Tomatoes in The Desert
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Posted by Robert Dailey Mar 12, 2007 |
Tomato seeds require a soil temperature of 80 degrees to germinate. But don’t worry if your soil isn’t 80 degrees yet.
You can easily begin tomato seeds inside, and then transplant them when the outside soil temperature is warmer. And, although they need 80 degrees to germinate, once established tomatoes can grow and flourish in much cooler temperatures. They won’t stand freezes, but 60 and 70 degree temperatures will not harm your tomato plants.
In fact, I’ve raised some great tomatoes in my Santa Fe garden, where night temperatures regularly get down to 60 degrees in summer.
You’ll need to find out what cold hardiness zone you live in. That will help you to know when to plant seeds inside, so the seedlings will be ready to put outside after the last spring frost.
Prepare some potting mix, and get some planters. Decide how many plants you want to raise. Water is precious in the desert, so keep that in mind. One plant can produce anywhere from 10 to 40 pounds of tomatoes.
Also, find out what varieties do best in your area. Your County Extension Agent or Master Gardener Association should have that information.
Put the containers in a tray, fill with growing medium and plant the seeds. Make sure you cover the seeds with dirt.
Keep watered, and keep the soil at around 80 degrees.
Wait for your plants to grow.
Related articles:
- Choosing and Handling Seeds
- Understanding your Environment
- Growing Media for Desert Seeds
- Seedling Containers
- When to Plant Desert Garden Seeds
- How to Start Seeds
- Transplant Shock