Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2015 11:38:54 GMT
We usually buy our tomato plants already started. I am contemplating starting some purple tomatoes from seed because I am curious. What should I do our not do?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2015 11:48:56 GMT
Plant twice as many as you want. I have somewhere around 600 tomato and pepper plants started. Get some good quality starting mix soil, and mix it with regulate porting soil. I say to do that because most of the seed starting soils do not retain moisture very well. Fill some pots or cups with moist soil, plant two seeds in each pot, about 1/8-1/4 inch deep. Set your pots in a warm location. You don't need light until they have sprouted. Once your seeds sprout move to a well lit or sunny location, keep them watered. Once they are about 3-4 inches tall, cut off the weakest of the two in each pot (if both sprouted) About two weeks before you will plant them in the garden, set them outside for a couple hours for two days. Bringing them back inside to recover. Then go up to 3 or 4 hours for a few days. Keep increasing their outside time a little every day until you are leaving them outside all day and night. Only then should you transplant them to the garden.
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ksfarmer
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North central Kansas.
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Post by ksfarmer on Mar 31, 2015 3:00:02 GMT
Light is very important to the seedlings. A 4 ft florescent shop light will help if you don't have sufficent sunlight. And 4-6 weeks is enough from seed germ until planting in the garden, so don't start too early.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2015 3:10:57 GMT
We have a huge window so sunlight isn't a problem and usually by the middle of May we are planting them do that should be ok too.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Mar 31, 2015 3:12:24 GMT
@dawndra, I started mine mid-January this year ... I usually don't start them until mid-March.
I use a heating pad under the trays of planted seeds (basically the way dba said). The extra heat really helps with the germination. I repotted to larger cups a couple weeks ago and have some that are 12" tall. I only use the south window (behind the woodstove). Remembers tomatoes like water, but they don't like being drowned.
If'n you want, I could send some down when Paul takes Matt home. I have started: Amish Paste, Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter, Pantano Romanesco & yellow pear.
Let me know!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2015 3:18:27 GMT
I accept! That will be swell. I will share with Megan too. They move in May 1.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Mar 31, 2015 3:25:03 GMT
These are all from seed I saved last year. I have a couple varieties of paprika peppers planted also. I have discovered I use a Lot of ground paprika, so figured I'd grow my own if I found the seed (which I did at Baker's Creek) I have plans of grinding and smoking some of the paprika also!
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Post by Jolly on Mar 31, 2015 5:25:44 GMT
Sometimes we start our first tomatoes from seed, sometimes we buy plants. But we always start our second crop of tomatoes from seed, to get them in the ground when we want to...Down here, you can plant tomato plants in August, and they"ll make until frost.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2015 10:51:18 GMT
Why two crops of tomatoes? If you use an indeterminent variety, why not just let the first keep producing?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2015 12:39:01 GMT
To me, they are weeds. I used to start them from seeds, but then realized I could just replant some of the volunteers that grew in last year's bed into this years bed. Of course, that only works if you're not planting a lot of different varieties, because there is no way to get them to breed true if there are other varieties around.
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Post by paquebot on Mar 31, 2015 13:51:40 GMT
Why two crops of tomatoes? If you use an indeterminent variety, why not just let the first keep producing? If you look at the avatar, you might suspect Louisiana. There, you have early and late with only Creole in between. Martin
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Post by willowgirl on Mar 31, 2015 13:54:38 GMT
I'm not sure light from a window will be sufficient. Something about the angle of the sun's rays in early spring, etc. I'd hang a shoplight over them just in case. Keep the plants as close to the tubes as possible, adjusting height as necessary. (I hate messing with the fixtures, so I just put boxes or whatever underneath the flats to elevate them, removing as needed as the plants get bigger.) I leave my lights on 24/7 as they get some heat from the tubes as well. This plan works well for peppers, too, and, actually, just about everything! I start seedlings indoors every spring.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Mar 31, 2015 14:16:46 GMT
I'm not sure light from a window will be sufficient. Something about the angle of the sun's rays in early spring, etc. It does make them a bit more 'leggy', but it has worked for me the past 3 decades!!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2015 14:40:47 GMT
Beautiful!
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Post by Callie on Mar 31, 2015 18:58:58 GMT
I just repotted my seedlings yesterday to larger pots. Originally, I put 2-3 seeds in each cell of a 6-pack;put them on the heat pad; water from the bottom; and wait until they have their 2nd set of leaves. When I transplant them to deeper pots, I put the plant in first, then almost bury it with the new potting soil. The problem of leggy plants is gone. I repot as deep as I can. I use 4-foot tube lights since I start a 100's of seedlings and don't have a table or window large enough for that many plants. Starting plants from seeds is one of my favorite parts of gardening - no weeding!
