Choosing the Right Tomato Seeds

Before you begin, select a tomato variety that suits your climate and gardening goals. Consider factors such as:

• Determinate vs. Indeterminate: Determinate tomatoes grow to a fixed height and produce fruit all at once, while indeterminate varieties continue growing and producing throughout the season.

• Heirloom vs. Hybrid: Heirloom tomatoes offer unique flavors and colors, while hybrids tend to be more disease-resistant.

• Climate Suitability: Some tomatoes are better suited for warm or cool climates, so check the seed packet for recommendations.

Preparing for Planting

Tomato seeds need a warm, controlled environment to germinate successfully. Follow these steps to set the stage for healthy seedlings:

1. Choose a Quality Seed-Starting Mix

   • A light, well-draining mix is best to promote strong root development.

     • Coir is great for seed starting - check out the options here.

   • Avoid using garden soil, which may contain pests or disease.

2. Select Proper Containers

   • Seed trays, small pots, or biodegradable peat pots work well.

   • Ensure containers have drainage holes to prevent waterlogging.

3. Planting the Seeds

   • Fill the containers with the seed-starting mix, leaving about half an inch of space at the top.

   • Place 2-3 seeds in each container, spacing them about a quarter-inch deep.

   • Cover lightly with soil and mist with water.

Providing Ideal Growing Conditions

Tomato seeds need warmth, moisture, and light to germinate effectively.

• Temperature: Maintain a temperature 18-26°C. A heating mat can help in cooler environments.

• Light: Once the seeds sprout, provide as much natural light as possible on a sunny windowsill or grow lights can be used if natural light is limited.

• Watering: Keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. Use a spray bottle or bottom watering method to prevent disturbing the seeds.

• Air Circulation: Gentle airflow prevents mold growth and strengthens seedlings. A small fan on a low setting can be beneficial.

Transplanting Seedlings

When your seedlings have at least two sets of true leaves, they are ready for transplanting.

1. Harden Off the Seedlings

   • Before moving them outdoors, gradually expose seedlings to outdoor conditions over a week.

   • Start with a few hours of indirect sunlight and increase exposure daily.

2. Choose a Planting Spot

   • Tomatoes thrive in full sun (at least 6-8 hours daily).

   • Use well-draining, nutrient-rich soil.

3. Transplant with Care

   • Space plants 18-24 inches apart.

   • Bury them deeper than their seedling pots, up to the first set of leaves, to encourage strong root growth.

   • Water well after transplanting.

Ongoing Care and Maintenance

To ensure a successful harvest, follow these care tips:

• Water Regularly: Keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy.

• Fertilize: Use a balanced fertilizer or compost to support healthy growth.

• Pinch Out Side Shoots: Indeterminate Varieties -Start pinching out side shoots once the plant has established itself and is actively growing.

• Stake: Provide support to prevent plants from sprawling on the ground.

• Monitor for Pests and Diseases: Watch for common issues like aphids, blight, or blossom-end rot.

Harvesting Your Tomatoes

Tomatoes are ready to pick when they are firm and fully colored. Harvest regularly to encourage continued production. Enjoy them fresh, in sauces, or preserved for later use!

By following these steps, you’ll enjoy a bountiful harvest of homegrown tomatoes. Happy gardening!

Being someone who doesn't always have the most free time to get things done I wanted a quick and easy recipe for pickling but I struggled to find one that also didnt have a really long list of ingredients on top of an overly complicated method. So with some combining a few different ideas I trialed my own version and it seemed to work well enough.

This is the method I have used and has worked for me:

Ingredients:

• 500G Gherkins
• 1Tbsp Fine Sea Salt
• 400ml White Vinegar
• 400ml Water
• 1Tbsp Pickling Spice
• Fresh Dill (I use one sprig per jam jar)

Method:

1. Wash your gherkins, if using whole trim both ends, I like to slice ours so let them grow a little longer if you want them to go further. 
   
   
2. Place your gherkins in a clean bowl and sprinkle with the salt, cover and allow them to stand until the salt has liquidized (I do this the night before)
   
   
3. When you are ready to go, get the jars in your oven to sterilse, meanwhile bring the Vinegar and Water to the boil, once boiling, turn down the heat and add your pickling spice. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly whilst you complete the next part.
   
   
4. Boil a kettle full of water to rise your gherkins before packing them in to your jar/s along with your sprigs of Dill.
   
   
5. Finally carefully fill your jars with the spiced vinegar until the gherkins are fully covered and seal. Allow at least 48 hours before consuming but for best results and flavour leave for approximately 2 - 3 weeks before opening. 

You can find our Chilli seed kit here which contains 3 of the above mentioned varieties plus everything you'll need to get them growing.

So if you've grown chillies it's likely you have grown the heat that suits your palette, which is fine for this recipe as you should use your preferred chillies to make this sauce that way you know you will enjoy it rather than end up with a bottle of something too hot to handle!

