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Hi everyone, not been on for ages as its Astronomy season ;)

I'm looking forward to growing a lot more next year but wondered if i should start my tomato seeds now (inside).

I shall then move them to the cold greenhouse in April/May.  Is it too early or should i just give it a try anyways ?

Nice to be back  ;)

Cheers

too early they'll end up pot bound waiting for warm enough outdoor temps - IMO

Even my long season varieties I wouldn't sow until Feb.
8)

I agree with the previous comments. Way too early at the moment.

Feb at the earliest.

Ok will do, thanks for the advice.

I dont have an electric propagator yet so will have to do with sowing them inside then moving to the greenhouse.

I start my tender seed under the hot water tank, or on top if it's anything like chili or aubergine which needs a bit of extra heat, then move it to a windowsill as soon as it germinates. it works fine. as soon as we get some decent weather in April, they go to the mini-greenhouse.

I have been known to start some in January, but you do need to pamper them and grow them very slowely.  To be honest, I don't think there is much to be gained by starting toms so early.  HOWEVER, I will be starting my chilis and peppers off in the next couple of weeks as they are so slow to start, same for me with aubergines.

Emma-J please can you say more about how to 'pamper' them, I'm not thinking of starting anything off just yet but all my early plantings usually germinate ok then go spindly & die & I have to start again, sometimes twice or three times. Thanks MM

Anything that germinates at this time of year needs as much light as you can give them otherwise they grow up towards the light and end up spindly and rather palid and pale.  They need surrounding light, not just light on one side to enable them to grow straight and strong.  You can purchase daylight bulbs or light boxes, but then your toms are starting to be very expensive fruits.  Also, anything as tender as toms needs warmth, but there is a balance.  Too warm and again they grow fast and skinny.  I find keeping them on the cold side of warm....if you understand what I mean, gives you very slow growing, thick stocky plants.  You have to be careful when watering as it is cold and wet compost means rotting roots and stems.  Also don't water with freezing cold tap/waterbutt water as this would shock the young plantlets - use blood temperature water.  It is a palava really, and I used to faff around with the toms to find I was picking my first ripe fruit just as the other folks were.  I don't mind doing it with a few chili plants - they do seem a little more robust than the toms, and they are naturally much slower at getting going so by the time the temperature starts to rise, they are just getting ready to romp.

This is only my pampering - others may well do it differently.

Hi

I started my toms last year on the 31st jan. I moved them into a heated greenhouse in mid march. I was picking fruit the first week in June untill today when I cleared out the last of the tom plants from the greenhouse. ( not the same plants I started in jan btw ;) )

My advice is to start them about mid feb if you have somewhere to keep them warm from april to mid may, you should be picking ripe fruit by the end of june.


Good Luck  :)

Far too much hassle & cost for me. For too little.

Toms & Aubs sown in a propagator late March & put into a cold 'house late May fruit early July. Yes - a week or so after the coddled ones. No great loss?

Thanks for the pampering instructions EJ - I shall keep them for later.

Hi Chris

Loved your photos - especially the stars!!!  My son is interested in Astronomy - he is only 7 - what kind of scope should I be looking for???

Louise

Meant to say "what a great spiel, Emma!"

I'm with Tim on this one.

The word 'patience' comes to mind ::)

So from what your saying Emma J..

Its ok to start chillies and peppers in Jan, but not tomatoes.

Is it worth getttin a small light and growing chillies under it?

???

You can start anything you like in January, if you can really be bothered to pander to their every whim just for the sake of picking fruits a week or two earlier than a slightly later sowing.

I sow my chillis now-ish, but I don't provide any extra lighting.  They live in my heated conservatory - heated by central heating on the same circuit as the house, and once they germinate and start to spring up, I turn them periodically to keep the straight and true.  I have also started brushing my hands gently over them (and chatting to them, but that is because I am slighly crrrrazy) as I have read that the gentle brushing movement mimics wind movement which naturally causes the plants to grow 'harder' with tougher stems.  I am extra careful with watering as I have lost many a tray or pot of seedlings to being over generous with the water.  Once they have true leaves and are growing slowely but surely, they move into my lagged and heated greenhouse - I don't heat it until mid Feb/start of March, and then only for a couple of weeks - by then the conservatory is becoming a tropical rainforrest of seedlings and young plants and something has to give.

If you can provide the extra light, and can justify the cost of keeping a light on for 'x' amount of hours a day, then you will grow stockier, straighter plants.