Seed startings for the 2025 season include, from Farmer Shawn; 1994, Arika Vikas. And from eyegrotom; 2019, J.D.'s Special C-Tex. Fingers crossed in hope of germination. From Tomato Growers Supply this year; Galahad Hybrid, Porter, Celebrity, Azoychka, and Super Sioux. Planting medium is diatomaceous earth, from auto supply store...not kitty litter.

Anybody have information about ARIKA VIKAS?

Wishing everyone a healthy, peaceful, happy and successful 2025 season.

https://nhb.gov.in/pdf/vegetable/tomato/tom013.pdf

Second page, there’s a paragraph on this tomato “Arka Vikas”.

Looks very sturdy and well made seed starting tray.
I assume that the bolts are used as legs keeping the white plastic part at proper height and there is water on the tray below.

Have you sown multiple seeds per cup or just one?

This reminds me that I should go and buy the DE granules for this year, so I can start sowing seeds.

Svalli, You are correct. Stainless-steel bolts support the plastic (cutting-board material) to keep the cups above the bottom of the tray. The drainage water is not allowed to stay for more than a day or two. Usually three tomato seeds of either hybrid or heirloom are planted in each cup. A similar tray is sown with one seed per cup of hardy rootstock for grafting purposes.

Most of this year's seeds germinated in about a week. Alas, seeds of Arka Vikas from 1994 did not, despite a second sowing of seeds that were soaked overnight in weak fertilizer solution. Photo closeup shows of how the holder supports the cups keeping them above the bottom of the tray. A machinist friend cut the white plastic material to fit inside the tray and drilled the 18 cup openings.

Here is a look at those sown in early January, 2025. Uppotted 16 a few days ago into Happy Frog. At last, had germination of varieties "Jaune Flamme" and "J.D.'s Special C-Tex." "Porter" and "Celebrity" are growing well. Hardy rootstock, sown later, fail to appear hardy, and there may be no grafting this season.

This is how they look on Feb. 21, 2025. Now that the cold weather has departed, will be uppotting more.

Almost 90-degrees in the shade on March 23, 2025... cannot be good this early. Soil temperature in the shade three-inches deep is 73-degrees. Of the twelve now in the Austin, Texas, garden, the most vigorous variety is "Porter," from TGS. Running close behind is Jaune Flamee. Each row of four is put out a week apart. Drum-liner "skirts" successfully protect those plants from wind gusts. "Azoychka" is growing better than "Celebrity" which is finally showing promise. Most plants have buds and blossoms, a few have small fruits. Growing medium is spent mushroom compost from the farm in Gonzales, Texas. Each 100 sq-ft plot received about a pound of sulfur when the compost was unloaded months ago. Rainwater tank holds about 800-gallons.