To start with you will need to sterilise a glass bottle to transfer your sauce in to once ready, I use a Kilner bottle, you can pick these up from most shops. Clean with warm soapy water and rinse before placing in a pre heated oven @ 160 degrees for around 10 mins.

To make the sauce you will need:

• 24 Chilli Peppers topped and sliced
• 6 Garlic cloves (crushed)
• 1 Small onion (finely chopped)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 cup Water
• 1/4 cup White vinegar
• 2 tbsp Caster sugar

Add the Chillies, garlic and onion to a pan with a splash of oil and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes stirring frequently.

Now add the water and simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes before removing from the heat and allow it to cool slightly

Once you have left this to cool slightly (because you dont want to burn yourself with splashes) use a stick blender to make a puree

Now and the remaining ingredients and blend in to a sauce. Pour this in to your bottle/s and store in the fridge. 

I always recommend testing just a very small amount first, by dipping a cocktail stick in and taste. Before diving in you are going to want to know how hot your sauce is!

I have wooden sided raised beds with slightly raised posts in each corner, these are really handy for this project as it will keep the cover firmly in place. 

Step 1 - measure the existing bed and make a simple frame from 25x50mm batten, pilot drill and screw pieces together before drilling 19mm holes at equal distances along the length of the frame.

Step 2 - cut the 20mm MDPE pipe to the required length ensuring it gives you your desired height for the cover, then I pushed these in to the holes on the frame, the pipe is 20mm outside diameter so it fits nice and snug meaning it wont come free and I didnt require any further mechanical fixing. 

Step 3 - I cut a length of debris netting off the roll and used a staple gun to attach it all around the frame, pulling it fairly tight to make sure it doesn,t sag or blow too much in the wind. 

Step 4 - fit on to existing raised bed for caterpillar protection! if you check to make sure you don't have slugs already in your bed it will also double up as protection from those two as mine fits tight against the top edge of the raised bed.

I think at the peak so far there has been close to double digits in number of courgettes in the fridge even after giving some away to friends, family and neighbours. So what do we do with all of them to ensure they don't go to waste? In the following article I'll give you a couple of cake recipes  we have used so far and my thoughts on them, plus what else do we plan on doing with them?

Chocolate courgette cake, this moist almost brownie like cake is so good I made two in two days! Don't worry some is being given away! a nice simple recipe as follows:

Mix together in one bowl 250g plain flour, 375g caster sugar, 65g cocoa powder, 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt & 1 tsp ground cinnamon then add 4 eggs & 350ml vegetable oil and mix well. Then fold in 340g of grated courgette plus a decent handful of white chocolate chips. Transfer the mixture to a greased and lined 20x30cm baking tray and bake at 180 C for approx 50 mins or until when poked with a knife it should come out with just a small amount of cake stuck to it (this gives it the brownie like texture)

In a similar recipe I also made a lemon and courgette cake. 200g plain flour, 150g caster sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Again combine all the dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients, 1 egg, 125ml vegetable oil and zest of one lemon and mix well before folding in 200g grated courgette. Pour the mixture into a greased and lined loaf tin and bake at 160 C for approx 45 mins or until a knife test comes out clean. 

I'll be honest the chocolate cake won hands down for me, the lemon one was a bit heavy and maybe could have done with another 5 mins in the oven. 

Over the weekend I plan on using some more courgettes in a potato and courgette dauphinoise recipe as given to me by Karen - @welliesandwaffles I highly recommend following her on Instagram as she also posted about our subscription box on her feed. I'll also be making up a batch of courgette and tomato sauce to freeze and use in pasta dishes over the winter.

Thankfully I had more than enough in the shed to plant all my seeds, and start preparing my raised beds etc. as it soon became apparent that spending a lot of time at home people wanted to get more involved in gardening and growing their own food. 

That is essentially where Seed Craft came from, I had more time on my hands and decided I would like a much longer growing season this year with a much wider variety of things growing in my garden (whilst I still eagerly await an allotment plot) I researched a lot about what to plant and when, whilst doing so I realised there must be so many other people out there wanting to do the same and also my novice growers who may not know where to start.

That's where our monthly subscription boxes come in, for a small cost per month you get seeds delivered to you that are intended to be sown that month, taking all the guess work away and saving you the research time, also for experienced growers it brings variety that may not have been chosen. 

After a crash course in building a website that not only functions well, is easy to navigate and looks nice. There was also photography to think about (much to my wife's dismay when she saw my creative mess in the kitchen), branding and products. So many little things went in to building my little company and I am very proud of what I have achieved and I urge anyone who has an idea to go ahead and follow that dream. If nothing else I can say I've learnt a lot about myself since starting with an idea through to launching a web store and posting out my first orders