starting seeds off, then heading on holidays!

[SMW]

Hi everyone

Another newbie question....sorry!

I have been told by a few on here that for best results I should start seeds off indoors and then transplant into my clay soil rather than sow directly. I am also hoping to grow tumbling toms in some pots and move to baskets in May/June. I have quite a few deep seed trays, plug trays and 9cm pots which I hope to seed with my son over the weekend.

The issue I have is that we will be going on holiday in mid April. If I have the plug trays and pots in the plastic seed trays and fill with water, will it be OK for the seedlings to gather water from below or will this be asking too much? Will it drown the plants? I can ask my folks to come back and check on the house half way through the week and while doing that they can top up the trays.

Would this be OK or should I hold off a few weeks before seeding? don't want to get left behind though!

As always, thanks!

S

[veggiechicken]

How many days are you away?

[Zelenina]

It's only necessary to start stuff indoors now that's sensitive to frost and needs a long growing season. Things like tomatoes and peppers and aubergines that come originally from hotter countries.

Traditional hardy European veg like peas, broad beans, onions, leeks, cabbages, broccoli, beets and chard, carrots, parsnips, lettuce etc. should be fine to sow outside by April, and maybe even now depending on how far north you live.

Other tender stuff like melons, cucumbers, squash and sweetcorn don't really need to be sown yet. Maybe you could sow them just before you go away and let them germinate while you're on holiday, or wait until you come back. If they are in a propagator the lid should prevent them drying out. Or make some home-made version with plastic bottles or bags.

French and runner beans can be started indoors, but they'll also do ok sown outdoors when the danger of frost is past, which is usually sometime in May. I know people on this forum like to start things early, but it isn't always essential, and later sown stuff usually catches up because the soil is warmer. I'm not sure what clay soil has got to do with it, except maybe it warms up a bit slower than sandy soil. If weeds can germinate in it veggies should do ok too.

So it sound like it's mainly tomato seedlings you've got to worry about. I don't think standing them in trays of water is a good idea. But I've found if I repot seedlings into bigger pots and give them a good watering just before I go away, they are usually alive when I come back.

[Bren In Pots]

SMW when we go camping I rig up a self watering system using capillary matting and reservoirs using seed trays. Hope this photo gives you some idea.

[NickG]

That's a great idea Bren

[bario1]

For tomatoes I'd start them off now. By mid April you'll have small plants, and if you've sown in individual 9cm pots they'll probably still be fine in those at that point. Let them get fairly dry before you go away and then thoroughly soak them before you leave. Leave them somewhere where they won't get too much direct sunlight, and they should be fine for a week - for two weeks, get someone in to check midway.

[SMW]

Thanks for the replies folks. I'm only going away for one week. Never knew about letting them dry out before a heavy watering. The capillary system looks very good!