The Advantages Of Starting Tomato Seeds Indoors This Spring

If you want to grow some amazing tomato plants this summer, then I highly encourage you to consider starting your plants from seeds indoors – the advantages are huge!

Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables (actually fruit) for gardeners to grow. Even if you don’t have a huge dedicated garden space, you can still grow a couple of tomato plants right outside your front door using containers or even 5-gallon buckets.

However, due to the length of time takes the plants to mature from sowing until they actually produce any tomatoes is quite a while. For this reason, you pretty much have two options when it comes to growing tomatoes this year. You either purchase tomato transplants from your local garden nurseries, or you can start the seeds yourself indoors.

While starting tomato seeds indoors might seem extremely daunting, I’m here to tell you that it is fairly simple overall. In fact, there are several advantages to starting tomatoes and other crops with seeds indoors.

it’s definitely something that I now look forward to each spring – especially after a long, cold winter! Hopefully, these advantages will convince you to give it a shot. It’s not too late to gather the supplies you need for most locations!

The Advantages Of Starting Tomato Seeds Indoors

If you want to read in-depth on starting tomatoes and other plants from seeds, then please check out my series on the topic. I walk you through the entire process from sowing to hardening off in a 3-part series that you can find below:

• Starting Your Garden Seeds Indoors Series – Part 1: Sowing
• Starting Your Garden Seeds Indoors Series – Part 2: Growing
• Starting Your Garden Seeds Indoors Series – Part 3: Hardening Off

Keep in mind that you can start small. There’s no reason to start every single plant in your garden by seeds indoors. In fact, many crops struggle if you attempt to transplant them (think sweet corn and green beans). Start by trying just a few different varieties of tomatoes or peppers. I have a feeling that before long, you will be hooked!

Ok, now on to the advantages and the reasons I think you should give it a try!

Reason #1: Options Galore – Advantages Of Starting Tomato Seeds Indoors

Probably what I consider to be the biggest advantage of starting your own tomato plants from seeds indoors has to be the variety of options available.

When you purchase tomato transplants, you are stuck with only the options that the garden center or big box store has available – and that’s in stock! If the store runs out of Beefsteak tomatoes, you’re SOL. No more Chadwick Cherry transplants, too bad!

Before I started growing some of my vegetables by seeds, I remember many times trying to race from store to store only to find the healthiest plants and the best varieties already picked over. It can be very frustrating, especially if you have a specific variety in mind.

But when you grow by seeds, you often have a much easier time finding seed packets available in your chosen variety. (And speaking of varieties, if you’ve never gone to a reputable online seed store and just searched all the different tomato varieties available, I highly encourage you to do so! It will probably blow your mind with all the options!)

There’s Nothing Wrong With A Little Variety!

There are SO many different types out there available on the market today. From big, juicy red heirlooms to tiny hybrid tomatoes the size of a pea, you can find them as seeds! Not only does their size vary, but so do the different colors and flavor profiles of the tomatoes available today.

You can find tomatoes in the color of the typical stop sign red to pink, orange, yellow, green, purple, and even almost black. Their flavors can range from highly acidic to super sweet, too. So don’t be afraid of checking out different varieties.

Some of my favorite online seed producers include Baker Creek Seeds, MIGardener, Park Seeds, and Burpee. And no, I’m not against purchasing seed packets at your local big box stores either. They can all grow amazing tomato plants!

Reason #2: The Overall Cost – Advantages Of Starting Tomato Seeds Indoors

The second reason is the cost. It can get extremely expensive to purchase multiple tomato transplants. I’ve even seen some tomato transplants lately cost over $6.00 per plant. PER PLANT! Can you imagine if you have to fill an entire garden with transplants at that cost?!

Meanwhile, you can purchase an entire seed packet for typically cheaper than that and have over 30 seeds left over. While you might not need 30 seeds of the same variety, you can keep and store those seeds for future use.

Contrary to what sellers want you to believe, you can keep most vegetable and flower seeds for multiple years before they drastically decline in germination. I store my extra seeds in a clear photo storage box and have amazing success with it! (Product Link: Photo Storage Box)

I won’t lie to you, there are some initial expenses when it comes to starting your own tomato seeds indoors. However, you can make it as simple or as fancy as you want. The good news is that once you purchase these items initially, you typically don’t need to get them again at least for several years.

And please, don’t go out and purchase expensive lights labeled as “grow lights”! Use your basic LED or fluorescent shop lights. They work just as well as those expensive “grow lights” for a fraction of the cost.

Reason #3: Control Over Growth & Timing

While this might not be a huge deal to some, it’s a lot easier to control the way you grow the plants. In addition, you have more control over when you plant the seedlings in your garden or raised beds.

When you start seeds yourself, you know exactly what soil the tomato seedlings are growing in. You know how often they are getting water. You control what type of fertilizer you use. And, you can control whether or not you add compost or worm castings for added power and growth. (Product Link: Wiggle Worm Worm Castings)

As for timing, there have been many times when I brought home tomato transplants only to have to keep them alive and happy until the weather cooperated. Have you ever tried to keep transplants alive that are used to” ideal” growing conditions that a garden center and nursery provide?! Talk about shocking your tomato plants! It’s a lot easier to keep a plant happy and alive when it is used to your indoor environment from the start.

And if you need to delay the hardening off process by a week or two because of life, then no worries! The tomato seedlings you started from day one won’t suddenly get stressed and struggle with the change of environment.

Once the day finally arrives that the soil has warmed up and the temperatures are cooperating, you can easily pop those tomato seedlings into the ground. No need to worry about running out to the garden centers first.

Reason #4: Mental Improvement

And, finally, one of the best advantages of starting tomato seeds indoors is the benefit of happiness! If you are like me, you tend to get a little stir-crazy during the winter months. This is pretty common for most people in the Midwest and Northern climates.

You go from going outside and checking on your garden daily to having the garden completely buried underneath the snow. Sure you can plan your garden out and purchase (way too many) seeds. However, nothing can replace actually getting your hands in some soil.

By starting my tomato seeds and other plants indoors, I am able to get my hands in soil that much sooner. Just opening up a new bag of seed-starting soil and taking a deep whiff is enough to boost my endorphins. (Please tell me I’m not the only person who loves that smell!)

Not only that, but it’s so fun to watch something you planted by hand grow and turn into healthy, strong tomato plants. You kids might even want to get involved to help!

Let that be a reason alone for growing your own tomato seeds indoors this year! We could all use a little mental pick-me-up, that’s for sure!

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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