Lots of people mess up by putting toms in too early. They're fast growers and soon need the weather we just don't have if they were started too early. That's why my peppers are growing and not even started any toms yet. Peppers are slower growers.
Who doesn’t like a bit of bottom heat to get going 🤣
Indeed. The last couple of years I've had my chilli seed tray on the top of my fishtank. The temperature up there is a constant 20-21°C. But they still took 10 days to germinate. This year I used my OH's heated propagator which kept the temperature between 26-28°C and I had germination in 4 days.
So as @chicky & @MikeOxgreen have said, they can be really useful to get things going. We bought the Trio Top (although that isn't the propagator I've just used) and particularly like the individual lidded pots that come with it. In fact we've bought some more of them. We use those for germinating most things, with or without a propagator.
Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
Since my heated propagator died I have had very little success with tomato and chili seed germination. Almost nil last year.
I now have 2 new heated mats and have just sown a variety of chilies and toms with the mats set at 20C. They're in the annex with a clear plastic lid on till they germinate and then, when big enough, I'll move them to the polytunnel to grow on. It's unheated but I have some IKEA Hyllis shelves with plastic covers which makes them warm enough for babies.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I use a small heated windowsill propagator that hold six quarter-trays with individual lids to germinate things that need 20C or more, because my normally unheated spare bedroom doesn't get to that temperature until not long before the outside does. Better to heat the propagator than the whole room. Once things have germinated and started to grow true leaves they get moved out onto the windowsill or onto an old table in front of the window with foil-covered cardboard reflectors and growlights (cheap ones) if I think they're needed. The window is quite big and gets sun all morning when it's not cloudy so the growlights often don't go on until afternoon. As long as I'm careful not to start too much too early, it works for me. I sometimes use the propagator for cuttings in late summer/autumn too - a bit of bottom heat seems to help even if the air temperature is already quite warm.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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That's why my peppers are growing and not even started any toms yet. Peppers are slower growers.
When I buy my Tomato plants I grow them on in the house, on the windowsills until it's time for them to go in the greenhouse.
More thinking required me thinks.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Indeed. The last couple of years I've had my chilli seed tray on the top of my fishtank. The temperature up there is a constant 20-21°C. But they still took 10 days to germinate. This year I used my OH's heated propagator which kept the temperature between 26-28°C and I had germination in 4 days.
So as @chicky & @MikeOxgreen have said, they can be really useful to get things going. We bought the Trio Top (although that isn't the propagator I've just used) and particularly like the individual lidded pots that come with it. In fact we've bought some more of them. We use those for germinating most things, with or without a propagator.
I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
I now have 2 new heated mats and have just sown a variety of chilies and toms with the mats set at 20C. They're in the annex with a clear plastic lid on till they germinate and then, when big enough, I'll move them to the polytunnel to grow on. It's unheated but I have some IKEA Hyllis shelves with plastic covers which makes them warm enough for babies.