LOL I understand about the traffic! Especially around broadway and pacific. I'm just south of the city line so don't like to go north for the same reason! Emery's just like 2 miles away. Hope you can find some good trees at the farm!
I personally like Emry's Garden in Edmonds. They are helpful and carry apple trees that will actually mature in time before it freezes out here. But most real nurseries will do that. It's sucky to buy an apple tree on a stock that takes 5 years to mature, just to find out that it was and "early"...
The bulbs should be fine. I use pretty similar lights. The same T8 philips, but in cool white. I have 4 bulbs over a 2x4 grow shelf and tomato plants do great under it. Like you're seeing though, they do sit around a bit before really starting to grow. As soon as they get their first set of true...
When I end up with a mess of straw like that, I just dig a large shovel hole of dirt out spaced at 3 feet apart or so, and transplant in a zucchini, squash, or pumpkin plant. Let it go for the season, eat goodies, and use the spot for corn the following year.
Buy local and from a nursery when you can as they'll have what works in your area. Nothing worse than planting a "early variety" costco tree in the PNW to find out 4 years later the root stock was poor for the area, and the apple grown on it was a "early" season type that would fruit "early" in...
How were the roots in the pot and the dampness of the soil in the pot? Did they dry out? If you have the pots, just start the seeds in the pots so you'll have more room to work and less worry about losing the little root hairs on the roots. I move from 8 ounce cups to 16 ounce cups, and then to...
Basically slowly acclimate them to being outside so they don't get sun/wind/cold burnt.
Just put them out for a few hours, then a few more hours, then all day, then eventually day and night. You won't have to bring them in once warmer weather hits. Matter of fact, they would be better off...
Looking good!
I always start two batches about 2-3 weeks apart. That way if it's a warm spring, they can go out in mid may, but if it's a cold spring, I still have good plants for late may. We're in a cool pocket so random frosts can happen and cool nights is not uncommon.
Welcome!
Many ways to grow them little guys up, but I'd still get them out of a cubic inch of soil in an ice cube tray and into something more substantial. Experiment with what works best for you!
Don't forget way down the road (6 weeks or so) that once the true leaves are all happily growing...
For tomatoes, I usually just start them in flats, then separate them all out just before the first true leaves to their own labeled pots. Personally haven't found disturbing young plant roots on tomatoes to be detrimental to their growth. Wouldn't try it with peas/beans/cucumbers though.
I usually plant 12 inches apart and find hilling 3 in one area usually leaves one strong plant and two weak ones, with the strong one not as good as individually spaced plants. But those are just my results. 12 inches may seem far apart, but even with short season varieties (good if you don't...
If you're remodeling, just do it remodeling style... put the lights from blocks! LOL I can't drill holes into the walls of the apt, so before the grow shelf, I just scrwed the 4 foot fixture to a 5 foot board and put it on top of boxes. LOL It was pretty bad.