Cherry Tomato Seedlings in the Ground!

Today, I planted my first set of Cherry Tomato Seedlings.  This is about a week ahead of my original plan of March 1.

The seedlings are about a foot tall.  I have one each of Sun Gold, Sun Sugar, Sun Cherry Extra Sweet and Sugar Snack.  

This set of Cherry Tomato Seedlings is from the group that germinated the week of January 17, so they are about 40 days old.  They spent the first 2 weeks under Grow Lights and the rest of the time out in the Sun.

The picture to the right shows the bottom of the seedling after I had popped it out of the container.  See the roots starting to circle around underneath and around the bottom.  This tells me that it is the right time to plant the seedling in the ground.  

If I wait much longer, the plant will start to get root bound and nutrients will not be able to pass through to nourish the plant.

Whenever I plant Cherry Tomato seedlings, I always put a cup of Fish Bone Meal into the hole that the seedling is going into.  

This is similar to the old story of how  the Native American Indians taught the Pilgrims to bury a dead fish when planting corn.

Fish Bone Meal is very high in phosphorus. Phosphorus is essential for Tomato plants to bloom and produce fruit.  

However, Phosphrorus moves less than one-eighth of an inch in soil.  So, by putting Fish Bone Meal directly into the planting hole, I do not have to worry about the roots finding enough Phosphorus in the soil.

Below is a picture of the seedlings in the Raised Beds.