6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
If your only choices are buying transplants grown by others or trying to direct seed tomatoes in the garden then by all means buy transplants. Direct seeding tomatoes seldom works well at all. They really need to be started indoors, under lights, 6-8 weeks prior to plant out time.
Check out the "How to Grow Tomatoes from Seed" FAQ over on the Growing Tomatoes forum here. I'd link it for you but the GW servers are running really slow right now.
Dave
You can winter sow tomato seeds and get very high germination rates along with amazingly hardy/healthy plants. Poke some drainage holes in a clean recycled gallon milk jug, cut it open & fill the bottom with moistened potting/growers mix. Sprinkle seeds over the surface of the growing mix and close the jug with tape or a twistie tie. Set the jug out on your deck or patio or near the house foundation (east side is best) and let Mother Nature take it from there. Once the seeds sprout, pot them up or plant them out.
Post here or check the Winter Sowing forum here on GardenWeb if you have questions.
If a plant germinates from old seed stock, does it affect the viability of the plant?
I can't speak directly to melons since I don't do any of them but as a general rule I haven't found that to be the case. The germination rate will fall off substantially with old seeds - depending on how old - but IME if the seed germinates it then grows normally.
I'm sure there are a few exceptions to that rule but off hand I don't know of any.
"Aren't thriving" how?
Dave
Thanks Dave! This was my take also. Of the few seeds that germinated, several died for no apparent reason when they were 2-3" tall & the remaining plants are demonstrating a very slow growth rate for a melon. This is my first try at growing Crenshaw from seed, so I may be missing something........
They will need to stay under the lights until you get them outside. If you take them out from under the lights, they will start to stretch out, get leggy and fall over from their weight.
Fun you are starting more! Be careful that you have enough room for mature plants under your lights.. they will get pretty big by the time May comes around. That is my frost date too and I have lots of things started. They are all living happily under my lights and will stay there until May 15th..ish
Have fun!! Ghost peppers! wow.. you like hot hot hot!!
Keriann~
Thanks again everyone for the help. I wanted to post pics of the progress but I'm not sure if I'm allowed or even how to. Everything is coming up great. Fingers crossed...Also just had my first two ghost peppers pop. Everything else is under the T5 light for about 16 hours a day.
My next dilemma, I want to prep my garden this weekend. What do you recommend mixing in compost wise? I have some tough soil with little rocks so I need a complete over haul. Any suggestion on levels, dirt, mixes to put in dirt, etc? Also, should I mix it different where the different vegetables will be located? Thanks!!
Indoors under regular shop lites.
We typically put up the portable greenhouse we have....but the peppers and tomatoes won't chance it out there until mid to late april....with a small heater if need be. Try earlier on your peppers, you won't be disappointed! We set out pepper plants about 10-12" tall, totally critical for so many of the varities we grow. This year we are trying about 23 varities:)
With the peppers experiencing some cool nites(45-50 degrees) before being set out permanently, it stimulates bud set, and we always have buds ready to go when they get in the ground. If we get a flower or two...off they come.
good luck!
Status update:
I put the pansies on the patio under the awning just after I posted. It was warm for a few days (early morning sun) but then we had snow. They did great. But I know they are cool weather plants anyway so I figured they would be okay.
I will start to move the other hardy perennials out in the next few days. Again, on the patio under the awning. We are expected to stay above 40 until next week so I'll keep an eye and if it is getting too cold, pull them back in for a night or two.
The tender ones (plus peppers and tomatoes) will have to stay inside for another couple weeks. I have hoop houses on my raised beds but I've had disasterous results putting things out there too fast. I think the patio is going to be the best. And it is somewhat sheltered from the wind.
Most of the veggies I will direct sow in another 2-4 weeks in the hoop houses. That has worked extremely well other years.
I tried winter sowing last year with limited success. I can assure you it was operator error though.
Got a 12 x 10 greenhouse and started soil blocking this year and I have enough plants to start a small farm. Approximately 2400 so far and I'm not done yet. I live in the city and have a 200 square foot garden. My plan is to sell the extras to raise money for my daughter's school. I just can't leave seeds in the package once they're opened. I am a germination addict.
Yes, the seed is said to be viable 6-7 years (stored dry, not exposed to moisture or wildly fluctuating temps), although I haven't stored it that long myself...You could possibly get a lower percentage germination with 3 yr old seed but you should have sprouts - and most of us tend to sow more than we need anyway :).
Most seeds you don't want to plant too deep. Zinnia seeds are pretty big though. I would err on the side of a deeper planting of like an inch. I do this because the weight and compression of the dirt helps the newly growing seedling to pull its shell off. I'm sure that many of us have seen the ones that come up that still have darn thing attached. I hate to mess around with Mother Nature's gyrations, but I have been known to pull the capsule off of a seedling that came up with it's hat still firmly on. They often don't make it and it is nice to NOT have to do this. So yeah, given the size of zinnia seedlings, I would go ahead and plant them deep (for a seed).
