Starting tomatoes indoors

[Labradors]

Lee, I bought a pile of peat pots for seed starting. A bad idea as it turned out because they lasted me for years so it took me a long time to find out that plastic pots are the way to go. Peat pots dry out too fast and the seedlings don't do as well. Besides that, they inhibit the roots from growing down into the ground properly .

I start my seeds in damp paper towel 8 weeks before our last frost. When they sprout, I plant 2-4 of them in 3" square plastic pots where they stay for a month before being divided and potted up into larger plastic pots (for me) and waxed creamer cartons (for friends).

Linda

[Amateurinawe]

[mention]Labradors[/mention] Me too, I gave up on them as I found they dried out too quickly. So this year, all my peat pots I cut up into 1inch pieces and used as the base within plastic pots. I'm not using stones, and they don't dry out the soil but they do absorb excess water when I water the plants. I won't buy more, but using them for some purpose I was pleased with and all seems good.

[zeuspaul]

My go to is 2 inch square x 3 inch deep. I can start more this way than in larger or round pots because more of them fit in my trays. I also try to be conservative with potting soil.

I don't start them all at once. I start them in groups over time. I don't now when I will plant them in the garden because our warm weather is unpredictable. As time goes on I include 3 inch square pots. If my first guess for an early plant out date is wrong I repot the first starts into larger pots. Setting out starts over a couple of months helps ensure harvest through out the season. Some will do better than others but the optimum plant dates in my area varies from year to year so this semi random procedure works for me.

I sprout the seeds in a small bowl of water rinsing daily. Once I see the beginnings of the sprout I plant in the starting pot. If it is warm and sunny I place the seedlings outside and bring them back inside at night. They are always hardened off. I look at the ten day forecast for the best time to plant outside. Too early and I get stunted growth.

I usually fertilize with diluted MG.

[Gardadore]

I also start a number of seedlings in paper towels, especially varieties that don’t sprout well in my seed trays. It always surprises me how some varieties seem to start better in one medium but not the other. Some that fail to germinate in towels may sprout better in a seed tray. Moist paper towels seem to be the most reliable for me overall, however. Great way to test viability as well.
Really like the idea of tearing up the peat pots and putting pieces in the bottom of a regular plastic pot. I have some old left over cow manure pots I have never used for the same reasons listed above for the peat pots. My husband wanted me to throw them out as we are cleaning out the cellar. I resisted but had no plan for them to his disgust! Now have a plan!!! Always good ideas on this site! Love it!

[OhioKate]

I usually start my tomatoes around 8 weeks before our last frost date (around May 1st). I used the little jiffy peat pellets for the first few years and that worked great when I was only growing about 10 plants. Now I grow about 200 across many different varieties and the peat pellets are not a good option anymore. Now I use regular plastic 3 cell trays and sow around 10-15 in each cell. After they have the first set of leaves, I usually pot up to a 3" or 4" pot and I don't pot up again unless they get really leggy. I don't usually fertilize until they are in the ground.

[AKgardener]

I’m starting mine 9 weeks before last frost in seed cell trays and have decided not to pot up this year but to trans them from the cells to there final pot at 6 and half weeks since I bought a green house I can now heat it up and get them out sooner .

[JRinPA]

Last frost date here is supposed to be Apr 11(farmers almanac) or May 4th (daves garden). Last year we had a FREEZE in mid May. I like to start my tomatoes mid April for a mid May plant out. About 5 weeks from seed they are in the ground, if all goes well. This year, I MIGHT try to start an early variety at an early date and see if it matters at all.
2" blocks, no up potting for most.
mix is 50 peet 25 perlite 25 vermicompost + a little lime and organic solid ferts. Nothing else added. Plenty of nutrition but I have battled damping off at times due to bad composts. Good vermicompost seems fine.