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What temperature is needed for tomato seeds to germinate? There was a bit of discussion about this on my horticulture course today.  The course booklet said 15C (which seems a bit on the cool side) while the tutor said 21C. I'd like to get mine started soon and would welcome advice based on experience.

Are they indoor or outdoor? It's a bit early if they are outdoor.
Janet

they will germinate at 15, but you get better and quicker results at 20 / 21 deg

Minimum NIGHT tempriture of 50 to 55 deg Farinite

Hi,
When your tomato plants are growing let the side shoots grow to about 3 inches,pinch them out ,pop into potting compost and a couple of weeks later you will have new plants (a trick i learned last year )

Welcome to the world of posting Flumpy... have you been registered but lurking for a year?  :)

Wotcha flumpy53, welcome to the board! ;)

I'd suggest a minimum sustained temperature of 16 degC.

I aim for between 20 and 25 degC, but in the GH the temp drops below this overnight.

I turn down the heat fairly quickly to around 15deg C once they're sprouting. Also if the heat is high it's quite important to ventilate  the propagator to avoid seedlings damping off.

Thanks very much for the advice. I've just picked up on Tee Gee's very useful planner and I see that he suggests 21C for germinating both indoor and outdoor tomatoes, so I'll go for that. It's 15C when they are sprouting a ready to be pricked out.

I've never measured the temperature, but I find they go well enough on the windowsill. Aubergines and chilies, if you're thinking of those, need a higher temperature. I do them on top of the water heater.