Aimers Organics Seeds - Tomato - San Marzano

Sow seeds indoors about 6-8 weeks before your last spring frost date – use a soil-less growing mix for germinating and growing seedlings indoors. The temperature of the seeding mix should be 21-24C (70-75F) for prompt germination. When the seedlings are 4cm (1.75in) high, transplant each into individual peat pots, reduce temperature to 15–18C (59-65F) and grow on under lights until hardening off and planting in the garden in late May. Transplant into well-drained organic soil 60cm (24in) apart for determinate varieties and 90cm (36in) apart for indeterminate varieties. Tomatoes need warmth, direct sunlight and a steady supply of water. Keep plants well-watered and apply the water to the soil rather than showering down over the plants. Rotate the crop position in the garden every year and wait three years before using the same patch again for tomatoes. A the end of the season dig out and discard diseased plants – do not compost them. It is also very important to keep plants evenly watered as fluctuations in available soil moisture can lead to a host of problems such as fruit cracking or splitting, irregular fruiting and increasing the chance of blossom end rot developing. Apply a mulch of straw around plants to protect them from soil borne diseases and to help conserve soil moisture.