Early Tomato Sowing and Growing thread - poll added please vote

[Irie Jan]

On 22nd I sowed the following seeds. All were tucked up after 7.pm and sleeping by 9.pm in a nice warm bed of B&Q Peat Free Compressed Compost. My babies had their drink and their electric blanket is on to help them grow while they sleep! Their little house is in my spare bedroom with a view of the back garden waiting for when they wake up to take a peek out of the window. No other heating so the room is cool. The compost is great because it comes as 4 blocks in quite a small bag so easy to store also nice and light to carry! Takes about 5 mins to prepare in a bucket. Just add one block and about 4 & 1/2 pints of water. I used tepid water! The whole bag makes up 40 ltrs of compost; I would not have been able to carry that myself had it been normal compost!!

Tomatoes.
4 x Black Cherry
4 x Orange Banana
4 x Cream Sausage
4 x Royal Chico
4 x Lollipop

Chilli’s.
2 x Chocolate Habanero
2 x White Habanero
2 x Hot Lemon
2 x Purple Jalapeno

Peppers.
2 x Baby Red (Thanks to ChocClare for the swap!)
2 x Baby Orange
2 x Lipstick
2 x Chocolate peppers
These last 2 types on list are from Real Seeds.(Thanks to Frostyfreckle for the swap!)

[MaureenHall]

Checked the seedlings on the kitchen windowsill this morning, and so far from the sowing of 28th December, I've got 5 100's and 1000's, 4 Moneymaker and 4 Italian plum germinated; 3 Black Triffele sown on 8th January have also germinated. All are still showing just seed leaves at the moment but I'm going to transplant when the time's right and they've got at least 1 true leaf.

[Alice]

My toms and peppers sown on 27/12 have their first true leaves and are ready for transplanting into their own pots.
Is there a good moon day for transplanting them ?

[Maffie]

Wow I have lots and lots of Gardners Delights germinated. There are approx 40 shoots in the propagators. I know some will not survive so planted plenty but im shocked at the numbers growing so far. Not sure what to do with so many!!!!!

[maytreefrannie]

My toms and peppers sown on 27/12 have their first true leaves and are ready for transplanting into their own pots.
Is there a good moon day for transplanting them ?

According to my book, this is a fruit-seed day, up to 8 a.m. tomorrow morning.

Today I moved the tomatoes (sown on 27/12) to bigger pots - only seed leaves yet, but they had got very leggy, so I thought they'd be better to be potted on. I moved them as they were in their little toilet roll centres and packed more compost around them in the bigger pots.

It's been overcast (when it's not downright cloudy or raining) here most of the time so I think they're not getting enough light. I move them to one window in the morning, then out to kitchen window in the afternoon.

[BarleySugar]

Wow Maffie, that's a load of tomatoes.

[BrideXIII]

mine all have their first true leaves now, but beggered if i can tell if they are leggy or not , I am trying to hold off on the transplanting for another week yet.

[lavender lou]

i now have 3 x tumbling toms germinated and 2 x pepper seeds germinated

[BrideXIII]

Ok , this is what my lil early toms look like at present, now as i have never grown toms from seed before, i have no idea if these are the dreaded 'LEGGY', can someone let me know?

[jackie j]

They look ok to me but i am not an expert lol Mine are starting to sprout yay

[Cutecumber]

BrideXIII - I would say they are a bit leggy, but to be honest it is pretty much impossible to get really stocky strong seedlings at this time of year unless you have extra light and carefully controlled temperatures.

Anyway, I've seen a lot worse.

Always think light first, then heat. 68-70 degrees F (20 deg C) is adequate - they don't need really tropical temperatures - but they do need loads of light.

Once tender seedlings like tomatoes have germinated, you need cooler temperatures. Unfortunately, those of us who start their toms on windowsills have no temperature control at all and just have to keep our fingers' crossed.

I'm holding off until the end of Feb as I have been over-run by early tomatoes too many times before...

[BrideXIII]

BrideXIII - I would say they are a bit leggy, but to be honest it is pretty much impossible to get really stocky strong seedlings at this time of year unless you have extra light and carefully controlled temperatures.

Anyway, I've seen a lot worse.

Always think light first, then heat. 68-70 degrees F (20 deg C) is adequate - they don't need really tropical temperatures - but they do need loads of light.

Once tender seedlings like tomatoes have germinated, you need cooler temperatures. Unfortunately, those of us who start their toms on windowsills have no temperature control at all and just have to keep our fingers' crossed.

I'm holding off until the end of Feb as I have been over-run by early tomatoes too many times before...

well the thermostat for the central heating is set at 68 permanently, so it will be a little cooler being on the windowsill, it's south facing so as much light as is humanly possible without resorting to gro-lights, i am actually quite happy with them, and will transplant in 8 days, and plant up to the seedling leaves to combat the legginess. so far so good.

[Cutecumber]

Exactly - you make do with what you have, and most of us don't have growing lights.

Oh, I should I have said - the seedlings will also grow taller if they are in a bunch, too, as they are competing for light. I have found restricting oneself to a single seedling per cell - even if you have to do the deed and kill one off - makes for happier little babies.

[BrideXIII]

Exactly - you make do with what you have, and most of us don't have growing lights.

Oh, I should I have said - the seedlings will also grow taller if they are in a bunch, too, as they are competing for light. I have found restricting oneself to a single seedling per cell - even if you have to do the deed and kill one off - makes for happier little babies.

i was very good and only put one seed per cell this time should make transplanting easier. i am ham fisted at pricking out time.

[emilymup]

Just an update to say how my tommies are going!

All sowed on 27 December

2 x gartenpearle cherry toms - both germinated but one died
2 x gardeners delight - only one germinated
2 x ukraine purple toms - nothing
2 x ferline - doing well
2 x legend - doing well
1 x scatolone (san marzano plum) - doing well
1 x san marzano 2 (plum) - nothing

Need repotting as have got pair of true leaves and a little bit leggy so shall repot on the next best moon date available!

Has been fun but with my limited space and poor lighting etc shall save the main sowing until about mid-feb/march when I will be able to put them in greenhouse once germinated and hardened off a little bit!