Starting tomatoes. Update!

[Southern Gardener]

Last year I bought tomato plants at a nursery. Ive never started them from seed. Do you have to have a grow light and heat mats? I really want specific kinds of tomatoes that the nursery doesnt carry. Is it not a good idea to direct sow when the weather warms up?

 

[farmerlor]

Y'know, I've heard of some people down your way who have great results with direct sowing. Me, I can't do that because of my short growing season. But here's how I do it: I use a seed starter mix in little plastic nursery cells. I do not use a heating pad. We have shelves built with regular flourescent shop lights hanging about 4 inches above the pots. I have a heater in this little room to keep the ambient temp about 75-80 degrees and I get GREAT germination doing it this way. Once the seedlings are up and have about four leaves I start using a very watered down fertilizer once a week and transplant them to bigger containers with regular potting soil. I turn a fan on them to promote heavier stems. And that's the whole thing. When they get big enough I set them outside when there's no wind and keep them in the shade for an hour, next day two hours, next day three hours, etc... until they're ready for a whole day and by then they're ready to go in the garden.

 

[Catalina]

I'm not sure about growing tomatoes in your zone - but up here we have to start them inside or buy started plants because they take sooo long to mature and fruit.
I use grow lights purchased from a big box home improvement store.
If you buy lights get the ones that say they have all the energy peaks at wavelengths of the visible spectrum or are for plants. This really makes a difference (I did a science experiment in 4th grade on the effect of light wavelength on plant growth ).

 

[vfem]

I already started mine inside this year. I have many new varieties I could NEVER find locally started for me. I want to harvest some fruit as soon as possible so I wouldn't wait to direct sow, or it would take forever to reap the benefits of my work!

I don't have heat mats, and no special grow lights either. I have a flourescent light in electrical equipment cheap metal clip light. I have some good strong tomato plants so far. A couple weeks in and they are a good 3" tall with first and second sets of true leaves. I just have them in 3" peat pots.

 

[me&thegals]

I think you can go either route. I start mine inside with grow lights, but they come up as volunteers each year, too, and produce before the season's over (zone 4 here).

 

[jackiedon]

I remember as a kid my mother would start them in an old dish pan and put a piece of glass over the dish pan to keep the plants warm. She never bought plants.

jackie

 

[patandchickens]

Aw, g'wan, start some indoors - they're easy. You don't need any different facilities than for starting any other seeds, really.

The don't want to be real cold at the beginning. So either start them somewhere in your house where it is normal heated-room temperature, or if they're in a cool room or basement give them a heat mat or homemade equivalent. Once they get to be a couple true leaves, they benefit from cool nights if you can arrange it (but will tolerate not having cool nights if you can't).

Once the first sprouts show, give them a light (like a 2-bulb fluorescent, doesnt have to be grow bulbs) about 2" above them. Raise it as they get taller. DO NOT try to make a serious humidity chamber around them like a sealed greenhouse or whatever, it's asking for damping off. You can partially enclose them if your air is quite dry but really just keep them moist and protected from serious prolonged drafts and they'll be fine with the open air. Some air movement is highly beneificial - not only does it reduce/prevent damping-off, it also makes them grow stronger. Ruffle them with your fingers a few times a day if there is never any breeze where they are. Make sure to harden them off before putting in garden, just like anything else.

Truly, they are EASY

You can save part of the packet to plant later, perhaps direct-sown outdoors, too. So it is not really either/or

(Direct sown long-season tomatoes you may not get as good a crop out of, though, perhaps even in LA, because they'll start to bear so much later than ones started indoors)

Have fun,

Pat

 

[tinychicken]

One year we wanted to grow about 75 tomato plants and were interested in various varieties that were not available as plants. Our small, local nursery was willing to start them for us. Now I realize he probably was accommodating to us because of the number of plants we were interested in, but if you are looking to start a sizeable number, it may be worth checking out.

 

[Southern Gardener]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, my dad tells me I'm making gardening MUCH harder than it actually is - easy for him to say - he comes from a farming family! OK then, I'm going to try.

A south window right? That would be my bathroom - it's a big bathroom and gets lots of sun. I'm off to the nursery right after work. Wish me luck!

Thanks!
Joan

 

[Southern Gardener]

Pat, what is the homemade equivalent to a heat mat? I searched on the web but I can't find anything. If I can make one cheap, I'm all for it.

Thanks!
Joan