Early Tomato Sowing and Growing thread - poll added please vote

[wellie]

I'm loving reading all your news on this thread! Normally, I've got my tomatoes germinated by now too, but this year I've held back a little. If you have too, don't panic Mr. Mannering!
According to my 2009 Biodynamic Calendar, there's an extraordinarily fabulous day for sowing early Tomatoes and Cucumbers, and that is on Trousers's Birthday, which is the day before a Flower Day, on Thursday 5th February.
Allegedly, it's because there's a Saturn-Uranus Opposition, but I'm sure I shall be able to get him tablets for that....?!
Oh, go on then! I might just sow some Gardeners' Delight this coming Monday, which is a Flower Day, (and Tuesday is too until 11am).

[di]

Mays be I shall save my chilli's & strawberries for Trouser's special day!....and just rereading your post...p'raps a few cucumbers too!!...My sprinklings of tommy seeds seem to have proved themselves to be far more than sprinklings,so I really think I ned to avoid any more early sowings...at least until the Lovely Andi's built me a polytunnel!!

[amandaandherveg]

Our woodburner heats our radiators so the windowsills get very cold during the night when the heating dies down. Could I put some seed trays on the floor of the downstairs bathroom which has underfloor heating? Kind of a DIY heated propagator?

[wellie]

amandaandherveg,
Yes.
But when the seeds have germinated, they will need maximum amounts of light in order to grow sturdily, and don't let them get chilled on top!

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

My toms have now been repotted up to their first leaves - plants were a bit leggy.( 3 Orange Banana, 1 pigletwillie black tom, 4 Grush) They are now on my kitchen windowsill. No chillies/peppers had a poke around and not one seed has germinated, so will plant some more on 24th of Jan.

PS Just had a better poke around and found 6 semi- germinated seeds. Re-potted them and put in a better propagator, if they grow it will fine - serves me right for being impatient.

PPS The 6 semi-germinated seeds are actually 8 and have now "properly" germinated. Unfortunately no idea what chillies/peppers they are.

[RedThorn]

Planted The following tomatoes today ( 18th Jan )
4 x Heritage Vintage Wine
4 x Heritage Brandy Wine
4 x Heritage Banana Cream
4 x Heritage Lemon Tree
4 x Heritage Christmas Grape
4 x Italian Marmande
4 x Cherry Yellow Pear
4 x Roma VF
4 x Moneymaker

Chillis and peppers
4 x ceyenne
4 x patio sizzle
4 x Baby bell peppers
4 x normal bell peppers

Will have to see how they go.... upstairs in spare room with a spot light for extra light when they germinate. Fron there to the greenhouse later... (couldn't resist the urge to start planting any longer )

[snakeshack]

get a butterwort for the windowsill.it hoovers up all the small flies and has attractive violet like flowers as well.The victorians grew them in orchid houses for just this reason

[Herbie]

On the 13th of January I sowed the following tomatoes:

Garden Pearl x5
F1 Sweet Million x5
Balconi Red x5
Balconi Yellow x5
lldi x5

Tomatillo x5

Pepper Mini Bell x5
Pepper Chili Pyramid x5

All sown with multipurpose compost and placed on a south facing window cill. Temptation was just too much

[tamsin]

My tumbler tom germinated today, I've moved it under an LED lamp

[MaureenHall]

1 Moneymaker that I sowed on December 28th has just germinated! Just got to wait for the rest now

[di]

1 Moneymaker that I sowed on December 28th has just germinated! Just got to wait for the rest now

Excellent...now you can stop worrying they're not going to germinate!...the only problem I'm having,is because they're about the only thing I've got growing I keep wanting to nurture them & obviously there's only so much you can do with them without killing them off with over watering!

[MaureenHall]

Just checked again and I've got 3 Moneymakers through, plus signs of 1 plum tomato and 1 100's and 1000's The propagator (unheated) is back on the windowsill now to get as much light as I can give the plants. Just been in my shed and done a little bit of sorting out and found my heated propagator So I'm going to move the pots of hops, strawberries and Black Triffele tomatoes into there ......................... and still keep my fingers crossed !

[BrideXIII]

the only problem I'm having,is because they're about the only thing I've got growing I keep wanting to nurture them & obviously there's only so much you can do with them without killing them off with over watering!

with you on that one, i keep having to walk away or i am going to kill them with kindness

[BarleySugar]

I've just potted my tomatoes (planted 27th Dec) up into 3in pots. The only problem now is the christmas lights aren't 'big enough' to light them all, so they'll have to do with what they can get from the window. I think it has made a difference though, as they are already leaning, whereas with the lights behind them I didn't need to turn them very often at all.
I have 3 sunburst, 3 green tiger, 2 french black (which are very small), and 5 unidentified ones, which might be tigerella, but they came up in an unlabelled tray, so I'm not sure.
I shouldn't have touched them for another week at least for moon planting, but they looked as if they needed more space and I had itchy fingers . I wonder if one mistake will affect them much.
I also potted up the 2 numex twilght chillies that germinated.

[MrsC]

My son bought his own propagator yesterday and wants to sow some seeds. So he will be sowing the following this evening:-

5 x Garden Pearl
5 x Mascarena
5 x Moneymaker

Will let you know how he gets on!

ps - he bought it from his birthday money and he's only 10 years old! I'm impressed!