How to Grow your own Tomatoes and Peppers

How to grow your own tomatoes and peppers is simple! Tomatoes and peppers are a necessity in any self sustaining lifestyle. Extremely versatile and easily preserved in many different ways. It’s often joked about the power of growing tomatoes because like most jokes there is truth within. Canning your own whole tomatoes, salsas, pasta sauces ends up saving hundreds of dollars a year. Supplying you and your family with high quality nutrient rich food all year round, while minimizing your footprint on the planet.

Growing from seed VS greenhouse grown

Growing from seed is the most inexpensive way to garden. Most greenhouses charge anywhere from three to five dollars for a six pack of seedlings which is about equal to the cost of one pack of seeds. One pack of tomato seeds contains well over 30 to 50 seeds, but they do require the time and patience to grow them. So if you are a preemptive thinker you can easily obtain all your tomato requirements from one pack with many plants to trade with neighbors or donate yo others. Regardless on which way you start your plants , the real savings is to retain your seeds for the next season. Most seeds get stronger and used to the climates they are grown in. This means your plants should get stronger and more resilient to pests and temperatures in your region. So technically an initial $5 investment could pay off for the rest of your life.

Planting your Tomato Seeds

Tomatoes require 1/8th of an inch of soil on them lightly pressed and like most seeds they require a warm greenhouse atmosphere for sprouting of about 70 to 80 F. You can achieve this simply by covering with seedling pads, plastic wrap or by using trays equipped with a clear dome. To ensure consistent germination seedling pads will speed up the process by up to two weeks and when given optimal growing conditions tomatoes can sprout within 5 to 10 days. Once sprouted tomatoes still require a warm atmosphere in their domes.

Planting Pepper Seeds

Pepper seeds are much like tomatoes, and require a nice and warm dark location for sprouting. Peppers require about 1/4″ to 1/2″ seed depth and tend to sprout within 10-21 days, depending on the strain. They require a minimum temperature of 70 to over 80 degrees to germinate. An easy way to germinate your seeds is to place them in a moistened clear bag in a warm window. Once the seeds start to sprout, plant them individually and keep them in a warm location. After the second set of true leaves they are ready for true transplanting.

After your transplant shock has ended and you see new growth introduce some air circulation to harden your plants and build their strength. When you first introduce a wind source you want the winds to only cause the plants to tremble . As your plants get bigger and stronger an oscillating fan is a great option.

Once your seeds have grown and are ready for transplanting, check out our post on transplanting at https://selfsufficientfamilies.com/