Sowing Tomatoes and Peppers Indoors: My Spring Gardening Journey

On March 22, I sowed tomato, hot pepper, and basil seeds indoors. It was still below freezing and snowy outside and I needed some Spring in my life. I was a few weeks early since I can’t transplant outdoors until the end of May. Our last frost date is around May 16. Memorial Day weekend is when I try to get plants in the soil outdoors.

I used soil specific for seed starting. I also used a seed starting setup that waters the planting sections from the bottom. The seed starting container has a lid that I kept on until the plants emerged. I also used a heat mat and an LED light that stays on all the time. I am happy to say I successfully germinated seeds. Now I need to get them to adolescence then finally out of the house to thrive on their own.

Tomato Plants

The tomato plants are looking scraggly. I left the heat mat on after the seedlings emerged so that is part of the problem. I just started to add a 10-10-10 fertilizer to the water I add to the bottom reservoir. We shall see if that strengthens and fills out the plants. I am slowly hardening-off the plants outdoors when the weather cooperates. Real sunlight, rather than LED light, should help my little plants.

I live in a farming community so I can pick up fruit and vegetables at farmers’ markets and farm stands. I grow my own tomatoes because I simply I love the taste of home grown tomatoes. They are sweeter and more flavorful than the tomatoes I get at farm stands.

Hot Pepper Plants

I grow hot peppers every few years since each harvest provides more than enough. I freeze them and when I start to run out I grow more. I find that they are easy to grow once you get them started. And for the price of a seed packet I get many, many hot peppers so a good investment.

Herbs

I can never have too much basil. I add basil to my summer recipes and freeze what is left over.

Tip: Freezing basil. I put basil leaves and olive oil in a food processor. Then I spread the mixture in a large plastic bag until flat. I seal the plastic bag and take chunks of basil in the winter to add to recipes. I find the frozen basil much more flavorful than dried basil.

Basil needs warm air and soil to germinate. I do not have a long enough growing season to direct sow all my basil. So, I start some plants indoors. I plan on direct sowing sage, chamomile, dill, lemon balm, spearmint, peppermint, and parsley. Oregano, thyme, and chives are now growing in the herb garden.

Growing Tomatoes and Peppers in Pots

I plant the tomatoes and hot peppers in pots on our deck. The deck receives at least six hours of sun. The soil in the pots will be warmer than the ground soil. This warmth should reduce transplant stress for the tomatoes and peppers. I grow determinate tomatoes in pots. Determinate tomatoes are more bushy than vining so they do well in pots and in smaller spaces. I plant and direct sow herbs in a sunny spot outside the kitchen.

So far so good with my indoor plant sowing. I have not lost a plant. I even had to thin plants. I have five weeks until I can plant outside. It seems like a lot. Fingers crossed.