# tomato starts



## jimbo (Dec 29, 2007)

does anyone start their own plants.
i'm thinking about trying it this yr.
is it about time yet?

i'm already getting itchy, i almost broke out the tiller today


----------



## Waxdart (Sep 1, 2007)

We start them (and most other vegetables) under florescent shop lights. Keep the lights about an inch or two above the tops of the plants. 

Good soil, reasonable warmth, proper moisture and they do really well. 

Have to be careful not to sun burn them when you transfer them to the garden.

Super easy.

Have this exact shelving unit on wheels:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_64014-80752-143654C_0_?productId=3067829&Ntt=shelving%20unit&Ntk=i_products&pl=1&currentURL=/pl__0__s?newSearch=true$Ntt=shelving%20unit$y=0$x=0

Two shop lights on each tier.


----------



## jimbo (Dec 29, 2007)

do you start them somewhere around the first or second week of april?


----------



## Banditto (Jun 9, 2000)

mine are going already


----------



## Waxdart (Sep 1, 2007)

Already have them going.

Intended to post this earlier:

http://www.tumbledownfarm.com/drupal/Garden_Calendar


----------



## Waxdart (Sep 1, 2007)

We order most of out seeds from here:

http://seedsavers.org/

http://forums.seedsavers.org/

They'll send you a free catalog if you're interested.


----------



## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

My cherry tomatoes have been up for two weeks, and the field tomatoes have been up for a week. Green peppers are sprouting now, as are the impatiens, salvia, and petunias. Impatiens take the longest to sprout and grow. 

I just started mine from trays I bought at the dollar store, a 34 cent packet of seeds, and some potting soil. Water them once a week and keep them in a window with bright sun-for now. Down the line I'll move them to a window with a morning exposure, turn them every day so they grow straight, and slowly get them used to cooler temps and breezes.


----------



## jimbo (Dec 29, 2007)

holy cow ! i thought 7-8 weeks before transplanting would be fine.

guess i have to get on the stick.
thanks for the info


----------



## Fishalot (Aug 25, 2008)

Just noticed this thread. Thanks for the reminder to water the flowers I have started in trays. Some have sprouted already.


----------



## Rootsy (Nov 1, 2006)

Started swiss chard, broccoli, cauliflower, egg plant and iceberg lettuce last night, first replication. I won't do tomatoes and other items until end of the month. I prefer not to have 12" tall plants in starter trays to contend with come May 20th... 

Peppers and Tomatoes need warm soil to germinate in a timely manner... 75 - 80 F... Some Christmas lights under the trays works well... I generally lay down some aluminum foil and place them on top. then another sheet over them and set the seed tray on that. The foil keeps the lights from inadvertently melting plastic or burning wood should they get too hot in a compressed state.


----------



## Firecracker (Aug 19, 2005)

I never thought of using christmas Lights !!!!!! I guess this would work perfect they dont get hot enough to burn or melt the plastic ...

getting mine started this weekend


----------



## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

Started some of mine yesterday. Some of it older seed. If it doesn't sprout I still got time to restart.


----------



## Rootsy (Nov 1, 2006)

WALLEYE MIKE said:


> Started some of mine yesterday. Some of it older seed. If it doesn't sprout I still got time to restart.


I will get mine going next weekend. I need to finish the shelving in the greenhouse first. Going to get busy around here in the next week or two if I can get it to dry out. 

I am doing nothing but heirloom varieties this year with the exception of sunsugar cherry tomatoes. If you can get your hands on any (seed is from Rupp) I highly suggest it. Very productive variety and the flavor is out of this world... 

Farmers market patrons seem to go gaga over heirloom maters... I am also tired of flavorless hybrids...


----------



## wdf73 (Sep 14, 2009)

My favorite is the Early Girl Hybrid. I have tried the some of the heirloom varieties, and didn't notice any substantial flavor difference.
I am waiting for the seed to come in the mail!
Anybody ever try the peppers from Brazil known as Bode peppers? They make the best seasoning for steak, chicken, salmon, rice,...............well the best all around seasoning I have ever tried! I am going to try starting some plants this year from seeds a Brazilian friend gave us.