Sweet pea sized seeds, sunflowers, and lupines: like 1&1/2 to 2 inches deep
Zinnia sized seeds: like 1 inch deep
Broccoli sized seeds: 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch
Coleus, Petunias and other tinies: I sow them on the surface and then cover with a layer of sand
Specials like Aquilegia (Columbines): surface sow because their shiny black hull absorbs and needs the sunlight
I like to sow deep because I really don't want to help them out of their coats.
As I posted on your other post about this "The only "black sticky crud" I can think of was once a layer of green algae that has died. If that's it it should just lift off in pieces. "
T5 put out more light and more heat so they are used somewhat higher above the plants than are T12 and T8. The supposed ideal is 6-8" but that assume ideal conditions - which don't exist in real life so you have to experiment in your growing environment. Personally I find 4" to be good for most things but 3" is better IF you have adequate air circulation around the plants with fans.
Too close isn't going to hurt the plants except they dry out more quickly. Too far makes them leggy which you can't really fix so too close is better than too high. No seedlings are "skinny in the beginning". That is caused by lack of light and too hot growing ambience. So your lights are too high or your air temps are too hot or both.
3> Your choice. Some clip, most separate. Easy to do and can be done at any time from the cotyledon stage to first set of true leaves. Only difference is ease of handling.
I've read here (FAQs) and other places to fertilize seedlings soon after they sprout.
Not sure where you found that in the FAQs. The one on fertilizing talks about fertilizing "after transplanting" only, not after they sprout. Big difference!
The standard recommendation is well-diluted feedings every 7-10 days AFTER the plants develop their second set of true leaves.
I do want to be organic. I don't like the idea of fertilizers. My tomatoes and eggplants are heirloom. Peppers are new mexico varieties. I don't know if this makes a difference.
All plants need the nutrients supplied by fertilizers in some form. Heirloom or hybrid or variety makes no difference. They can't grow without them. So if you want to be organic just use one of the many organic fertilizers available. There are 100's of them.
Dave
Thanks Dave.
I work from home and look at my seedlings 3-4 times a day (I'm trying to cut back). I've never seen green algae. But, I did let the mix dry out and the black stuff is almost gone.
I moved my lights from 6" to 4". I realized not all my cells are the same size- something to remember for next year. It wasn't smart for watering from the bottom either.
I guess I need to get some fertilizer. It will be a while before the true leaves pop up, I'm assuming.
Thanks again.
Leslie
I confess that I do not separate them out when this happens. I take them off the heating mat and uncover them. The rest sprout pretty quickly after. You are (were) only at day 4. If that were the case after two weeks, I might do things differently (maybe not). Even seeds of the same variety can vary in the time they take to germinate.
Maybe I'm just lazy, but this works for me. The less I fuss with my seeds, the better they seem to do.
Boy...where do I start on the Earthway? I am surprised to hear it works well for someone. I bought mine new. The seeds get stuck behind the seed plate. When the hopper gets low it doesn't pick up seed. Sometimes a seed will get jammed in the plate and it will go flying. When it does work, (not very often) it drops tons of seeds. Last year was the first year of working/ammending the soil. It pretty much requires very fine loam to even manage a straight line.
they like to germinate in cool temps, I think August would be too hot for them. I would start them now or in the fall.
This is directly from the T and M website:
Sow late winter/spring or late summer. Sow 1.5mm (1/16in) deep in good seed compost excluding light as darkness is beneficial. Germination usually takes 14-21 days at 19-24C (65-75F). Keep the soil just moist and avoid high temperatures which will prevent germination.
When seedlings are large enough to handle, transplant and grow cool. Gradually acclimatise to outdoor conditions for 10-15 days before planting out after all risk of frost, 23-30cm (9-12in) apart in most soils, sun or part shade.
Keriann~
I make an anti-mold tea by steeping a chamomile teabag and a couple of cloves of garlic that have been sliced in 2-3 cups of very hot water. Once the solution cools down I put it in a spray bottle and use it to soak the top of the soil after each watering. These two things both have natural fungicidal properties and I find that it gets rid of damp-off and white fuzzies very effectively. I keep the solution for up to 10 days in the refrigerator before brewing new.
I also coat the top of my seed-starting compost with a layer of sand because the sand is inert and doesn't support the fungus as well as the organic matter does. It also dries out completely between waterings and the dryness deters the fungus too.
These two methods combined keep my babies free of fungi.
Note: This is just my way of doing things, but you may find that it works for you too.
BTW: All of the other advice on letting your soil get dry is REALLY good advice. This not only deters the fungus but makes your plants' root systems reach and grow. Just don't let the dirt dry out completely. It's easy enough to tell by color and appearance. I like to look at the soil color through the holes in the bottom of the pot rather than the top because the top has evaporation working with it too and the bottom is a better watering gauge because it doesn't have this issue. Watering from the bottom up by setting your babies in a shallow basin of water or filling the tray or saucer is a good way to water too. Use less water than you think you should and apply more often. Soil that isn't completely drenched is healthier and still has air pockets that the plants need to ensure rapid growth.
I routinely water seedlings from the bottom. I set the tray in the water and leave there until the top of the mix looks shiny, then take it out and put back on the rack to drain. Al
Here's a link to several of the previous discussions of this question. You'll find all the details there. Just scroll down to the ones with the blue borders.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Bottom watering how-to