Tomatoes fit for a queen

For containers, I use recycled polystyrene cups or the plastic four- or six-cell packs that come with purchased transplants. I fill the containers with a purchased seedling mix (peat moss and perlite or vermiculite), moistened and pressed into the container. On the surface, I make a shallow indentation with one finger, drop in a germinated seed, then lightly cover the seed with additional moist mix. Now the container can go back to a warm spot. Darkness is OK, but as soon as I see a loop of stem appear above the soil, I put the pot into a bright place.

I use a south-facing window. For many gardeners this won't work well because their homes are kept very warm, and the combination of weak outdoor light and too much heat results in leggy seedlings. Our old farmhouse tends to be coolish, especially at night, a situation that produces sturdy seedlings -- although they can't take frost or too much exposure to temperatures under about 10°C. I turn the seedlings occasionally to keep them growing straight, and water them weekly with a liquid houseplant fertilizer, following the directions on the label.

As soon as the weather is warm, I put my seedlings outdoors during the day. When they're seven to 10 centimetres tall, I plant them even deeper, root ball and all, in larger containers of compost or garden soil. When the nights are warm and frost is no longer in the forecast, they're planted in a sunny spot in the garden.

Come harvest time, a few of my best-tasting specimens will show up at the Tomato Queen party.