The early gardener harvests the larger tomatoes. Anyone who wants to benefit from this set of experiences grows their paradise apples in the cold frame. This gives the young plants a veritable growth advantage for planting outdoors. This guide explains how to do it.

If you plant tomatoes in the cold frame, you can harvest earlier

Sow tomato seeds in the cold frame - this is how you do it right

If your cold frame has natural heating, the time window for cultivation opens as early as February. We recommend sowing in multi-pot trays for gentle handling of the young root balls. How to proceed step by step:

  • Fill pots with potting soil or a mix of vegetable soil and sand
  • Press the multi-pot plate in the cold frame into the warm earth up to the edge
  • Place a tomato seed in each individual pot and sieve over a maximum of 5 mm

Spray the substrate with room-warm, soft water and close the cover. At 20 degrees Celsius, germination takes 8 to 12 days. The higher the temperatures in the cold frame, the faster the process progresses. During this time, keep the seed constantly slightly moist, because drought stress is the greatest danger for your seedlings.

Proper pricking and care - this is how it works

The growth of two cotyledons signals that the cultivation of your tomatoes in the cold frame is successful. The seedlings are repotted into larger containers when they have 3 to 4 leaves at the earliest. The longer you delay the measure, the better your young plants will be prepared for this hardship. How to proceed professionally:

  • Fill 10 cm pots with vegetable soil
  • Make a small well with a spoon or pricking stick
  • Carefully lift a young tomato out of the seed pot

Plant the seedlings deep enough that the fresh soil reaches just below the cotyledons. Press the substrate firmly and water. Keep your tomatoes slightly moist until mid-May and add a little liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water every 14 days. After the ice saints, the strong young plants take their place in the sunny garden bed.

tips

The cold frame is not just reserved for growing tomatoes. Are you wondering what else can get into the mini greenhouse? Then socialize growing tomatoes with spring onions. In this way, you not only make optimal use of free space in the cold frame. In addition, onions in mixed cultures ward off the dreaded pathogens of late blight.

Category:

Garden design