urbantomato: seed starting

Showing posts with label seed starting. Show all posts

seedlings growing along

tomatoes getting their true leaves. they'll smell like tomatoes soon!

it's still a little chilly out there for my liking! But, inside my 'greenhouse' things are growing along quickly. Soon they will need to be transplanted into bigger homes & then I will realize, like I do every year, that even though i thought I cut back, I planted entirely way too much!

broccoli, kale & romanesco politely asking to be transplanted :)

Pepper Seeds & Slow Germination

This Spring has been mightly chilly! Pepper seeds are very sensitive to cold & may take longer than usual to germinate in weather like this.

I plant all the same seeds that I sell, so I take a lot of pride in knowing that urbantomato seeds get great germination rates.

Below is some pics of peppers germinating!

sweet peppers germinating after several weeks

small chocolate peppers finally poking through the soil

If you are having trouble getting your peppers to germinate, please:

- have patience! some of mine took almost three weeks to pop through the soil

- warmth is your friend. they would love a space heater, radiator, or super warm place to help them get growing. heat from the bottom is especially helpful! they don't need light to germinate, so you can keep them somewhere warm & then move them when you see signs of green :)

- email me if you want help, or have any questions!

My little greenhouse - seed starting

I have recently moved. I lived in the same place for 8 years & had set-up a fairly decent process for growing seedlings indoors using a series of lights & bright windows.

trays just waiting for seedlings

new place means new set-up. I have resigned myself to the fact that I won't be able to grow nearly as many seedlings this year (sorry folks!)

But of course, I can't resist growing some.

little tomato seedlings poking their way through the soil

So here is so pics of my new set-up. It's mighty cold in my old old window sill so things are taking a little longer than usual, but they seem to be happy enough.

brand new seedlings.

proof that i don't listen to my own advice when it comes to putting one seed in each little container :) and that i get great germination rates.

broccoli, kale, romanesco & spinach grew quick in cold temps.

How to start your seeds indoors

Some visual tips on getting your seeds started:

home greenhouse

this year for the first time I used my own home as my greenhouse. some experimenting was done, but it worked out pretty well. my front sunroom worked perfectly as a greenhouse!

also used my front porch as a transplanting station once it got warmer out.

luckily i have lots of space & i don't mind sharing it with hundreds of ever-growing plant babies! here they are getting ready to head off to market as little guys!

Saturday Market booth

Pics from my first day back at the Peterborough Saturday Market and what a wonderful market it is!! Happy to be back. You can find me there for the next three weeks, or email me if you need some tomato seedlings.

lovely slicing tomatoes enjoying a sunny day outside of the greenhouse

buttons, magnets, seeds & seed saving booklets

Cherry tomatoes

Preparing for Saturday Market

Here's the first batch of seedlings getting ready to leave the nest & head to my customers home's & gardens.

You can find urbantomato at the Peterborough Saturday market for the next three weeks. I am close to the Morrow Building across the street from McLean's Berry Farms.

Seedlings growing up

I brought along some seedlings with me to Avante Garden, it was their first foray out of the house, so I was a little nervous for them!

It's always funny when they are so small compared to their signs at this time of year

This Saturday April 28th

Drop in & visit us anytime between 11-2pm - 165 Sherbrooke St. .... I will be bringing some of my little planties as well.
Here is a shot from my lovely day spend at Avante Garden

Transplanting How-To

My little seedlings are getting a big squished in their cell packs. I don't listen to my own advice when it comes to planting only one seed in each. It is time to transplant when the seedlings get long & leggy or when they get their first true leaves (they ones that actually look like tomato leaves - also start to smell like tomatoes)

Here's me starting to prep. Get a large container to mix soil in. I use a lot so I use a big rubbermaid. First I put 1/2 pro-mix (peat & vermiculite)

Then add 1/4 top soil

And 1/4 compost (if you have more, you can use more compost - I also water mine with compost tea so don't use as much to start)

Add water. Enough to get all the soil moist, but not soaking!

Then the fun dirty part! Mix all the soils & water together

Then get some clean pots. I re-use mine, so I washed them in bleach & soap first. You can use many things, but make sure they have drainage.

Fill the pots 3/4 with mixed soil. You need to leave room to bury the seedling. Leave more room if the plants are already bigger than mine pictured

Now, remove your seedling from original containers. reach to the bottom of the dirt using your finger as a hook and pull out. they are not as fragile as they look, but be careful not to snap them in half. Try to keep as much of the soil on the roots as possible