Tomato seedling advice

[bumear]

Hi. Not posted on here for quite a while. Had a busy year last year and had to put the growing on hold. However, I planted some tomato seeds on Saturday and popped them in a heated propagator. Got back from work yesterday and noticed that they had all germinated and grown quite leggy. I believe I can transplant them to another pot burying them deeper (correct me if I'm wrong) and they should recover. My question is, should I keep them out of the propagator once I have transplanted to new pots or keep them out all together? Seems quite early to keep them out to me. Thanks.

[WendyC]

A propagator is just for that- propagating. Once germination has happened they need taking out. Yes they can be potted deeper, up to the seed leaves and in individual pots. They need as must light as possible. Where are they ultimately headed for?

[bumear]

Thanks Wendy. They will be going in planting troughs as they are bush variety toms. I grew them well the other year but I guess being out of practice and still being new I panicked at the quickness they grew. I've taken them out and will transplant tomorrow.

[Scarlet]

Remember as they are tender plants they can't go outside until our last frosts, that's a long time on a windowsill. It's quite early to start off toms....that said, I also sow a few for an early crop though not got around to it yet.
I'm going to try some of VC's rambling stripe and a couple other bush types on the weekend.

[bumear]

Thanks Scarlet. They should be ok on the windowsills as that's where I had them last time. I've gone for Sunstripe and Garden Pearl which gave me a great crop the first time round and I've also germinated some chillies which I seem to be able to grow without any problems. Was thinking of getting some sort of grow light set up so will look round on here for some tips.

[Scarlet]

I haven't got any grow lights though would love some! What chillies are you growing?

[bumear]

from what I've read on here making a grow light setup should be pretty easy so it might be a weekend project for me. I've gone for Jalapeños as I eat them quite a lot on sandwiches for work so I will pickle them. I've got last years "ring of fire" chillies in the freezer, about 200, and 12 bottles of hot sauce in the cupboard made with the same type so I'm not planning on growing any other types. Limited space so I'm just growing what I eat. Oh, I'm trying "Razzamataz" too which is an ornamental.