LAURA AND THE HARSH LESSON OF PLANTING TOMATOES TOO EARLY

Spring had arrived in Vancouver, bringing the first warm rays of sunshine after a long, rainy winter. As soon as April began, grocery stores and garden centres were filled with lush, green tomato plants. “If they’re selling them, it must be the right time to plant!” Laura thought excitedly.

Eager to start her own garden full of homegrown tomatoes, she rushed to buy three young plants and planted them directly into the ground. The daytime weather was warm, everything seemed fine. But soon, disaster struck…

THE HARSH REALITY OF SPRING WEATHER

Just three days after planting, Laura noticed that the leaves on her tomato plants were curling. A week later, the first plant had died. The second one started wilting. The third, despite struggling to survive, was growing weaker each day.

Confused, she tried to figure out what had gone wrong. “I watered them properly, the weather wasn’t too hot, so why?”

THE EYE-OPENING VISIT TO A SMALL GARDEN CENTRE

Feeling frustrated, Laura decided to visit a small, local garden centre to seek answers. The owner—a seemingly ordinary man with sharp, knowing eyes—listened to her story and chuckled.

• “Let me guess… You saw tomato plants at the grocery store in April, so you assumed it was the best time to plant them outdoors?”

Laura nodded. The man smirked.

• “That’s the most common mistake beginners make. Stores sell them early for business reasons, not because it’s the right time to plant!”

Laura’s eyes widened.

• “Then when is the right time to plant them outside?”
• “Mid-May, when nighttime temperatures stay consistently above 10°C (50°F). If you want to grow tomatoes from seeds, you should start indoors around mid-April. Once the seedlings reach about 10-15 cm (4-6 inches), you can begin bringing them outside during the day to get them used to the outdoor environment. But at night, you must bring them back inside, because the temperatures are still too cold.”
• “What about the tomato plants I bought from the store?”
• “If they’re not completely dead, you might be able to save them by bringing them indoors at night. But their chances of survival are low since they’ve already suffered from the cold shock.”

Laura sighed. She had been too eager to plant, without understanding the difference between planting season and selling season.

THE RIGHT WAY TO GROW TOMATOES

Determined to do it correctly this time, Laura followed the expert’s advice:

1. Start tomato seeds indoors around mid-April – She used seed trays, loose soil, and placed them in a well-lit area.
2. Once seedlings reached 10-15 cm (4-6 inches), she gradually “trained” them – At first, she placed them outside for 2-3 hours in the shade during the day. Over the next week, she increased the time to 6-8 hours.
3. At night, she never left them outside – Even if the daytime was warm, the nights were still too cold.
4. By late May, when the weather had stabilized, she finally planted them into the ground.

A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST

Three months later, while many of her neighbors struggled with weak and stunted tomato plants due to planting too early, Laura’s garden was overflowing with vibrant, red tomatoes.

She returned to the small garden centre, carrying a basket full of fresh tomatoes for the owner.

He smiled knowingly.

• “See? Growing tomatoes is just like life. Be patient at the right time, and the results will be worth it.”

Laura laughed. Sometimes, a single mistake can teach us a valuable lesson—not just in gardening, but in the way we approach everything in life.