Question: How do I start seeds indoors to grow tomatoes?

Answer: Growing your own tomato plants from seed can be very gratifying, and you can try varieties not available as plants at your garden center.

Tomatoes are a warm-season crop, so they can’t tolerate low temperatures and don’t respond well to being set out too early in cool weather. Start your seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the expected last frost. For most of the Front Range, the last frost is typically in mid-May.

Start seeds indoors using sterile seed-starting mixture for best results. Plant seeds by lightly covering with soil. Water with a spray bottle to moisten the soil and then cover with plastic. After germination, remove plastic and place in bright light or suspend grow lights 3 to 6 inches over the containers, keeping the lights on 12 to 16 hours a day. When several seedlings develop in a container, pinch off at the base of the stem, or cut with scissors to thin out, leaving only one plant per container.

After seedlings develop four leaves, begin to fertilize. Use a water-soluble fertilizer at the rate of a quarter- to half-strength. Keep soil moist but not soaking. One way to strengthen the plants is to lightly pass your hand over the tops, or fan the plant. About a week before outdoor planting, harden off the plants by exposing them to the outdoors, gradually increasing the time outside as long as temperatures are above 50 degrees, and bringing the plants indoors at night.

For more information see Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet 7.409, Growing Plants From Seed, at ext.colostate.edu, or call the Cooperative Extension office in your county to have it mailed.

Q: How can I control an overabundance of rabbits in my yard?

A: Rabbits can be excluded by installing a low fence around the perimeter of a garden. It must be a mesh fence with holes of 1 inch or smaller and at least 18 inches high. The fence should be buried about 3 inches underground or firmly fixed to the ground.

Make your yard less desirable for rabbit habitat by removing brush and woodpiles. Repellents are effective only on the plant part that’s covered and typically don’t last through heavy rains or snow. Rabbits can be trapped and removed. Release them somewhere they won’t bother anyone else .

Donna Hanson is a Colorado State University Cooperative Extension master gardener in Adams County. For information on many horticulture topics, visit planttalk.org.

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