Sowing tomatoes for seedlings in 2025: the best time to plant and tips for proper care.

February is a crucial month for gardeners preparing for spring planting. This is when tomato seedlings are started to ensure strong and healthy plants. However, to achieve high-quality tomato seedlings, it's essential to not only adhere to the correct planting times but also to provide proper care, particularly watering, as noted by NV.

To start, it's important to consider that the timing for planting tomatoes depends on their variety. Early tomatoes ripen faster, medium varieties take a bit longer, while late varieties require more time to fully mature. Additionally, it's equally important to take into account the lunar phase for optimal success.

If you can provide supplemental lighting for the tomatoes, you can start sowing seeds for greenhouses as early as January. If you rely solely on natural light, it's better to sow tall tomatoes at the beginning of March, and if possible, in the last days of February, while dwarf and mid-height tomatoes should be sown from mid-March to the end of the first decade of April.

When to sow tomatoes in February 2025:

• generally favorable days for sowing/planting vegetable crops — February 1, 4, 5, 8-10, 15-24;

• specifically for tomatoes – February 4, 5, 9, 10, 18-20, 23, 24.

When to sow tomatoes for seedlings in March 2025:

• recommended dates for sowing vegetables in general – March 3-5, 8-9, 17-19, 22-24, 27-28, 31;
• best dates for sowing tomato seedlings – March 4-5, 9-10, 15-16, 21-22.

When to sow tomatoes for seedlings in April 2025:

• recommended dates for sowing vegetables in general – April 1, 4-5, 14-15, 19-20, 23-24, 28;
• best dates for sowing tomato seedlings – April 4-5.

Rules for watering tomato seedlings

It's important to remember that tomatoes are sensitive to excess water, which can lead to root rot. However, a lack of moisture will also prevent the plants from growing healthily. Here are some watering tips:

• first sprouts: do not water immediately after sowing. Wait for the first sprouts to appear, and only on the fifth day afterward should you do the first watering;

• transplanting: after transplanting, when seedlings are moved to separate containers, they should be watered at least three times over two weeks, based on the condition of the soil;

• after transplanting: thereafter, tomatoes should be watered once a week; if the soil dries out faster, increase the frequency of watering. It's crucial that the soil is not too wet, as this can cause root diseases.

Proper watering and adherence to planting schedules will help produce healthy seedlings, ready for transplanting into the open ground and subsequent bountiful harvests.