It's Tomato Starting Day!

Everything About Tomatoes
User avatar
GoDawgs
Reactions:
Posts: 3741
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2019 6:38 am
Location: Zone 8a, Augusta GA

It's Tomato Starting Day!

#1

Post: # 65140Unread post GoDawgs
Fri Mar 11, 2022 12:07 pm

Today is Tomato Seed Starting Day! This year I am growing one each of 28 different varieties, mostly new to me. 21 of them are regular size tomatoes and 7 are dwarfs. I'm also doing three 6-packs of Celebrity and a few peppers for a friend.

Image

I'm glad I cleared off the third shelf yesterday!

Image

The shelf unit is about full. As soon as some of the old potted micro tomatoes on a separate light table have finished ripening their current fruit set, out they go. Same thing with the old ones (in white pots) on this shelf unit. Then I can move the new micros to the other table and that will free up space. And here are things on the top shelf that will be transplanted out soon and that will help with space too. As all of these tomatoes start popping up they'll go from the flats to styrofoam trays that will fit better under the lights.

Image

The micro tomato 'Baby' is staying right about 5" tall and is setting fruit. I've added a stake as it was starting to lean. All six micros have set fruit and now it's a race to see whose tomatoes ripen first. They've been a fun winter toy.

Image

User avatar
AKgardener
Reactions:
Posts: 1111
Joined: Fri May 22, 2020 1:28 pm
Location: Alaska

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#2

Post: # 65151Unread post AKgardener
Fri Mar 11, 2022 2:09 pm

Oh man I still can’t start yet so jelly!!!
But all my micro have tomatoes now and my baby baby is only 3 inches with about 5 tomatoes per plants yay for mater day !!!

Setec Astronomy
Reactions:
Posts: 716
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2020 11:12 pm
Location: New Jersey, 6b

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#3

Post: # 65153Unread post Setec Astronomy
Fri Mar 11, 2022 2:26 pm

I've been able to grow some very nice mold so far...

User avatar
MissS
Reactions:
Posts: 5598
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:55 am
Location: SE Wisconsin Zone 5b

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#4

Post: # 65351Unread post MissS
Mon Mar 14, 2022 8:55 am

Setec Astronomy wrote: Fri Mar 11, 2022 2:26 pm I've been able to grow some very nice mold so far...
What growing medium and fertilizer are you using? Try getting a fan on them to reduce that mold. A dilute spray of hydrogen peroxide is supposed to help too. I have not had a mold issue since I started using Myco's on my mix. They seem to be a great preventative.
~ Patti ~

User avatar
brownrexx
Reactions:
Posts: 2079
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2019 1:05 pm
Location: Southeast PA, zone 6b

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#5

Post: # 65354Unread post brownrexx
Mon Mar 14, 2022 9:30 am

What a fun day!

I will resist the temptation and wait until the end of the month to start mine or they will get too big before I can plant them outside.

I did start some head lettuce and bok choy and it is satisfying to see little green plants in the house.

User avatar
AKgardener
Reactions:
Posts: 1111
Joined: Fri May 22, 2020 1:28 pm
Location: Alaska

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#6

Post: # 65432Unread post AKgardener
Tue Mar 15, 2022 12:30 pm

Started my tiny totums and siletz today !! Only because I have the room to grow them and are planning to heat my greenhouse so they can go out early couldn’t help it 😏

Also started extreme bush as well for indoors
Last edited by AKgardener on Tue Mar 15, 2022 5:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

rxkeith
Reactions:
Posts: 1193
Joined: Tue Dec 10, 2019 5:57 pm
Location: keweenaw peninsula

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#7

Post: # 65435Unread post rxkeith
Tue Mar 15, 2022 1:17 pm

i usually start mine april first.
i do have micros growing already. first wave will be ready for gallon size pots in a couple weeks i think.
i need to go through my bag o seeds, and find the oldest seeds. i start those a bit earlier in the event i
have some failures. yup, pretty soon now.


keith

User avatar
Sue_CT
Reactions:
Posts: 4373
Joined: Tue Dec 10, 2019 11:03 pm
Location: Connecticut Zone 6A

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#8

Post: # 65502Unread post Sue_CT
Wed Mar 16, 2022 1:05 pm

I wonder if soaking the seeds briefly before planting to help soften the seed coat might help? I also get a few every year, more some years than others and I am successful in removing it a good percentge of the time, but certainly not always. Maybe just soaking the older ones? I use a heat mat set at 80 degrees, which might contribute, but it seems to speed up germination so much I hate to give that up.

slugworth
Reactions:
Posts: 1966
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 11:35 am
Location: Connecticut

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#9

Post: # 65508Unread post slugworth
Wed Mar 16, 2022 3:02 pm

Setec Astronomy wrote: Fri Mar 11, 2022 2:26 pm I've been able to grow some very nice mold so far...
one batch of potting "soil" mushrooms popped up that looked like they would kill you just looking at them.
The moskvich seeds popped in 5 days on the warming tray for 25% germination rate so far.
Seeds planted deeper to avoid helmet head.
Friction is your friend; seeds traveling through the soil.
1st time trying moskvich here.
"A chiseled face,Just like Easter Island" :lol:

User avatar
Cornelius_Gotchberg
Reactions:
Posts: 3100
Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2021 9:19 am
Location: Madison, WI

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#10

Post: # 65509Unread post Cornelius_Gotchberg
Wed Mar 16, 2022 3:22 pm

@slugworth "one batch of potting 'soil' mushrooms popped up that looked like they would kill you just looking at them."

