Pricking out seedlings

[IndigoElectron]

Thanks Jeanie The weather here is still variable, though it's been much warmer the last couple of days. I don't have a cloche but would the blowaway do the same job? Maybe I'll just give it a go, if everything dies then I'll learn my lesson for next year!

[Jeanied]

I use a blowaway as well, IE - if I can stop it blowing away. At the moment it is full of junk! The garden table gets more light - that's the only reason I use it, as the garden is tiny and at the back of the house facing north. And the cloche I use is a big hemisphere of perspex which originally came from a ww2 aircraft - an astrodome I think- found on the lottie site a few years ago.

[Kristen]

I'm struggling to think that 1st May, even in sheltered city like London, will be warm enough.

You need 10C min at night

You could pick a [probably amateur] weather station from the Wunderground Wundermap
WunderMap® | Interactive Weather Map and Radar | Weather Underground

and then look back and see what temperatures it got for the last few years. Many of the amateur ones may be "new", so you'll need to find one that has several years data recorded, rather than someone who got it as a Christmas present last year! so might need to click on several to find a good one. There are also met office ones, airports, that sort of thing, on the map.

By way of example here's the link to London City airport
Weather History for London City, United Kingdom | Weather Underground

I know Spring of 2013 was bad, but there was no period in May 2013 reliably minimums of 10C after that, and event he Day temperature did not get above 9C on 24 May

In May 2012 the 18th May would have done you - personally I would have thought that was a better target date [than the start of May]. But I live in a rural area, so for me it would be later than in a city.

Planting out a week late would be much much better than a week too early - even if frost does not kill your plants then cold will make them "stall" and Tomatoes take a lot of time to recover, and get going again, after stalling from cold temperatures.

With a greenhouse life is much easier - use the greenhouse to keep them, in good light, until the outside temperatures are OK - even if the plants are 3 feet tall by then you cold "manage", whereas 3' tall plants on a windowsill, in poor light so that the plants are stressed, is not such a good outcome!

[Penellype]

With tomatoes it does depend on which variety you are growing - some of them are slightly hardier than others and these are the ones that say they will grow outdoors on the packet. I sow my outdoor varieties in early April and plant them out in a blowaway or cold frame in mid May, keeping them covered at night. Sungold is fine with this treatment, Shirley, which is supposedly ok outside finds it gets too cold. You can tell if a tomato plant is cold because the leaves and stem take on a purplish-bluish tinge and the whole thing looks unhappy. They can survive this, but they are never as healthy as plants that have not had this check to growth. A happy, healthy tomato plant has darkish green leaves which are often curled inwards at the top when growing strongly.

[IndigoElectron]

Thank you all, that's really helpful. Looks like I will be waiting a little bit before sowing any more tomato seeds

[KirstieSparkle]

just another noob question having read through this thred...
is pricking out just literally taking the little seedlings and putting them in pots?

i started some tomato's a couple of weeks ago and i think i need to do something with the little seedlings now, but they look so fragile i'm scared of disturbing or damaging them

[Scarlet]

That's what you've gotta do!
I prick mine put gently with the tip of knife, hold by the seed leaves - not the stem and pot on into individual pots. If they are a little leggy, sink them in upto the first set of leaves .

[Bren In Pots]

Kirsty when you pot on your seedling make sure you only hold them with a leaf and never the stalk because if you break a leaf its not the end of the plant like it is if you damage the stalk.

[KirstieSparkle]

one seedling to each new pot? or a few together?
how much space will i need between them?

[Penellype]

In general you would prick out 1 seedling to each pot or cell. The only exception I came across when I did this for a couple of springs in a garden centre was lobelia, when we put a pinch of seedlings into each cell. That's why you often find mixed lobelia producing several colours from one "plant". But for veg, one to a cell or pot.

[KirstieSparkle]

so not into outside pots yet? just take the seedlings out and put into own little pots first?

i am SO **** at this gardening stuff.... but my mint is starting to come back now ive stoped drowning it

[Penellype]

I wouldn't put newly pricked out seedlings from an indoor seed tray straight outside. Remember that by pricking them out you are disturbing them and they need time to recover - they don't need an almighty shock from the environment as well. Once they have grown a bit more you can then start hardening them off, and once they have got used to being outside, then you can transplant them into their final positions, which will disturb them again. When you do this will depend a bit on what they are - hardy veg can go out a lot sooner than tender plants like tomatoes, courgettes, peppers etc.

[Kristen]

Be careful not to over water them after pricking out - the plant will be in a larger pot, and it will hold more water, relatively speaking, and thus take a while to drink it. As the plant grows it will drink more, and need watering more often and/or more water each time, but it can be easy for newbies to over water after pricking out.

I judge by the "weight" of the pot - lift it up, and tilt it a little, and gauge who heavy it is. You could perhaps try the "feel" of a pot, then water it thoroughly (or stand it in water for 10 minutes) and then see how much heavier it feels. Don't water whilst it still has plenty of "water weight" to it - takes a while to get used to the relative weights of dry / wet, as well as small vs. large pots