Thinking of Starting Tomato Seeds

[AlittleSalt]

It's January 16th - I think lol. Anyway, it's about time to start thinking about starting a few tomato seeds. I haven't looked at my tomato seeds keeper books since 2019 I guess? Back in 2020, we were all wearing face-bras and were afraid to go outside - you know. (I'm asking, "please" don't put this in the members only selection.)

My 34 and 32 year old children are interested in gardening enough to where they are talking raised gardens, open-roofed greenhouses, protection from deer, and - you friends get what I mean. I planted a seed that took years to develop in their minds and I'm glad to see it in a genesis stage.

RKN ruined my gardens, and when Covid HIT HARD - I gave up on sharing seeds. Prices went through the roof on everything and still are. There are hackers from all over the world that steal from my wife's debit card at the gas station. $13 an hour and some thief needs to steel it.

Yet, I still want to plant some tomatoes. I just can't spend money on it.

If you put this this thread on the controversial thread - you must be rich and don't care about humans life.

[Cole_Robbie]

Well you don't need to buy seeds. Myself and everyone else here has better stuff than the stores and seed catalogs, and I'm sure everyone would hook you up.

I go through this too, trying to make something out of nothing. Grow media is my biggest cost. Pro mix at menards is about $15 for what is supposed to be 4 cubic feet. That's about 30 gallons of container fill, 50 cents a gallon isn't awful. Salt nutes are cheap. Buckets are easily found. If you need a grow light, really any household light fixture works. The new led light bulbs work fine. I still think the cheapest grow light is an old cord wired to a basic ceramic socket.

Extra plants are great for a driveway sale to recoup costs, or to barter with neighbors. Dwarf plants look great as seedlings and sell really well. People like the stout look that they have.

[Moth1992]

I think you need to start by canceling the wifes debit card and getting a new one.

[Yak54]

Well you don't need to buy seeds. Myself and everyone else here has better stuff than the stores and seed catalogs, and I'm sure everyone would hook you up.

I go through this too, trying to make something out of nothing. Grow media is my biggest cost. Pro mix at menards is about $15 for what is supposed to be 4 cubic feet. That's about 30 gallons of container fill, 50 cents a gallon isn't awful. Salt nutes are cheap. Buckets are easily found. If you need a grow light, really any household light fixture works. The new led light bulbs work fine. I still think the cheapest grow light is an old cord wired to a basic ceramic socket.

Extra plants are great for a driveway sale to recoup costs, or to barter with neighbors. Dwarf plants look great as seedlings and sell really well. People like the stout look that they have.

Man I wish I could buy ProMix for the price you do !

Dan

[Seven Bends]

Well you don't need to buy seeds. Myself and everyone else here has better stuff than the stores and seed catalogs, and I'm sure everyone would hook you up.

I go through this too, trying to make something out of nothing. Grow media is my biggest cost. Pro mix at menards is about $15 for what is supposed to be 4 cubic feet. That's about 30 gallons of container fill, 50 cents a gallon isn't awful. Salt nutes are cheap. Buckets are easily found. If you need a grow light, really any household light fixture works. The new led light bulbs work fine. I still think the cheapest grow light is an old cord wired to a basic ceramic socket.

Extra plants are great for a driveway sale to recoup costs, or to barter with neighbors. Dwarf plants look great as seedlings and sell really well. People like the stout look that they have.

Man I wish I could buy ProMix for the price you do !

Dan

No kidding! 4 cu.ft. compressed bale Pro Mix BX $49.88 at a garden center near me, and $54.99 at the local Ace Hardware. I see Walmart supposedly has the Pro Mix Premium Moisture Potting Mix for $13.88 for 2 1-cu. ft. bags at one store near me, but I'm skeptical about actual availability, because all the other nearby Walmart locations are out of stock. $21.97 for the same thing at Home Depot locally, so $44 for 4 cu. ft.

I feel fortunate that the soil in our garden is usable so we don't have to grow in containers. Nematodes showed up on a few plants this year for the first time in years; I hope our good fortune isn't coming to an end. Maybe the cold snap this December will have killed them. The previous two winters were very mild.

[Cole_Robbie]

Just to clarify, the $15 menards bags are 2 cubic feet compressed. The package says it expands to 4 cubic feet.

[Yak54]

Just to clarify, the $15 menards bags are 2 cubic feet compressed. The package says it expands to 4 cubic feet.

Well that's more like it. Last year I paid $31.20 for 3.8 cu. ft. bales and the same vendor was selling 2.8 cu. ft. Loose fill bags for
$15.70 ea.

Dan

[Tomatina]

@ Alittlesalt
I'm sure, some one here will help you out with seeds, if you wish.
You could also go to a farmers market or something like that, buy some seedproof/heirloom tomatos, take the seeds out and still enjoy them.

I'm not sure, what RKN means, root knot nematodes?
If yes, could you heat the soil on your oven or something like that? Or pour boiling waiter on the place you want to plant your tomatos?
Maybe you can get some free buckets/containers from a restaurant, drill some holes in it and use it for growing your plants.

