We did a short video for you all so you can see how we start our seeds. We realize that some of you may be gardeners, but we wanted to make sure that everyone was on the same page and we all start this process out correctly. This is the first step you should take for the challenge so please start this process as soon as you get your Biodynamic Cherry Tomato Seeds in the mail!
Written Instructions:
1. Use organic potting soil and find a shallow container (bowl, cup, or tray ect.) You do not need a container with drainage holes at the bottom.
2. Sprinkle seeds on the surface of the soil and cover with about 1/2 to 1/4 inch of soil. We sprinkled ours in a 2 inch diameter in the center of the soil.
3. Pat down top soil so the seeds don’t float to the top when you water them. Make sure that there aren’t any seeds that floated to the top. If one has floated to the top, cover again with soil and water again.
4. As far as watering goes, just make sure that the soil is moist, that way you know everything is hydrated well.
5. If you want to speed up the germination processes, place a piece of paper on top of the container with the seed in the soil, this will raise the temperature of the soil and speed up the germination process. Also, the less soil you use, the more warmth in the container and this also adds to faster germination.
6. Keep near a window that gets a decent amount of sunlight. Southern exposure window is best and if anything, make sure the plant gets the first 2 hours of morning sun.
Please post any questions that you may have below in the comment section below!
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Hello, I’m a beginning gardener. This is my first time planting seeds. My question is: In the container that we start the seeds in, does it need to have a drainage hole, or should it not have any holes for the water to drain. Thank you.
Hi Terese
I thought of this exact question after I posted this video! Thank you for asking it. The answer is No, you do not need the drainage holes. Just as long as you don’t over saturate the soil. So just pour a small bit of water on top so the soil is saturated and then you should be all set. I started some kale seeds earlier this month and I did it in a shallow tupperware container with out any holes and everything sprouted up just fine. Videos for that will be up soon
Hey, I have kinda stupid question
. Is it okay to grow organic plants within a short distance from busy road? Will they still remain organic? As far I know plants absorb all the toxins from the air.
I have seen from the video that road is pretty close to your garden, and I have the same situation, there is a big road quite close to my little garden
Oxana, That is actually a GREAT question and I had the same exact concerns. The garden you saw was right next to a major highway and it has never really affected the integrity of the garden there. We do get a lot of wind living in the valley (the wind is brutal here!) so that might circulate the air pretty well and we also use Biodynamic principles, so that might squash any problems involving the air as well. But either way, such a great question and thanks for checking out the video, I hope it was informative! Curt
hmmm, there is no such wind in my area :/. Last year I grew beautiful cucumbers and no one wanted to eat them coz they believed that cucumbers contain heavy metals absorbed from the highway…. well I guess this year I will enjoy my biodynamic tomatoes alone again….well, not too bad, more for me
)))))
Oh I can eat cucumbers all day long! Well I’m impressed that your friends are so aware to even be concerned about the quality of air and how they affect veggies.. Every year, vegetables that were grown from the garden in the video win blue ribbons at the county fair.. thats gotta mean they are okay to eat, right? haha
How often do you water yours, and do you mist them or water them after the first watering?
Got my envelope today…thank you so much! And will we be able to “replant” the sprouts so anything that grows is not wasted?
Thanks bunches, this is really cool!!!
Stacy
Aloha from Maui!! Thank you so much for what you are doing. We just think it is soo cool. And your seeds are going to make it all the way to Maui and much further Im sure!
Excited to plant them and follow along with everyone!
Hi Stacy, I water mine whenever it looks like the soil is drying out. Just keep the soil moist and you should be all set.
PLEASE don’t get water on the leaves, simply pour the water near the base of the plant! I also water mine with spring water. If you have no choice but to use tap water, just make sure you let the water sit outside for a few hours and let the sun evaporate the chlorine!
Yes, you will be able to replant or transplant the sprouts. We will create a video on that soon for you all to watch. I actually just transplanted some of my kale sprouts into bigger pots and ill up load a video and show you how I did it. Happy to see that your seeds got to you safely! Now just make sure you start gathering your table scraps!
Hi Sara, I’m so excited that you are going to be growing these tomatoes in Hawaii! If you follow our directions properly, you will have such a monster cherry tomato plant!! Everyone that sees it will just be astonished, I’m sure of it! Love your enthusiasm
We don’t have as much food scraps as is shown in the video. What should I do?
Hi Joy! You wont need to transplant your tomato plant into the compost hill until it reaches 10 inches tall in your potting container. So now is a good time to start saving table scraps and make sure that they are stored in a cool environment so mold doesn’t grow. You have plenty of time to start saving materials for your compost hill. Great question. We will do a video soon on how to start saving materials for compost!
Thanks! I’ve been interested in learning to compost, now’s a good time to learn!
Uh-oh, just got the newsletter saying this is the last day to plant the tomato seeds, but mine haven’t yet arrived (I live in northern BC, Canada). Will this mess up the biodynamics growing process if I don’t get them planted today? I think I will give it a go, anyway!
Question, why was the water so dark that you put on the seeds. It is compost tea watered down?
Hi Curt!
