Starting tomatoes from seed. Weekend project update.

So this year I have decided to start my own tomatoes instead of going and buying the plants.

I need to get them started so that when the weather turns I can get them in the ground on time. However I don't have a good south facing window and I am wondering if you guys had any good suggestions for me on how to start them.




Update:


Dateline Saturday, March 31st.

So I got sick of my current seedling growing situation and from the input that I have gotten here I also came to the conclusion that I will be needed more light when these plants grow up a bit. I went to Menards on saturday and picked up a 4ft fixture and a couple of daylight spectrum bulbs ( along with $85 worth of other stuff that wasn't on the list stupid sales) and went home to figure out how to set it up.

So here was the set up that I had on the kitchen counter. The wife was not real pleased with this arrangement.



I needed something to hook the light to so I also used the opportunity to clean up some scrap lumber I had in the garage. I ended up with a work bench. Here is the finished product some of the bigger seedlings in the planter.





I hope it works out.

I already consider it a win because it is making the wife happy to have that stuff out of the kitchen and the garage that much cleaner.

Clamp on reflector with a daylight 23w CFL OR 2 reflectors, one with a 23w cool CFL, and one 23w warm CFL. (Can use a Dual adapter)

Cool gives the needed blue spectrum and warm the red.

What is the difference between that and a grow light?

If your day time temps aren't bad and you have the time, you can just move the plants outside once they sprout, and then back again in the evening to protect them from the cold. That's what I did this year. It's kind of a pain in the butt, especially if you have a lot of seedlings, but it'll save you from having to harden them off later.

Basically nothing. Just several factors cheaper and easier to find. I personally find the light more intense and I get better starts.

Here is what I have done for several years:

Buy tomato seeds, bagged seed starting mix, and a sleeve of 12 oz plastic cups.
Get the mix wet, put it in the cups, and put a few seeds in each cup and cover with more mix. If you have several varieties, label each cup.
The first day that the sprouts appear that cup needs to be under the shop light and within a few inches (2 or 3) of the top of the cup.


After you start the seeds you have a week to buy a $10 four foot flourescent shop light and find a place to plug it in. You can buy the sunlight temperature bulbs, or not.


Then just keep the seed starting mix moist until the seedlings get a few inches tall. Go to each cup and use scissors to cut the extra seedlings out of each cup so there is one seedling left.

Make sure you water, keep the light close, and harden the plants off by gradually exposing them to outdoor light and wind. Read up on this if you aren't familiar with it.

If they get leggy, that is ok as long as they get hardened off, but it is a sign of not enough light.
If you have leggy starts, you just dig a deeper hole and plant so only the top two pair of leaves are above ground.

I grow mine under 2-12dollar flourescent shop lights from HD. U can almost see then growing. Make sure that once they sprout to drop the light right down on top of them or they will get HUGE fast, you want them to stay short and fat while the are inside. if the light is too high they stretch and get reall tall and spindlie and u will have to usually replant them atleast once prior to planting outside.

J-

So I ended up with a 120w grow light, its a spot light style bulb, in a cheapo clamp on fixture with a reflector. I will get some of the setup when I get a chance so you guys can critique it. Its pretty basic, is a tray on a shelf with a light above it. But from what it sounds like I have the bulb too far above the tray.

It's just under 3 ft. from the bulb to the tray, that lamp kicks out so much heat that I was afraid of scorching the seeds and little plants when they popped up.

That bulb gets pretty warm, but it was half the price of getting 2 60w bulbs.

flourensent is the way to go IMHO and cheaper. My tomatoe plants actually touch my flourensent tubes, they dont get hot let alone warm enough to burn or hurt the plants. 30 bucks (including tax) at HD for the 4ft fixtures and the tubes.

Sounds like it is too late though, already bought.

J-

The whole she-bang only cost me 25 bucks, I really want to get some flouresent fixtures and go that route but I think this aught to do it for this year.

