Progress report...tomato and pepper seedlings

[Wobblyshot1]

This is my rather crude seed starting table that I built out of scrap lumber. The larger seedlings are just at five weeks old with the smaller plants being about two weeks behind those.

With next week's warmer weather predicted, it might be just right to harden off the bigger plants.

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

nice plants and setup

 

[pressfit]

looking good.. just be careful when you harded them off.. I killed all my seedlings one year by leaving them out side too long on the first day..LOL

 

[Chapman]

They look nice and healthy. Your lights must be doing a good job.

 

[Doskil]

Nice plants

 

[Wobblyshot1]

Thanks. I'm beginning to think I've got this seed starting thing figured out.

The ones I'm planting are hardened off and potted up. Just waiting for decent conditions to plant. The tomatoes include kellogg's breakfast, delicious, german red strawberry, jeff davis, pink honey, carbon, dixie golden, pearly pink cherry, sugar lump and lemon drop. The peppers are anaheim, goat horn, and serrano.

 

[Phil1979]

Nice. I like.

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

what is your cycle on getting them outdoors.how many hours to start with

 

[Wobblyshot1]

what is your cycle on getting them outdoors.how many hours to start with

Usually, at about five weeks old, I begin the hardening off process by placing them out on my deck. Now the deck is on the east side of my house and it also has a privacy fence on its south side. By putting them near the fence and as the sun traverses the sky they probably won't get more than 4 or 5 hours of less intense morning sun the first day. Each day I'll move the plants farther away from the fence gradually exposing them to longer periods of direct sun light. If everything goes well they will be hardened off in 5 to 7 days. This year it wasn't so lucky as there were plenty of cool, cloudy and rainy days....and even frost hazards that kept me busy bringing them in and out off the house.

 

[BlountArrow]

Curious what type of soil/mix you used to start your seeds?

 

[Wobblyshot1]

Curious what type of soil/mix you used to start your seeds?

This year I used Miracle-Gro seed starting potting mix. Last year I bought a seed starting mix from a greenhouse supply site. I think it actually worked better than the miracle-gro but couldn't find it this year.

After the first true leaves are established you can start fertilizing but only with a weak mix....maybe half rate or less.

 

[BlountArrow]

I went with a pure organic mix that must have had slap nothing nutritious in it....so I ended up having to buy some heirloom tomato plants from a lady locally. This was my first year trying this; live and learn.