I have to bring water in from outside because we have a water softener for the household water. The inside water will kill tomatoes, but interestingly enough, the peppers seem to like it.
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Post by Muller's Lane Farm on Mar 31, 2015 19:01:09 GMT
That is what I did with mine, Callie ... but you can see how leggy mine still get because of only using the window. I don't have a problem with that because when the tomatoes go into the garden, I only leave about 1/4 of it above the soil
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2015 19:08:49 GMT
Callie, that is interesting about the peppers liking the soft water. We, too, have a water softner, so I have my dump pump discharge hose pumping into a 75 gallon stock tank. I use that water for my plants, and chickens, and dog, and pigs. Unless it is quite dry, and I have to water the gardens. If that happens, or I think it might happen, in early spring I quit putting salt in the softner. I need to just do some plumbing and put in a couple lines before the supply line gets to the WS unit.
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Post by Cindy in NY on Mar 31, 2015 21:09:37 GMT
Mine always end up being too leggy. I just plant them that much deeper!!
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Post by Callie on Apr 1, 2015 3:34:25 GMT
I always start my plants too early. I just can't make myself wait and who knows? Maybe spring will be early once in a while! Mine can get leggy too, even under lights. (I tend to get tall plants next to short plants and put the lights high for the tall ones, so the shorter ones get leggy...alas) Burying them deeper is the answer I've come up with.
To harden mine, I bought some of the plastic storage totes. I got them at Target several years ago. They are a clear green. During the day, I put the plants in the shade with the lids off and at night, I cover them up. Each day, I put them a bit more in the sun until they can take full sun. If a frost is predicted, I can just throw a blanket over them. This way I don't have to move ? I wonder if the frost fabric that I use in winter in the greenhouse would work to keep the sun from burning the seedlings? Anyone try that?
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Post by paquebot on Apr 1, 2015 5:03:16 GMT
I have exactly one tomato seedling up today. Probably the oldest seeds as from 1983. It's Maritza 25, a Bulgarian variety received from GRIN and thus frozen until I requested it. Not going to worry about enough light or not as it's outside in a cold frame. It will have lots of neighbors soon. 75 varieties and about 6 seeds of each. Number of seedlings will be changing hourly now that we've put winter behind us.
Martin
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Post by Callie on Apr 2, 2015 1:13:53 GMT
You promise that part about winter being behind us? I'm so ready to just move on.
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Post by paquebot on Apr 2, 2015 1:22:52 GMT
You promise that part about winter being behind us? I'm so ready to just move on.
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Post by paquebot on Apr 2, 2015 1:25:39 GMT
You promise that part about winter being behind us? I'm so ready to just move on. Yep, can't go back now. In the past week, we've gone from a low of around 15ºF to 75ºF today. The robin snow has come and gone. Need the bluebird snow now. Martin
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Post by Callie on Apr 2, 2015 3:49:16 GMT
I thought winter was gone last week...and we got another 2 inches of snow! Just not what I expected. I'd like to start planting out soon. The tomatoes will have to stay inside a while longer.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2015 2:18:28 GMT
Something I have found very helpful in starting seedlings indoors is a small desktop type fan. Once the seedlings are up, allow the fan to blow on the gently. This helps the plants to be sturdier, sort of like when we exercise our muscles, and how oak trees are stronger because of storms.
The moving air also cuts back on damping off.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2015 4:03:39 GMT
Good idea! I'm getting my starter pots this weekend.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2015 19:57:34 GMT
I planted tomato seeds 2wks ago and nothing. How long should I wait before giving up and replanting? We had a cpl cold nights that I didn't bring them in from the greenhouse and I'm wondering if it just slowed the germination or killed them? Patience or start over??
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Post by paquebot on Apr 4, 2015 0:23:15 GMT
If the seeds were not yet germinated, cold won't hurt them. If you had them outside where the nights are cool, 2 weeks isn't long as that would indeed have slowed them. They've already been "prepped". If you can give them 80ºF for 48 hours, you should see green.
Martin
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2015 0:33:09 GMT
I'm going to direct seed into the garden in a few days. I did that last year and I bought a few plants also, my direct seeded plants matured faster than the transplants.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2015 0:39:54 GMT
Thank you Martin!
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