Except from buying some special seeds from time to time, I don't really spend money on gardening and for me, it is much more fun to exchange seeds, "make" my own soil etc, than to buy it.
If you have a compostpile and some creativity, there is no need for money

[AlittleSalt]

I think you need to start by canceling the wifes debit card and getting a new one.

My wife changed her debit card and learned how to, "Turn it off" . Yeah, you can turn off a debit card. I didn't know that was possible, but I am as close to a dinosaur as possible - lol. I'm old school. I like real money.

[AlittleSalt]

@ Alittlesalt
I'm sure, some one here will help you out with seeds, if you wish.
You could also go to a farmers market or something like that, buy some seedproof/heirloom tomatos, take the seeds out and still enjoy them.

I'm not sure, what RKN means, root knot nematodes?
If yes, could you heat the soil on your oven or something like that? Or pour boiling waiter on the place you want to plant your tomatos?
Maybe you can get some free buckets/containers from a restaurant, drill some holes in it and use it for growing your plants.

Except from buying some special seeds from time to time, I don't really spend money on gardening and for me, it is much more fun to exchange seeds, "make" my own soil etc, than to buy it.
If you have a compostpile and some creativity, there is no need for money

You get the point. My 30+ y/o sons are getting interested in gardening. All of us getting together to grow through pests. We can do it.

The rest of your post is thoughtful and caring. I appreciate that very much. It's good to see this.

[AlittleSalt]

Well you don't need to buy seeds. Myself and everyone else here has better stuff than the stores and seed catalogs, and I'm sure everyone would hook you up.

I go through this too, trying to make something out of nothing. Grow media is my biggest cost. Pro mix at menards is about $15 for what is supposed to be 4 cubic feet. That's about 30 gallons of container fill, 50 cents a gallon isn't awful. Salt nutes are cheap. Buckets are easily found. If you need a grow light, really any household light fixture works. The new led light bulbs work fine. I still think the cheapest grow light is an old cord wired to a basic ceramic socket.

Extra plants are great for a driveway sale to recoup costs, or to barter with neighbors. Dwarf plants look great as seedlings and sell really well. People like the stout look that they have.

Cole, yeah if pro mix is still $15 for 4 cubic feet, I guess that's okay. Well no, I need to grow from no $. I have leftover seed starting mix from pre-covid 2019, buckets full of 2019 pro mix that have just set there waiting in the open, baking in the summer heat, record breaking lows, last year's winter from... , drought, you name it, and then there is bare soil with RKN in it.

You know me, I'm stubborn. I did quit everything during Covid years. Gardening on my behalf isn't to make money. However, I am an optimist I don't want to waste rare seeds... and yet, some will be planted in ground. I know stubborn can be stupid. I'm 57 and feel like I'm dying more each day. Why not just try it again?

[greenthumbomaha]

Salt,

I start most of my vegetable seeds in a wet paper towel with baggie, to save on cost and space. Dollar Tree has bags of potting mix for $1.25 and they are well known for their cheap seeds. They have all kinds of garden supplies if you haven't been there lately. My WalMart carries a few brands of cheap seeds, and they sell out quickly. If you are a composter, you're all set with free fertilizer too. Otherwise, Walmart's Expert Gardener brand is a name brand (Pennington?) rebranded for Wal Mart. A huge bag 10-10-10 is $10 and should last a few seasons.

- Lisa

[greenthumbomaha]

Well you don't need to buy seeds. Myself and everyone else here has better stuff than the stores and seed catalogs, and I'm sure everyone would hook you up.

I go through this too, trying to make something out of nothing. Grow media is my biggest cost. Pro mix at menards is about $15 for what is supposed to be 4 cubic feet. That's about 30 gallons of container fill, 50 cents a gallon isn't awful. Salt nutes are cheap. Buckets are easily found. If you need a grow light, really any household light fixture works. The new led light bulbs work fine. I still think the cheapest grow light is an old cord wired to a basic ceramic socket.

Extra plants are great for a driveway sale to recoup costs, or to barter with neighbors. Dwarf plants look great as seedlings and sell really well. People like the stout look that they have.

Man I wish I could buy ProMix for the price you do !

Dan

No kidding! 4 cu.ft. compressed bale Pro Mix BX $49.88 at a garden center near me, and $54.99 at the local Ace Hardware. I see Walmart supposedly has the Pro Mix Premium Moisture Potting Mix for $13.88 for 2 1-cu. ft. bags at one store near me, but I'm skeptical about actual availability, because all the other nearby Walmart locations are out of stock. $21.97 for the same thing at Home Depot locally, so $44 for 4 cu. ft.

I feel fortunate that the soil in our garden is usable so we don't have to grow in containers. Nematodes showed up on a few plants this year for the first time in years; I hope our good fortune isn't coming to an end. Maybe the cold snap this December will have killed them. The previous two winters were very mild.

Seven Bends,

Don't knock you head against the wall thinking you are overpaying for Pro Mix. The grade they sell at Menards is different. Peat is not the same , perlite is tiny bits, just different and in need of amendment. No biofungicide, micos , large chunks of perlite or other goodies found in the professional line. In my climate I had too hard of a time keeping the large Menards bale from drying out, but they also sell a Pro Mix 1 cu ft minimally amended bag for $5.99 that gets the job done. I stashed a bag in my garage for the winter so I would have something to start potting up with at this time of year.

