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| This is my first season gardening and I've got some questions about seed starting. I bought some Jiffy seed starting pods, and plan on putting tomato and carrot seeds in them. I also have a heated mat. What I don't have is a flourescent overhead light. Can I place the heated mat with starting pods near an open window, or maybe patio sliding door, during the day? I live in Southern Clalifornia, sunset 20. Any comments? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| That amount of light is fine for germination, which should be very fast with a heat mat. Very bright light is needed after germination, otherwise your seedlings will start stretching towards the light source and get leggy quickly. I use Jiffy pellets and a heat mat (plus a thermostat) and most things come up in 1-7 days. Tomatoes will also outgrow a Jiffy pellet quickly. If you have a yard or balcony and your temps are warm now, you can just pot up the seedlings, harden them off and move them outside at that point though. |
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| I have not heard of anyone successfully starting carrots inside and transplanting them - you should seed them directly in your garden. |
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| I have no light source but I do have a cold greenhouse and manage pretty well. I use a heat mat to get tomatoes going and cover the seed trays with a lid at night. If temperatures drop too low, I throw a bit of horticultural fleece over the seed trays. Mandolls is right - sow the carrots directly in the soil, they really won't transplant (although it is possible with Jiffys but very costly). They do not require extra heat or light. |
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- Posted by gardenweb88 none (My Page) on Fri, Apr 12, 13 at 20:04
| So, start tomato seeds, but not carrot seeds. I plan on growing the tomato plants in 20 gallon containers. Is the below correct? |
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- Posted by susanzone5 z5NY (My Page) on Fri, Apr 12, 13 at 20:07
| If you live in southern California, then you can start the seeds outdoors now, where they will grow.No need to bother with indoors. |
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- Posted by gardenweb88 (My Page) on Fri, Apr 12, 13 at 21:19
| It's less trouble for me to plant the seed directly into the permanent container. Can someone explain the how to sow directly into the pot for tomato seeds? Am I filling the pot only slightly, then waiting for the seed to germinate. And as the stem grows, I add more soil? or do i fill the entire container with soil and amendments and plant the seed towards the surface of the mix? |
This post was edited by gardenweb88 on Fri, Apr 12, 13 at 21:21
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| Am I filling the pot only slightly, then waiting for the seed to germinate. And as the stem grows, I add more soil? Just like that. Check out all the FAQs here too. They cover all the basics. Dave |
Here is a link that might be useful: Growing from Seed FAQs
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