i am trying to get back in to the growing season since my fire . took out my laundry room seed collection and other stuff.
people here on dg have been wonderful.
ok my question.
i have a little window pellet thingy where you water the pellets and they expand by jiffy.
how many tomato seeds for each pellet? i did one for each but do i need to do more then one? i did 6 pellets with one type and 6 more with another type. i want some tomatoes but i really dont know too much on growing them from seed. thanks
tomato seed question
You will eventually need to end up with one plant per pellet or pot.
If you only plant one seed per pellet, you risk some of the seeds not germinating, and nothing growing in some of the pellets. You could use the empty pellets for another seed each and keep trying until you have a plant in every pellet - they will end up being different ages and sizes, which might cause some problems with care.
Or you could try multiple seeds per pellet, but then you will have to carefully thin out any extra seedlings until you are back to one plant per pellet. You might want to do this if the seed is old or there is some other reason it might not germinate. You would not want to do this if you only have a few seeds or if the seed was expensive or rare.
So it is a trade off.
I usually use 3-5 seeds per pellet, but I try to spread them out a tiny bit and not have them all in the center hole. That way, if I have to thin, there is less chance of damaging the one I'm saving.
I'd put 2-3 seeds in each pellet, water them thoroughly, and once the seedlings have come up thin to 1 per pellet by clipping the extras off with a pair of scissors, don't try to pull them out (so as not to disturb the roots of the one you want to leave). Be sure to rotate the planting tray so your plants will grow straight and not all lean one way (towards the window). If you can give them direct light from above (a fluorescent light), even better; keep the light just an inch or two above the plants.
Soon you will be totally hooked on starting your plants from seed!
;-)
Imzadi,
Come visit us over in the Winter Sowing forum where we're starting veggie seeds in milk jugs, outside, in the WINTER. No shelves, lights, timers, or worry about your electricity bill!
Here's Part 1 of the discussion: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1065142/
Here's Part 2 of the discussion: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1067747/
Here's Part 3 of the discussion: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1070447/
Linda
iamzadi - I haven't used peat pellets, but I do start seeds sometimes in 3 oz plastic cups, which are about the same size. (I poke holes in the pots)
I water the potting soil thoroughly, place one seed into the center of each pot, and then sprinkle a shallow, dry coating of vermiculite over the top. I have found the vermiculite helps prevent "damping off." I always set more seeds than needed so if some do not sprout, I have enough plants in the end. Sometimes they all sprout! Then I have the problem of finding room to grow them!