I only planted 72 seedlings last night so I think that will be enough light for them.

my 2 four foot fixtures with 2 tubes each barely work for 8 tomatoe plants, 10 pepper plants and a dozen or so onion pants.

once they sprout and grow u will be amazed at how much room they take up. chances are u will have to transplant your seedlings atleast once before they go in the ground (mine go from solo cups to the cut off lower 1/3 of 2liter bottles). 72 cells right now is not alot (guessing u have one of the big 72 cell trays or similar,if so you will have to transplant about 2-3 weeks after they sprout), if u get 1/2 of that to produce to viable sprouts that you want to grow,that takes up room. just letting you know.

here are some pics of my set up for comparison to your's.




J-

Those are some good looking plants when did you start them?

I guess I was thinking that they would be in the garden by the time they fill up their single cell cup things.

I also figure that just over half of the seeds I planted will actually be viable plants.

I always start mine way early for michigan, figure if I mess up the first batch I always have time to get another batch going. I started those in the last week of Feb so that have about 1 month on em and they will be transplanted to my garden in the 2ish week of May.

Next year I will likely start my tomatoes around the last week of March, so they are not so big ( I say that every year, lol).

J-

So are you in ag zone three?

Nope zone 6 (actually zone 5b by zip code), I go by average last frost date which is 5/15 in SE lower michigan.


J-

You're practically down in the tropics


We never put anything in the ground before Memorial Day, but its been so warm up here this spring that I might get a little ballsy and put some stuff in the ground before then.

I have been thinking the same thing, hell last week it was in the 70's and 80's all week, in mid march!

J-

we had 80's last week, snow yesterday and today.... we will stick to the normal frost dates....probably lost all the apple's

nope, I forget what it is called but I got it before on some tomatoe sprouts. it eats away a the sprout where it enters the dirty and kills the plant. Its "contagious" too IIRC. from what I remember it comes from over watering, if its the same stuff I'm thinking of.

J-

You guys are talking about dampening off disease. It comes from using a non-sterile seedling mix and keeping it too moist. Bottom watering and mixing a little hydrogen peroxide in with the water helps some. Also, keep good airflow going over the plants.

yep thats what I was thinking off. once I started running a fan part of the day on my seedlings that solved it.

J-

So should I uncover them and get them some fresh air?

As soon as my seed sprout I ditch the domes or covers.

J-

What about the rest of the seeds that haven't sprouted yet?

You're keeping it too wet. It doesn't need to be soaking.

I water from the bottom, and let them sit until the top 3/4" to 1" of soil has dried, then water again. No covering or dome.

You can probably stop the white growth if you quit keeping them at 100% humidity, and start putting them out in sunlight for an hour or so each day. UV that your grow-lights don't produce will be your friend.

You need to start them now. The bigger they are before putting them in the ground the better

I added pichers of my ADD project this weekend.

Is it important to keep the seedlings warm ? i have them started in the basment under 2- 2ft flourescent fix, in the finished basment
but the temp down there is cold around 60-65. should i maybe put a regular incadscent bulb to keep the soil warm?
The starter trays i am using have the plastic clear cover on top, but the soil is kinda cold.

From the reading that I have done I have come to the conclusion that soil temp depends more on plant type than anything else.

For example, while the lettuce came up really well with warm soil I also had some come up nicely in cooler soil.

But for tomatoes I know they like it close to or at 80F. They sell those little warming pads that you can put under your see tray if you are really concerned.

tomatoes are not as temp critical as something like peppers, which I keep on a heating pad when I start them, inside.

J-

i have been working on stating plants from seeds this year i have alot to learn you would think i would do better with the last name green LOL

It was explained to me by an old farmer once when we were talking about crops and seeds etc. He basically said " seeds are ment to be shit out by birds and animals and just fall on the ground with no one messing with them and they grow, if you do absolutley nothing when u start ur seeds, they will grow." Basically he was saying that you kinda have to try to fuck it up and that most of the mistakes are being "too nice" too them.

Give em some water every now and then, keep em under a light and warm if they are temp sensitive.

J-

Copyright © 1996 - 2013 :: AR15.Com LLC :: All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.