- Lisa

[Seven Bends]

No kidding! 4 cu.ft. compressed bale Pro Mix BX $49.88 at a garden center near me, and $54.99 at the local Ace Hardware. I see Walmart supposedly has the Pro Mix Premium Moisture Potting Mix for $13.88 for 2 1-cu. ft. bags at one store near me, but I'm skeptical about actual availability, because all the other nearby Walmart locations are out of stock. $21.97 for the same thing at Home Depot locally, so $44 for 4 cu. ft.

I feel fortunate that the soil in our garden is usable so we don't have to grow in containers. Nematodes showed up on a few plants this year for the first time in years; I hope our good fortune isn't coming to an end. Maybe the cold snap this December will have killed them. The previous two winters were very mild.

Seven Bends,

Don't knock you head against the wall thinking you are overpaying for Pro Mix. The grade they sell at Menards is different. Peat is not the same , perlite is tiny bits, just different and in need of amendment. No biofungicide, micos , large chunks of perlite or other goodies found in the professional line. In my climate I had too hard of a time keeping the large Menards bale from drying out, but they also sell a Pro Mix 1 cu ft minimally amended bag for $5.99 that gets the job done. I stashed a bag in my garage for the winter so I would have something to start potting up with at this time of year.

- Lisa

Interesting, thanks. The "Premium Moisture Potting Mix" sold as two compressed 1-cu. ft. bags at Walmart (and maybe Menard's?) does have mycorrhizae, a wetting agent and lime, but it also has coir, which the BX product doesn't. And as you said, the peat and perlite may be different quality. I know there are completely different websites for the Pro Mix general consumer products vs. the pro products (BX, etc.).

I've had decent results with the Pro Mix All Purpose Mix sold in a 2cft compressed bale (Canadian sphagnum peat moss, Peat humus, Perlite, Limestone, Mycorrhizae - PTB297 Technology) and the Organic Vegetable and Herb Mix (Canadian sphagnum peat moss 60-75%, Peat humus, Compost, Perlite, Gypsum, Limestone, Organic fertilizer, Mycorrhizae - PTB297 Technology).

Unfortunately, the 4cft compressed bales like BX are too large for me to store, and I don't need that much anyway, so I've been using the consumer products.

[AlittleSalt]

After writing well over 10,000 posts about gardening, research online beyond belief, growing tomatoes from around the world, trying indoor greenhouse products outdoors, a record amount of rainfall one year (Causes RKN to spread-like wildfire), covid years that happened to be severe draught years, using pro mix and MG, etc... I've done-it-all in 9 years.

Results = The same thing I knew with a lot of learning along the way. I know how and when to start tomato and pepper seeds indoors for my area. That came from experience more than online advice. I am excited to try some seeds this year, and I'm going to grow them in dirt. They will grow and produce or the won't. They won't grow anything sitting in plastic binders. Aging makes you either once-bitten-twice-shy, or F-it-all just-do-it.

[Tomatina]

Great, that you're looking forward to grow some tomatos again!
How many tomatos & peppers do you want to grow?

I guess chances are good, that parts or hopefully all of the nermatodes died/moved over the last years, cause they had nothing to feed on?

I would choose a certain area and pour boiling water on it - than you can compare it with the untreated soil.

I would also plant at least a few dwarfs/peppers in containers. The great thing about containers - you can move them as you wish.

I will grow some peppers in containers. To stretch the season and being able to change place, shade/sun, outdoor, greenhouse, house, depending on the weather.

[AKgardener]

I find it very therapeutic to try new things indoors and outdoors regardless if it fails or not!! I just love trying anyways I’m always searching and reading and do a lot of ya ya ya with my husband I do listen but at the end of it all it’s because I know what I want and what I need even if it fails it brings be joy and purpose!! So glad your getting back into it good luck

[Cole_Robbie]

I was at menards today, and they just raised the price of the pro mix from 15 to 20 bucks.

[AlittleSalt]

With the past week of health about my wife and DIl, and land going up for sale around me with a housing development across the county road being built - why not just grow everything I can in RKN soil?

[Tomatina]

Hey Salt,
I don't really understand your last post.
Maybe my english is not good enough, what means Dll?
Overall I guess you are not happy with certain things and that is the reason why you're thinking of planting all your plants in RKN soil?
Did I understand that right?

If yes, my good wish for you is, that you might find joy and happiness inside yourself.
And that everything you do, you do with the aim to make this world a better place for yourself and everybody else.

Tomatowise that means, make sure, that some plants will be a sucsess.
That is important for your sons and yourself.

We should find joy in gardening, it is not a fight.
Sure it is work and some things might not turn out like we wish.

But our mindset is very important. Stick to a good mindset, it makes life so much better.

I hope it is ok what I wrote, I just want to help you.

If I misunderstood something and you meant something else, we have to blame the languagebarrier