ALL mushrooms are edible...but some of them just once...

The Gotch
Madison WESconsin/Growing Zone 5-A/Raised beds above the Midvale Heights spade-caking clay in the 77 Square Miles surrounded by A Sea Of Reality

User avatar
GoDawgs
Reactions:
Posts: 3741
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2019 6:38 am
Location: Zone 8a, Augusta GA

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#11

Post: # 65511Unread post GoDawgs
Wed Mar 16, 2022 3:42 pm

It looks like I miscounted. 29 plants, not 28. The first 17 of them popped up yesterday and so far today another 6 have joined the party. No helmets yet. Six more to go.

User avatar
Shule
Reactions:
Posts: 2729
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2019 3:29 pm
Location: SW Idaho, USA

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#12

Post: # 65659Unread post Shule
Fri Mar 18, 2022 12:58 pm

I'm two or three days late, but I just finished planting my sweet peppers and tomatoes!
Location: SW Idaho, USA
Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Elevation: 2,260 feet

User avatar
Sue_CT
Reactions:
Posts: 4373
Joined: Tue Dec 10, 2019 11:03 pm
Location: Connecticut Zone 6A

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#13

Post: # 65687Unread post Sue_CT
Fri Mar 18, 2022 6:01 pm

Got all mine started today! Well, at least all except for one I am waiting for seeds for and a plant or two I might buy, like a grape tomato. Just haven't been able to find a tasty grape from seed. 13 varieties and an Anaheim pepper. About middle of the road, I have started a few days earlier and a few later.

User avatar
GoDawgs
Reactions:
Posts: 3741
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2019 6:38 am
Location: Zone 8a, Augusta GA

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#14

Post: # 65711Unread post GoDawgs
Fri Mar 18, 2022 8:57 pm

Update: I'm down to three varieties that refuse to come up so I've done the wet paper towel germination trick on seed of all three. We'll see! I might even add a few drops of blue stuff to the towels.

User avatar
Sue_CT
Reactions:
Posts: 4373
Joined: Tue Dec 10, 2019 11:03 pm
Location: Connecticut Zone 6A

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#15

Post: # 65877Unread post Sue_CT
Sun Mar 20, 2022 8:40 pm

Now comes the hard part, waiting. Two days. No visible sprouts yet. Today is the first of 8 days off, all of which will be spent chilling, puttering and doing cleaning organizing and whatever projects I feel like starting that I have been procrastinating about for weeks/days/months/years. Now, how many times a day is it reasonable to check for sprouts, lol?

User avatar
AKgardener
Reactions:
Posts: 1111
Joined: Fri May 22, 2020 1:28 pm
Location: Alaska

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#16

Post: # 65940Unread post AKgardener
Mon Mar 21, 2022 4:40 pm

27 out of 36 germinated of siletz and all 4 of extreme bush ! Now waiting for them to grow! I have one special one that sprouted with 3 leaves so gonna give it a nickname

User avatar
Sue_CT
Reactions:
Posts: 4373
Joined: Tue Dec 10, 2019 11:03 pm
Location: Connecticut Zone 6A

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#17

Post: # 65942Unread post Sue_CT
Mon Mar 21, 2022 4:49 pm

An over achiever! :)

User avatar
AKgardener
Reactions:
Posts: 1111
Joined: Fri May 22, 2020 1:28 pm
Location: Alaska

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#18

Post: # 65978Unread post AKgardener
Mon Mar 21, 2022 10:28 pm

83F5E81C-276A-4992-975F-3913497D1F5D.jpeg
Here is my weird plant granted it’s just starting out but has 3 leaves or what ever they are called I say it’s a keeper
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

User avatar
AKgardener
Reactions:
Posts: 1111
Joined: Fri May 22, 2020 1:28 pm
Location: Alaska

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#19

Post: # 66425Unread post AKgardener
Sun Mar 27, 2022 5:40 pm

How’s everyone tomato seedling coming along ? Mine are strong out of the gate

User avatar
MissS
Reactions:
Posts: 5598
Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:55 am
Location: SE Wisconsin Zone 5b

Re: It's Tomato Starting Day!

#20

Post: # 66437Unread post MissS
Sun Mar 27, 2022 7:54 pm

Mine are still trying to see me through their seed packets. LOL
~ Patti ~

Post Reply

Return to “Tomato Talk”