Tomatoes from seed.... do you winter sow them too?

14 years ago

Can you really sow tomatoes from seed using the winter sowing method? Since they love the heat of the summer, I would have thought they would have to be sowed in the spring....

Also, I only have enough room in the sun for 4-6 plants and since it is only myself and my daughter... that is actually plenty. If I participate in Trudi's WONDERFUL tomato seed SASBE, I will have WAY TOO MANY seeds.

Still, I would love to try some of the cool varieties she has listed. Can the seeds be saved for a second year - will they still be viable? I sure don't want to waste any and since my quantity is so small, in the past, I have just purchased 4-packs of seedlings and given away my extras. They weren't any fun, unusual varieties though.

Thanks!

BettyLu

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Comments (7)

trudi_d
14 years ago
Yes, you can WS tomato seeds--that's why I began giving them away ;-)

Tomato seeds last a very long time, viability drops about the fourth or fifth year, but you should still get some plants from an old pack of seeds--and from those plants you save seeds from their fruits to refresh your seed stock.

T
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token28001
14 years ago
Sow them like you would other tender annuals. I sowed mine in early April here in zone 7 with a typical last frost of April 15-20.
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I'm hardening off 4 tomatoes started in Jan - I have about 9 total, so super ready to get rid of some. Will plant them after direct sun is past, put up the supports and cover with agribon19. It's just an experiment, in case the weather goes on like this without great change - if they make it, after only 2 days of hardening off - and cooler weather comes, I'll pop some platicated greenhouse thingy on top..... But I have too many in the house too big - I was experimenting with production under lights - but just had indeterminate, big plants....next winter, I'll buy some special container tiny plants to continue on with the experimenting.... I too need to start some of my main crop tomatoes for summer....so perhaps I will do the winter sowing too....as you all say it isn't too late...
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ok, you ladies have sold me on WS tomatoes. So I made a new lasagna bed today 36 inches wide x 50 feet long. I still got to add some more to it, I have it 18 inches high, but will finish tomorrow 24 inches deep! I only worked around 4 hours on it so far. But it already looks so "rich" that I bet I dream about them maters jumping out of it tonight! So Trudi_d, I am sending in my tomato request tomorrow. I made it out right after supper. thanks to all for making my life the better! Tom
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I've got lots and lots of flower seed that I'm wintersowing this year- 37 containers so far. And at least a couple dozen more to go through the next few weeks. These are getting planted in all over the place. I have an area of the yard I call the sanctuary that I'm slowly but surely filling in with plugs of different self sowing annuals and perennials. On the other side of the sanctuary is getting filled with different types of milkweed and other butterfly and insect flowers. Some others are going into the shady area in front of the house. Still others are going into a whole bunch of different spots around the yard that I want to be able to sow once, then leave to let them do their thing. I'm trying to WS thimbleberry for the first time- I want to cultivate up a patch of it on the back 40 somewhat around where the wild blackberries are growing- and where I plan on putting in the gooseberries I've overwintered, and later, raspberries- I want a big ole area of berry picking goodness. And bramble goodness to help keep out some neighbors I'm having trouble with- they can pick on their side, and leave mine alone, lol. Later in the season will be my WS of grape hyacinths- I WS them late in the winter in their containers so I can plant them in in blocks to a border around my solarium. I've found this works better with WS than it does trying to set them in in the fall when they are supposed to be planted. WS them kind of forces them to grow a bit faster and more solid than in the ground. I've considered WS some herbs and maybe veggies- but this depends on if I still have any containers and dirt leftover from doing up all the flowers!
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I want to save my own seeds for Winter Sowing....how do I do it?
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Hibiscus Seed Capsules Seed saving is a lot of fun and it's easy to do! This is how I do it....and these are general and universal instructions. Mother Nature is pretty easy to figure out if we keep with the idea that SHE needs to keep it simple too. Take a good look at a flower. When the flower fades leave it where it is, do not remove it. Eventually at the base of the flower there will be some swelling. This is where the seeds are forming. Do keep the petals where they are and let them fall naturally...I don't touch it or bother it, I just leave it be. The base of the flower will swell even more and soon you'll notice that the flower stem and the swollen base are turning a papery-brown. This is a very good indication that the seeds are almost fully ripe....in effect the plant has achieved it's goal of reproduction for that flower...it has produced viable seeds and no longer needs to expend energy to keep it alive, so it doesn't sends it's sugars and water up to the stem anymore. That's why it's turning papery-brown. It's no longer being supplied with nutrients and so it's dying back. The drying action will continue and as the swollen pod continues to dry you will see it start to open....some pods will open in a starry design, plants like poppies create a ridge of tiny little circles near the top of the pod....they make themselves into something like a little "salt-shaker" (sorta...but you could imagine it.) All flower pods will open in some manner when the seeds are ripe....it's so they can disperse their seeds. When you see that the pods and stems are both brownish in color, AND you notice that the pods are starting to open you can then collect the pods. I place the pods on an open plate or in open bowls in a safe place where they won't be disturbed and let them continue to dry naturally for another week or two. Then I remove the seeds from them. To assure that the seeds are thoroughly dry I let them dry on an open plate for a few more days...I even will stir them every now and then to make sure the bottom layers will get a chance to dry too. Storing the dried seeds is easy. I use paper envelopes. I make my own with my printer, but you could use coin envelopes or even mailing envelopes will do fine too. Label them so you know what's inside. Store them where they'll be away from heat or direct sunlight. I use cardboard file boxes to keep my seeds in and those do just fine. Another good place to keep them is in your dining room drawers. Those are dark places and your dining room is sure to be safe from extreme fluctuations in temperature. Good luck with your seed saving! Trudi
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disneynut1977 ~ Melissa
14 years ago
Hi Bettylu,