Thank you for the seeds, they arrived in perfect condition. My question for you is, I’ve been starting my other organic garden seeds in shredded coconut fiber. Is
this okayfor this project, or do you want me to use organic potting soil as in the video? I didn’t know if this is a formal study or not – being a researcher myself, I know how important it is to have the control group be/doing the same.
Dee, yes it is best to plant these seeds in a Piscean Sun for our climate but yes of course, grow these plants anyways! Your seeds should be there this week, just let us know if you have any questions.
Hi Kim, Im not sure why the water was dark, I think L.A. just got some planting soil in there is all, it wasn’t composted tea watered down, just soil!
Hi Curt!
Whoo Hoo! My seeds arrived safe and sound (Minnesota), and they are planted and watered.
Thanks again for opening this up to us all. I can’t wait to see where all the seeds ended up!
Sophie
Xania, organic potting soil is definitely the best way to go here. I’m happy your seeds arrived safely, plant them with love and get em’ in the soil today
Sophie that’s beautiful, glad to hear that the seeds are in the ground! Minnesota will be a great place to grow these, Anthony Anderson from rawmodel.com is also growing these seeds in Minnesota! Lets see who can grow the taller plant, shall we?
Hi Curt,
I got my seeds and plan on planting them today per your video. I just saw something on the site today about the organic hill. I guess I didn’t do enough research before ordering my seeds! I live in a condo and I have to use all pots for my planting. Will I still be to grow the plants without the organic hill? I do have a friend with a huge garden in their yard and I know you said that we could give some away so I plan on doing that but would love to have my own plants and when we finally get into a house, repot into my yard. Actually, these plants are probably annuals, right? Thanks!!
Hi Lisa! YES you will be just fine planting these in the house as long as you have a southern facing window, sunlight is so crucial for this tomato plant! This tomato plant was grown in doors for the first 3 generations of its existence. I will do a blog post on the history of the seeds you are growing soon
ALSO, yes, this plant survived nearly three years being grown inside and then transplanted outside and then inside again over and over. If you have a southern facing window with great sun exposure you will be eating cherry tomatoes all year round!
However, if you have the space, CREATE THE ORGANIC HILL!! I’ll create a video on how to do this and also do a blog post about this very soon.
Curt
Hi, I have the same situation as Lisa and was happy to hear that it’s ok! We used to have a beautiful organic garden, but are now living in an apartment here in Florida. I haven’t done a lot of indoor/potted gardening but I really want to get into it. If you have any suggestions, let me know! Sunshine shouldn’t be a problem around here and I’ll try to move the pot outdoors where it can get some more direct sunlight when it gets a little stronger. I will actually probably need to be careful with too much heat and humidity when we get into july and august. I also hope to pass along a transplant or two to my family who have land. Thanks for the exciting project!
Got my seeds . Thank you an there going in the ground today (Washington)
Peace
Hello from Austin Texas! … got my seeds into a starter pot today! … I used some “Terra Preta” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_preta) soil I concocted earlier this month … Good luck to everyone!
Hi,
Planted my seeds a couple of days ago
However am slightly concerned by the directions re water not getting on the leaves… I’m in England, so if we do get any kind of a summer this year (for a change), they’ll probably be plenty of rain to accompany it. If planted outside, would this be a problem? Would it be better to plant in a greenhouse, using a growbag?
Many thanks!!
Nice Mark! Good luck brother!
Hi Lucy, your main concern in England is just getting enough sun. In Ireland the issue is the wind. A wind tunnel would be the best bet there. Outside water is fine, I believe it does affect the growth in a certain way, but after it gets the fresh rain water, the following growth after a good rain is huge! You could start these out in a green house if you’d like, that’s where ours are right now, except for mine, its in my kitchen! Good luck Lucy! let me know if you have any more questions – Curt
Why arent you telling the people there is the best video on building the tomato hilll on rotheraine.com ? I find this shocking and repulsive that you would not help people by sending them to this video. What are your motives ?
KEITH! I LOVE IT! You are on the ball brother. That is actually going to be the next post because it is the MOST important part of growing these cherry tomato plants besides sunlight. I’ll have the post up today and we will also share some tips in how to start getting all the materials for their organic compost hill. My motives are to help people to learn how to garden, go get yourself a cup of tea and settle down! Love that you are on top of things and are aware of the next steps.
Curt
My seeds arrived yesterday – thank you! I planted them last night, and they’re in our sun room now
Aloha! We planted our seeds today here on Maui. I hope it is ok its past the 28th. I know that was important. We will see… planted them with lots of love though.
Thanks again!!!
Great video!! I really like the no-nonsense approach! ;D
re: cherry tomatoes. i planted as instructed. i have a garden and my thumb is kinda green, but, boo hoo, my cherry tomatoes did not come up. there were 5-6 seeds in the packet. i kept covered and warm. then exposed to light a little. then got frustrated so used a grow light which will usually stir thing up, but still no growth. i stare at it, talk to it and still no signs of life. what could have happened? i so wanted to be part of this cherry tomato.
Mimi, many people have been waiting over 14 days and more for germination. Just be patient
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