Starting and hardening off in the greenhouse
 

I am getting ready to plant outside the week after Easter. What I do is start my tomatoes in the Parks 60 plug thingie with bottom heat. When they have some roots showing, I transplant into 16 oz styrofoam cups and bottom water them on a drip system. I have been doing this for 3 years and it works well. I put them on the top shelf so they get plenty of sun. I took the photo last year when I brought them down from the top shelf for something. Anybody have any improvements to my method that they could share? They really take off when they are planted outside in the containers. Its already very hot and sunny when I do that-the only caveat is that I plant in the late afternoon so they get one day of shade to start spreading their roots before they get hit with the blazing sun and dry heat..

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This year I started some toms in used 4" square green plastic pots and also in new 16oz. styro cups, all using the same soil blend, same time and seedling batch. It seemed kind of odd, as there was no apparent reason, but the ones in the stryo cups were slower overall. Both in germination speed and growth after sprouting.

I had some duds and a few great successes in both types of pots, but the results were such that I probably won't be using any stryofoam cups next year. Besides being slower growing, they were tippy and didn't fit well in my flats.

-Ed

veg-I use the styrofoam white cups cause I am in the desert and by the time march rolls around, the temps in the glasshouse are about 85 degrees. I have had good luck with them.

Zone 4b here at 5000 ft elevation. Mine were started indoors under growlights near the woodstove for warmth. Maybe the darker green of the square pots allowed more solar gain from the nearby window. It was not entirely consistent, but plants started in the thin green plastic pots "outperformed' same seedling varieties planted in styro.

Another thing that may matter, I started directly into these larger pots instead of sprouting in 4 packs, then potting up.

I also started some in 4 packs, which kept up till the point where they were getting crowded. Then, the ones in the larger pots outpaced the 4-packs.

Thinking further on this, the styro cup plants stayed wet longer between waterings. Up here, that made for wet feet. In your locale, that would probably be a good thing!

I shouldn't make such drastic changes in how I start seeds year to year. I'm attempting to find the easiest way to grow up a few flats of heirloom toms for sale at the local nursery. Potting up is a major effort and the larger pots take more space, so I hoped to simplify and start them in their final pot size right away. Styro apparently isn't my best choice, but I can now see why it would work better for you!

Hope you have a great season!
-Ed

Ed-We all are searching for the best way to get the most out of our tomatoes. I am always thinking about some new way to try and do better. The styrofoam white do well for me, and you are right, we are always dry here.

I have concerns about my summer season-its already very hot, and its going to be 99 degrees today. My plants are just starting to blossom and I think there is going to be a lot of blossom drop.

Have a great season. Michael

Michael, do you start the seeds right out there in the greenhouse? That's why I'm getting serious about the greenhouse, I cause quite a mess inside with all my seedlings and clutter in the spring. I wanted to spare my new home (although it is much older than this one, LOL) and my family this trauma each year. I would definitely need some bottom heat to start them so I will add that to my mental checklist.