Starting fall Heirlooms from seed in south Texas

[coronabarb]

'Taint luck, feldon. I've been raising my seedlings that way for 5 yrs. The window warmth is all that's needed for germination...no lights needed. Then, I put my seedlings out right away so they're used to whatever temp it is when they go in the ground. If it's too cold at night, I bring the trays inside...like I'd do with my pets. :wink:

If you're raising the plants in 70-80 degree temps, they aren't going to be happy going in the ground in 90-100; or do you 'harden' them off, so to speak, before planting?



And you should see how I take care of my pets. :wink:
(they all sleep in my bed)

[feldon30]

This is my first time doing any of this.

I intend to harden off for 7-10 days. I work at home so I can bring them inside or outside at the right times.

[coronabarb]

The one biggest problem I run into is if the seedlings are in pots smaller than 4", they dry out fast, even in the shade, when it's hot. If you're going to be gone for a stretch of time, try putting them in a tray with some water in the bottom so you don't come home to shriveled up tomato plants. (don't ask me how I know this)

[feldon30]

At some point I either need to buy a hundred or so 4" pots or the appropriate number of Solo cups. I wonder if they have similar capacity.

I found 4" pots for $.18 each at Charley's Greenhouse supply.

[coronabarb]

The problem I had with Solo type cups is they tend to tip over, being larger at the top than the bottom...not a HUGE problem but it can be annoying. I've never purchased 4" pots but .18/each sounds like a good deal.

[feldon30]

The nice thing about 4" pots is they could be moved 40 at a time with a TV tray or cookie sheet.

[feldon30]

I've got a dozen sprouts. Is it time to take the clear plastic domes off? I've put the trays under fluorescent lights.

Interesting that now I'm hearing from several folks that I should just be growing these outside.

[Suze]

Originally Posted by feldon27

I've got a dozen sprouts. Is it time to take the clear plastic domes off? I've put the trays under fluorescent lights.

When I used to use a domed set up, the dome would come off as soon as some (not all) of the seedlings had sprouted.

You want to get air circulation to those seedlings as soon as possible to minimize chances of damp off.

Also, if you've (properly) put the tray just a couple of inches below the lights, your seedlings could be overheated or even burned with the dome on. Yes, even with 'cool' tubes; the heat can build up under the enclosed plastic dome.

Originally Posted by feldon27

Interesting that now I'm hearing from several folks that I should just be growing these outside.

I've done both in the past and have come to vastly prefer the results I get growing them inside for the first 3-4 weeks. Better initial root and plant development (better to grow seedlings a bit on the cool side), avoidance of pests and diseases at a critical time, etc. Then they get potted up, and hardened off over the course of ~10-14 days.

As an experiment, throw a few extra seeds in a four inch pot, then put it outside to see what you get in a couple of weeks.

[feldon30]

Guess I buried some of the seeds too deep. They say 1/8" deep, but the seed starting mix is so coarse and fibrous, I'd almost need tweezers to arrange a little pile of fibers on top of the seed to accomplish that depth.

[travis]

Feldon,

If you're using a really coarse mix and want to cover the seeds lightly, try pulling a small amount of fiber off a cotton ball and cover the seeds with that. Then use something like an eyedropper to keep the cotton moist until the seeds germinate.

PV

[feldon30]

Potted up the first 7 plants into some 4" and 3 1/2" containers I had laying around (thoroughly washed and dried them).

Waiting for my shipment of 100 4" pots to come in from Charley's Greenhouse. If they don't come in today, I may do a couple of particularly tall tomatoes in Solo cups.

[Bryan24]

We, also select a variety of sizes, since smaller usually means earlier (gotta tide me over till the Brandywines). Cherokee Purple didn't take 75 days here (El Dorado off Nacogdoches), more like 60-65. WE've got them for the fall. Bryan's also got some new stuff to try, Santa Clara Canner, Gregori's Altai, Flamme, Azchoycka, and Ceylon. I don't know anything about most of them, but he's happy. And he planted 6 Momotaros and 6 Cherokee Purples just for me!!

Last year, I don't think we got ANY toms out of the fall garden. Disease and heat wiped out the bulk of the crop before anything ripened. This year, I'm just letting the plants do their thing. What results!! We've never had such production!! No feeding, no spraying, no babying. I haven't even done anything about the spider mites (almost a month with those, and plants are charging on). I guess less really is more.......

laurel-tx

[feldon30]

Gregori's Altai -- red medium sized beefsteak that does well in Houston because it's 1-2 weeks earlier than most of the others. Apparently from the Altai mountains of Russia.

(Jaune) Flamme is getting to be a popular S.E. Texas tomato. Fiery orange large plum shape. Doesn't mind the heat.

Azchoycka -- one of the best large yellow tomatoes around, see also Yellow Brandywine Platfoot Strain and Earl of Edgecombe

Ceylon -- very small ribbed/pleated tomatoes. Like a small version of Costoluto Genovese. I don't know if it's grown decoratively or for flavor. I know the Costoluto Genovese, I wouldn't grow it for eating, but instead cut open the top and fill it with olives, feta cheese, etc. and serve it as an appetizer.

Info on all of these at TomatoGrowers.com

[txtomato]

Hi all -

I have all my seedlings started as well (I am in Joshua, TX and near DFW rather than the south) and am wondering if anyone can post or send me a picture of what their seedlings look like when they plant them. My spring tomatoes are STILL setting fruit which is INSANE, so I am trying to see how long I can wait to make my decision as to what to pull, plant etc. I started close +/- 30 varieties for fall.

Feldon - how are your fall seedlings doing? I appreciate reading all your posts because I think you are about 3 weeks ahead of me...gives me time to make the right move!

[feldon30]

The button below my posts takes you to my Photo Gallery which has all my garden photos thus far this year (nearly 150 spread over 4 pages so far).

This picture is from a little over a week ago. I've subsequently potted up my 6 largest transplants into 3/4 gallon pots which will be ready to transplant in another couple of weeks. I put them in larger pots so when I put them outside (in full shade!) to start hardening off, they won't dry out so fast.