starting tomatoe plants

[James]

Yes thats right I Am starting some tomatoe plants ( Beefsteak) But I have had really poor results getting the plants to grow right, Any pointers. And Yes I can admit when I don't know something. We do have 300 plus day growing season. These plants will be in A bed next to the house.

[Kevin]

Yes thats right I Am starting some tomatoe plants ( Beefsteak) But I have had really poor results getting the plants to grow right, Any pointers. And Yes I can admit when I don't know something. We do have 300 plus day growing season. These plants will be in A bed next to the house.

hey James , Growing toms in the south can be a bit of a challenge with our heat . I'm Down here in Tampa and our temps here are still in the 80's and low 90's. I'm no expert ,but I can tell you how I grow them here . I don't even try and grow them in our summer here. I usually start my seeds at the end of august or early september. I soak the seeds for two days , and then sow them , several hundred at a time in shallow trays. Once they develop their first true leaves I divide them and then plant in individual pots. I also use a soiless mix in these trays and pots ,you don't want problems with damping off.Usually right after thanksgiving our weather will cool off and I then plant the seedlings in 5 gallon buckets using regular garden dirt and compost. I use the buckets so that, on the odd night we do get a freeze ,I can bring them indoors.Hope this helps. Good Luck, Kevin

[James]

I had soaked the seeds, then put them on A damp paper towel, now that was 5 days ago, I know have 12 out of 15 seeds with roots and starting to grow. So I planted them into A New mini greenhouse that holds 12 cells.I have not given up on the other seeds, As I have several wildflower seeds in the container to sprout too.Will update later. Thanks Kevin. I thought I was on the right track.

[gardengirl72]

It is best to start your seeds first then transplant them to your garden. You want to start them 6-8 weeks before you plan on planting them outside. If you have a long growing season you can start them outside. You might want to purchase some tomato plants and grow those while you start some seeds that way you'll gain aloittle more confidence and have a staggard harvest. Hope this helps.

[James]

Well as my luck would have it I now have 13 plabnts started, And I get A call for A job, Yes I have been out of work 2 months . So this means I go back to work. This time in Ar.So now I hope that my brother will try and keep the plants going.