develop more roots to give you a super strong plant.
 
Tomatoes do not like to touch, so now your tomato children need more room, and don’t forget to fertilize. A stinky homemade brew is crushed eggshells tea.
 
When you do plant them out after all danger of frost, you can stake and prune or just let them sprawl, preferable on back and white newspaper or hay mulch or weed mulch (if you have gotten behind on that chore). Sprawled tomatoes will bear more fruit.
 
Indeterminate tomatoes produce over a long period. My favorites are Big Beef hybrid, Pruden’s Purple or Brandywine heirlooms, Amish Paste and Sun Gold or Sun Sugar cherry.
 
Here are some great garden catalogs:
 
PineTree Garden Seeds – Maine www.superseeds.com  1-888-52-SEEDS
FedCo -Maine 207-873-7333
Mellinger’s  Ohio 1-800-321-7444
Seed Savers www.seedsavers.org 563-382-5990
Indiana Berry and Plant Co. www.inberry,com 1-800-295-2226
Jung Quality Seeds www.jungseed.com 1-800-247-5864
 

About the author:

Gale Luby gardens on top of a mountain in SW New Hampshire. If you have any questions concerning growing food, please call 603-478-0320. If you have real estate needs, please go to her website bio at www.kmmrealty.com. If you would like to rent a weekend ski/snowmobile chalet, please email me gale@gsinet.net Thanks and good growing!