I distinctly remember what my mother said many years ago, when we started sowing and growing vegetables and herbs for our own daily meal consumption. She told us to grow tomatoes.

At that time, the basic variant of tomato was being sold by vegetable sellers at jaw-dropping prices. Until a few months earlier, however, tomatoes had been selling for one-tenth of the then-prices. This fluctuation in prices would disturb my mother’s monthly budget. Soon, we realised that this fluctuation was not a one-off event but a cyclical phenomenon.

The reason for the fluctuation in the prices of tomatoes was due to the demand-supply situation of the two basic varieties that are commonly grown and commercially sold in Pakistan — the determinate and indeterminate varieties. The determinate variety ripens at the same time, for a massive — albeit two to three bursts of — seasonal produce. The indeterminate variety, however, continues to grow throughout the year and the tomato produce is spread over the entire plant’s life cycle.

Once the fruit-producing month ends, there is a sharp decline in the availability of determinate tomatoes, which results in the corresponding price hike. The indeterminate variety, however, continues to be sold, albeit with inflated prices.

The tomato plant needs careful nurturing after it germinates, from separating tangled seedlings to fending off transplant shock…

This column will focus on the determinate variety of tomatoes, having discussed last week how to separate, extract and collect seeds from the tomato pulp, and how to prepare the space for sowing seeds. Now, let’s

focus on factors that help in the germination of seeds before they develop into strong seedlings.

In favourable conditions, the cups, seedling tray or the pot with the sown seeds kept under shade are likely to become the bearer of germinating seeds within five to ten days. The growing seedling, in search of sunlight, can sometimes grow tall, lanky and comparatively weaker. To ensure that the stem of the seedling remains relatively stout and strong, the container should be immediately placed and exposed to direct, early morning sunlight.

These new, young seedlings are also a treat for birds and insects. The birds will prey on these seedlings to slake their thirst. It is, therefore, equally critical to cover the container in which the seedlings are growing, from the advent of germination, with a green net.

Once the seedling grows three to four true leaves, the seedlings being germinated in a seedling tray should be spooned out and shifted to a new growing place. If the seeds were sowed along with the pulp in blotches in a small-sized pot, a bunch of tangled seedlings are likely to germinate.

These seedlings are separated only after they grow at least seven to eight true leaves. The way to do it is a bit tricky. One needs to start by tapping the wall of the pot gently from the outside. The pot is then carefully flipped and held upside down, in such a manner that the upper surface of the soil can be balanced on one hand.

After that, the pebble blocking the drainage hole of the upside-down pot should be gently pushed downwards, with the thumb of the other hand. As the contents of the pot begin to slide on to the first hand, it should be controlled and adjusted gently to ensure none of the seedlings get injured in the process.

While shaking off the loosened soil, the individual seedlings have to be carefully separated from each other manually. Seedlings can also be separated from each other by placing the content in the hand into a bucket of water. The soil will settle down and most of the seedlings will get separated from each other by default, without any further intervention.

The other, much easier process is to simply take out the entire bunch, scooping it out with the help of a small spade, rather than inverting the pot and then repeating the subsequent steps as mentioned in the first process. However, there is a high chance that the roots of the seedlings can get injured while digging them out, especially by those individuals who are growing tomatoes for the first time.

Each of these seedlings will then have to be shifted to a four-inch pot. Before watering these pots after transplantation, a teaspoon of Epsom salt should be mixed in one litre of water. The watered mixture is essential for the growing plant to fend off any probable transplantation shock and related plant stress.

Please send your queries and emails to doctree101@hotmail.com. The writer is a physician and a host for the YouTube channel ‘DocTree Gardening’ promoting organic kitchen gardening

Published in Dawn, EOS, February 9th, 2025