where are my tomato seedlings???

[laura g]

have lots of tomato plants going great guns in the greenhouse. So just over two weeks ago, confidence high, I had a major seed planting session with three free full size packets of toms seeds aquired with various mags.

dont ask me what i'm going to do with them...corner the tomato market I guess!

Not that it matters - from all those seeds I have one tiny weeny seedling that finally sprang up yesterday!!!

Am I being a bit impatient...could they still come up? have them in an unheated greenhouse but obviously weather has been good here in the south? is there somewhere better i could put them or should have put them??

[dexterdoglancashire]

Hi Laura
With all this lovely weather we've been having your tomatoes should soon start to show. Mine did take a while, but now they are taking off! Check on the packet, that should give you some indication as to how long they take.

[Cheffi]

I started off my first ever tom seeds, it said germination 7-10 days. I put them down on the floor next to my Aga and was astonished when they all seemed to appear within 4-5 days. My advice.....get an Aga

[Pippin]

If they don`t appear soon then `damping off` may have occured. Fungus in the growing medium attacks the stems of young seedlings at ground level and they keal over. It can also hit the pre-emergent seedlings, those that have not reached the surface.

If you think this may be a problem in future water with Cheshunt copper sulphate solution prior to sowing and after sowing.

If sowing in pots or trays give them a good wash in a disinfectant.

I hope this is not your problem though and you go on to eat loads of yummy toms and by the sounds of it, with plenty to give away.

Pippin

[laura g]

thanks for the advice. one more has reared its head!!

[srodders]

Of the 3 lots I'm growing the ones that took the longest were the free ones (Gardeners Delight). i was just about to throw them out as a no-show when one popped his head up - they are all up now. It was the same with my Corriander, Physalis and Parsley - they had been sidelined for the heap when they all showed up.

I guess they were just having a nap, and have now woken up !

[vertangie]

My gardeners delight seeds came up in about 4 days. I was stunned.

being a cheapskate and a pessimist I used the soil from a grow bag I used last year to grow my single tomato plant in and sprinkled most of a pack liberally on one of those seed trays, sprayed daily with water, placed on south facing windowsill in one of those little plastic incubator things (unheated).

I also had 10 courgette seeds in there.

the tomato seedlings are still teeny but I do have 54 of them (several to a square, will need to thin out) and 5 courgette plants which are now 4 to 5 inches high and doing brilliantly.

We do have a rayburn (like an Aga), but it wasn't on. Maybe just the presence of one helps

I'm going to start a proper diary on my website. just as soon as I've set up my website. No excuse really, I'm a web developer who's been bunking off to mess around in the garden.

[Waffler]

I'm sure getting an Aga (or similar) makes for very expensive toms!! If and when we ever get this blasted kitchen done, we have a Redfyre in the shed ready to install.
My tom seeds varied in germination rates; can't remember exactly, but I know the gardeners delight and ailsa craig took an absolute age. Hang in there - they'll come good!