First Tomatoes from Seed

[nickdub]

should say "container" of course, not "concertina " - fumble fingers+ auto-correct = garbage

[ryanM]

Thank you for pot size. Afraid cant help on curling, odd ones of mine tend to do that. Hopefully an expert will be along soon to advise. Out of the 5 varieties I have , the gardeners delight seem to be the ones most keen to get leggy so you have done well to get such stocky plants. I see what you mean on the soil being fine

Thankfully I had an area to place them under a single T5 bulb once they germinated... That area quickly became too small but I was able to purchase a 4 foot x4 bulb griw light..... I plan on doing much more stuff so I did need something like this...

Currently they are about 8 inches away from the bulbs and I only have the two outside bulbs on for now. They are going up slowly but surely.

Nick I did take a look at one out of the po, the roits are starting to peep out the bottom but are not starting to wrap around

[It never rains..it pours]

ryanM, how have they faired ?, potted mine into final pots (2 in each 40l) at weekend. Made a note not to plant so many seeds next year

[Snoop Puss]

^Great photo. How many have you got? Plus... have you got room for them all?

[It never rains..it pours]

Thanks snoop puss, have 39 and managed to plant 27 after begging, stealing and borrowing pots. They will be split 50/50 between greenhouse and conservatory. Have tried to get some benefit from so many by splitting the 5 varieties with different combinations of soil, seaweed, tomorite, cheap compost, manure, lime, gypsum, epsom salts and will see what does best.12 remaing plants need good homes
They are slightly bigger and more importantly a larger root mass than what were brought in and planted on 14th April last year, so thank you to all the comments on this forum that have got them to here

[ryanM]

ryanM, how have they faired ?, potted mine into final pots (2 in each 40l) at weekend. Made a note not to plant so many seeds next year

That is some collection you got there very nice. Mine are still faring good under the grow light but i think i will be potting them on once again pretty soon.

[chris_m]

Thanks snoop puss, have 39 and managed to plant 27

Jeepers, when's the Man from Dolmio coming?
;-)

I have four each of two sorts - but that's only because I assumed I'd lose 50% through non-germination or just not growing on and the blighters saw that as a challenge I guess. My melons and cucumbers are in on that trick too, as are the aubergines but they are some way behind the rest.
Luckily, the neighbours will be able to use my surplus plants when it gets warm enough to move them to the greenhouse(s)

[It never rains..it pours]

chris_m , yes quite mad and wont happen next year. Being first time on tom seed I had no idea what survival would get, would it be my 95% on asparagus or 0% on strawberries last year so like you assumed 50%. My thinking is to experiment on varieties and soil mixtures, etc so can claim its an experiemnt rather than insanity. Guess you can claim the same with your toms, melons, cucumbers and aubergines

ryanM , thanks , yours continue to look better than my Gardeners Delight, my Alicante are the only ones close to being that width/height ratio.

[DMU_Blue]

Feeling really behind looking at this thread!

Tomatos germinated just under a week ago. First time growing them too.

Hope the grow light gives them a boost

[Scarlet]

Welcome to the forum Blue......toms can't be put outside until the temperature at night stays in double figures so you are ok on timing!

[Dogs and Veg]

All these pictures look great - well done!

I have just started, I think i'm going to post a picture to ask about overcrowding...but I wanted to ask, do you need a grow light? I don't have one, currently all my seedlings are on a window ledge under a makeshift propagator.

Will this do?

[Bluenowhere]

I don’t have a grow light, mine seem to do okay on the window sill. I just turn the pots everyday so they get even light.

[It never rains..it pours]

I don’t have a grow light, mine seem to do okay on the window sill. I just turn the pots everyday so they get even light.

Im not using mine (old desklamps with old 20w/35w cfl bulbs) now on new sweetcorn and peas seedlings so would think now in sunny Kent on south facing window they will be fine

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

I'm also growing tomatoes for the first time this year. I've got four - two are going outside in my raised beds (square foot garden) and I thought I might grow one inside my plastic grow house now I've got one, maybe in a growbag or similar, to see how they compare. The other is a spare.

I have no idea if they are doing good for their age - they seem OK. These were sown on 10 March in a heated propagator then spent most of their life on my sunniest windowsill until recently. As the weather has warmed up in the last week I've been putting them outside during the day to get more light and bringing them in at night. I'm hoping once they are potted on they can go into the grow house until ready to plant out.

Photos here:
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#...D-5BD84820740D
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#...9-295D0B3586F9

How are they looking?

[nickdub]

I don't have any grow-lights - I chit the seed in the airing cupboard then ferry the plants back
and forth between the conservatory and living room - having potted them on they are now about 10" high out in the poly-tunnel - hopefully only one more move needed to their final places.