by James Lynne

Created on: September 21, 2008   Last Updated: August 22, 2011

Most enthusiastic gardeners eventually want to start their own tomato plants from seed rather than buying seedlings in the nursery. It's a point of pride. The desire to start the tomato garden at the very first possible moment dictates starting early, from seed, indoors. It can be pulled off! Get your seeds. Get ready. Get set. Plant!

Because tomato seeds are very small it takes them much longer than other, larger seeds to develop from seed stage to fruiting stage. It seems reasonable then, to start early, indoors, before spring has sprung. It is also worth it to start your own tomatoes from seed rather than having to depend on what your local nursery might stock.

There are many different ways to start tomatoes from seed, but you'll need some type of medium for the seedlings to sprout in, tomato seeds, and potting soil. I save my plastic seedling containers from my spring planting specifically for this purpose, but that is only one way to get the job done. Creativity is the key. You can order peat cubes or peat pots specifically designed for this purpose also. Other than the unnecessary expense of buying them, I find them satisfactory. It's nice to have a greenhouse, but my dining room often fills that purpose. I've taken to using white paper cupcake cups (not the foil kind) as my nursery for tomato seeds. After the seeds have sprouted, the cups can be planted directly into the ground without disturbing the young plants. The paper will decompose in the garden.

I save the plant trays from the nursery when I buy seedlings to use for my "cup cake" tomato nursery, but an aluminum foil type cake pan or cookie sheet will work just as well. You need a tray to help the cup cake forms hold their shape since they are a bit flimsy. Double the cups to create a bit more durability. Determine how many cups you want, fill the tray with cups, and then gently sprinkle potting soil into them, filling each about half full, just like you would if you were going to bake muffins that need room to expand. Leave room for another layer of soil to cover the seeds.

Gently drop two tomato seeds into each cup. The seeds are tiny. You could put more than two in a cup, but most commercially grown seeds germinate well. Putting more in a cup would lead to waste because you'll have to thin them. Two is insurance that one will sprout, and you really only want one plant per cup. After placing the seeds in the cups, sprinkle a layer of potting soil about a half inch thick over them. Then, using

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