----------



## Rootsy (Nov 1, 2006)

wdf73 said:


> My favorite is the Early Girl Hybrid. I have tried the some of the heirloom varieties, and didn't notice any substantial flavor difference.
> I am waiting for the seed to come in the mail!
> Anybody ever try the peppers from Brazil known as Bode peppers? They make the best seasoning for steak, chicken, salmon, rice,...............well the best all around seasoning I have ever tried! I am going to try starting some plants this year from seeds a Brazilian friend gave us.


I am not much of a tomato connoisseur, they aren't my favorite raw produce, but I listen to my customers and I am more than happy to give them what they want. Plus the variety of colors and shades of different heirloom varieties adds to the visual appeal. When you are competing at market with others selling tomatoes, oddity, uniqueness and off the beaten path can get you a lot of business.

The only raw tomato I will gladly eat... Are the sunsugars... they are very sweet with a small seed pocket and not a lot of acidic tomato taste... I have to doctor the rest or have them cooked down... A childhood hang-up that has followed me well into adulthood.


----------



## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

Rootsy said:


> I will get mine going next weekend. I need to finish the shelving in the greenhouse first. Going to get busy around here in the next week or two if I can get it to dry out.
> 
> I am doing nothing but heirloom varieties this year with the exception of sunsugar cherry tomatoes. If you can get your hands on any (seed is from Rupp) I highly suggest it. Very productive variety and the flavor is out of this world...
> 
> Farmers market patrons seem to go gaga over heirloom maters... I am also tired of flavorless hybrids...


I get a few heirloom from a buddy of mine. The taste is better than hybrids. Brandywine and caspian pink are 2 he grows.


----------



## Ausable Junkie (Oct 2, 2002)

I started some heiloom tomatoes on the 10th, Paul Robeson and Cherokee Purple. I also started some Habanero seeds too. I plan on wave 2 of seed starts at the end of this month. I can get all the 5-gallon buckets I want from work. Its my plan for frost protection after they're in the ground. 

 I also rototilled the garden up yesterday. I plan on adding the chicken manure i've been saving up since last April when we got our day-old chicks. Hopefully this will keep the weed growth down. The last 2 years we bought cow manure from local farms. Good stuff, but you also get all the unwanted nuisance seeds the cows ingested. We also plan to mulch for the first time this year. I'm hoping a round bale will be enough to cover our 2000 square foot garden with at least a few inches of mulch cover. 

Less weeding and fewer nutrients lost to the weeds will hopefully payoff in the fall.


----------



## chinamigarden (Oct 21, 2005)

Ausable Junkie said:


> I started some heiloom tomatoes on the 10th, Paul Robeson and Cherokee Purple. I also started some Habanero seeds too. I plan on wave 2 of seed starts at the end of this month. I can get all the 5-gallon buckets I want from work. Its my plan for frost protection after they're in the ground.
> 
> I also rototilled the garden up yesterday. I plan on adding the chicken manure i've been saving up since last April when we got our day-old chicks. Hopefully this will keep the weed growth down. The last 2 years we bought cow manure from local farms. Good stuff, but you also get all the unwanted nuisance seeds the cows ingested. We also plan to mulch for the first time this year. I'm hoping a round bale will be enough to cover our 2000 square foot garden with at least a few inches of mulch cover.
> 
> Less weeding and fewer nutrients lost to the weeds will hopefully payoff in the fall.


Cow manure is supposed to be much better then Horse manure, as far as weed seeds go. The 4 stomachs do a number on the seeds and most are digested. It goes through a horse so fast it has little affect on the seeds.


----------



## Firecracker (Aug 19, 2005)

we always use cow manure,,,,, yes we have weeds, but I am always out there so it dont have much of a chance 

btw ,,, use your old newspaper and soak it in water and lay it around the plants it keeps Weeds down.


----------

