I hear it all the time from gardeners disappointed in the size of their tomato plants mid-season. You can’t blame them. Fresh tomatoes are the highlight of the growing season, so it’s natural to get impatient waiting for them to grow and bloom. It’s also common to be a little disappointed if your tomato plants don’t produce the yields you’re expecting, especially soon enough for an early seasonal fresh salad.

The key is to start growing seedlings early, well before planting season. A full garden requires very little space that’s best grown under a fluorescent grow light. They are energy efficient and inexpensive, yet provide a wide spectrum of light that’s suitable for most plant growth. With little heat output, their energy is ideal for producing seedlings and young plants.

Plus, the technology has really taken off the last few years. A high-output T5 fluorescent grow light puts off twice the light as a normal T12 light for the same electrical costs. Two T5 lights would produce four times as much light as two T12 lights but use the same energy, allowing you to get maximum efficiency from your electric bill.

Plus, they produce very little heat, so they won’t scorch your seedlings yet provide them with plenty of light for maximized growth. You can grow a wide expansive area and produce a variety of seedlings for your garden, giving you a jumpstart on the season by having good sized plants to put into the ground.

Plus, fluorescent grow lights allow you to grow enough starts that you have plenty to share. Extra seedlings can be sold at farmers’ markets, greenhouses and to professional gardeners, earning you an extra income in addition to providing your own garden with plenty of strong, healthy plants.

Get a fresh start on the growing season with your own starts grown under fluorescent lights. Strong tomato seedlings lead to a healthy output and a healthy crop. You can enjoy fresh tomatoes earlier in the growing season and produce a bountiful harvest. Why wait months to taste the freshness of the garden when you can get a jumpstart growing your own healthy seasons to provide an early harvest? Get the most out of the season with healthy seedlings to get you started.