The Perfect Time To Transplant Tomato Seedlings For A Flourishing Harvest

Tomatoes are a favorite summer crop for vegetable gardeners everywhere. There's nothing quite as rewarding as plucking those ripe, juicy fruits from your own homegrown plants. If you've decided to grow your tomatoes from seed, you'll want to know the best time to transplant these out into the garden if you want to get a flourishing harvest. There are two factors to consider when choosing the perfect time: the weather conditions and the growth stage of your seedlings.

Before checking if the seedlings are ready for transplanting, consider the weather and the soil temperature. You should wait until all danger of frost is over, but you should also be conscious of how warm the ground is. Ideally, you want the soil temperature to be above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, as this will get your small plants off to a good start. If it's any colder, the plants will just sit there and not grow. You'll find that seedlings that have been transplanted too early will take much longer to catch up to those that were planted at the correct time. Transplanting too early is just one of those common mistakes to avoid when transplanting tomatoes.

If you've determined that it's warm enough to get the tomato seedlings in the ground, inspect them to see if they're ready. It takes between five to seven weeks for tomatoes grown from seed to be ready to transplant in the garden. The actual duration will depend on how much light and warmth you've given the seedlings indoors. Nevertheless, the seedlings will be ready to go outdoors once they have a few true leaves and a good, solid root system. If the small plants have received enough light, they should be fairly squat, and the main stem should be around pencil width. If they've gotten a bit lanky, don't worry — just plant them a little deeper with part of the stem buried.

A well-established root system is equally crucial if you want healthy plants that will give you a great harvest. Before transplanting, lift up the seedling tray and look underneath. If you can see roots escaping from the drainage holes, the plants are ready for their new home in the garden. It's even better if the roots hold the soil in place and look like a nice, tight package when you take them out of the seedling tray. 

Remember to harden off the seedlings before placing them in the ground. You want to do this for around a week by exposing them to longer periods of sunshine each day. Finally, if you want to fill your garden with more fresh tomatoes, don't forget the simple trick of rooting the suckers you've pinched off and planting them out.