I have alot of tomato seeds, OP and a few hybrids. I was gonna send my extra's I'm not using off to Trudi soon, but if you want I can send my list to you and LMK if you want anything. All I need is 1 unused stamp sent to me and I can send them back in a thank you card. I have never had a problem with tomato seeds going through the mail.

Melissa

P.S. regarding your post. WS tomatoes are so much easier. I'm starting mine indoors this year though, due to that I'm only doing mid-late types, except for my SunGolds. Zone 5 only leaves so much time for ripening.
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bettylu_zone6a
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the offer! I would take you up on it, but since Trudi replied that the seeds would stay viable for a few years, I went ahead and filled out her form for requesting tomato seeds and mailed it today. I am going to grow some for my sister, my daughters, and friends too, so they won't go to waste!

I am really looking forward to trying some new varieties grown from seed. Last spring I actually had some "volunteer" tomatoes come up unexpectedly and it was actually VERY FUNNY because I couldn't figure out where the tomato plants were coming from in all my hanging baskets, etc LOL

Apparently I had tossed frost-killed tomatoes in my compost pile and they broke down over the winter and I forgot about them until they started growing EVERYWHERE, but unfortunately they didn't have the flavor of the parent plants - which won't happen with the heirloom varieties, I believe.

BettyLu
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stlgirl
14 years ago
Hi Betty,

I too was surprised when I first learned one can WS tomatoes. I did some Sungolds last year and had a couple ripe tomatoes before July 4th. Trudi has lots of info on her site as to how to WS tomatoes. I find it way easier than growing under lights and transplanting. If you want some ripe tomatoes earlier in the season be sure to select a variety that has an earlier DTM date.

-StLGirl

Here is a link that might be useful: winter sow tomatoes
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Belgianpup
14 years ago
Maybe you can WS tomatoes where springs get hot fast, but you sure can't in the Pacific Northwest, because they don't sprout until mid-July!

If the soil in your containers doesn't reach 75-78F fast, your seeds won't sprout until it does. That's July, here, and that means we would get plants, but no ripe tomatoes before the frost zaps them.

There is a difference between if you CAN sprout certain species using WSing methods, and if you SHOULD do it that way. I use WS for many, many things, but not for tropical types that need heat to sprout and need a relatively long growing season.

Your best bet may be to start a few plants indoors so you can plant them out when the soil warms up, and try WSing a few more. Then you'll know if it's a viable method for your area.

Sue
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barbe_wa
14 years ago
I agree with belgianpup about wintersowing tomatoes in the PNW. We just don't warm up fast enough for tomatoes and peppers so they are the ONLY things I use a heat mat to start. I move them off the mat and into the cold frame as soon as possible, so they still are very hardy plants. I have tried wintersowing them, and while they sprout okay in May or June, we don't have the "heat" days to mature them before the first frost. I did get lots and lots of little green tomatoes though.
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Tomatoes from seed.... do you winter sow them too?

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