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Kentucky

I'm trying tomatoes for the first time. What are your favorite seed starting methods for the big ones? Thanks

5/19/2017 11:32:35 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

I use the seed starting trays with individual cells. I use the smaller ones to start, then transplant after everything has germinated. Use seed starting soil. One or two seeds in each. Keep the best. Damp, not wet. Put the plastic lid over the seeds. Most important, use heat. I use a heating pad for a bad back. It must have the option to leave on. Most auto turn off after a couple of hours. Wal-Mart has this. Or just use a seed starting heating pad. Put right under your seed tray. Must be able to monitor your heat. I use an old thermometer laid on the soil. Adjust your temp to 90F. If all is well they should start germinating after 4-6 days. After germination remove the heat and lid and keep that grow light right on top of them. Good luck.

5/20/2017 1:06:07 AM

I used Burpee Organic Seed Starting Mix, small pots (sometimes I just clean last year's plastic pots), wet the soil first, plant 2-4 seeds per pot, place on heating mats from Menards, and place under a grow light until sprouted with plastic wrap across all pots. Once I see the sprouts (remove plastic), I start checking the outdoor temps to be around 60. I begin placing outdoors for 15 minutes in the shade once per day until the first true leaves appear. Most of the time, I try to transplant by the time the secondary leaves to bigger pots. I increase the outdoor time with increasing temperature and a little time in the sun. I try to transplant when the night time temps stay consistently above 55, but that has been difficult this year. During transplant, I dug a big hole to bury the majority of the plant's main stem, placed two Wow Wallace Super Starter Packs in the hole, watered well and planted in the seedling. In my diary, I try to place the seedlings fairly deep to encourage root growth. I also used Pumpkin Pro in the soil. I supported the new growth with wooden sticks since I am having a lot of issues with high winds. I am container gardening this year and have mixed layers of aged compost, fresh and old kitchen scraps and some garden soil prior to planting.

5/20/2017 1:20:57 PM