Too early unless you have a heated greenhouse. My tomatoes won't be sown for at least a couple of weeks yet. To attempt to rescue them you need more light and one way of getting that is to cut a long side from a cardboard box and line the remaining 3 sides with aluminium foil. Place the seed tray in the bottom and put the box on a windowsill with the open side facing the window.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
Hi Emma, those recommendations on the packet assume ideal conditions. In the case of tomatoes that means a heated greenhouse or equivalent, with lots of natural light from all angles and a constant temperature of about 15-20C.
They don't tell you that on the packet though!
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
Just posted this about Chilis from seed. I know I've become a lazy gardener but why struggle when it's too early unless conditions are ideal? Let the nurseries do the work, I now wait until after Easter and buy 3 or 4 established plants far sturdier than I could usually produce from seed. I know it takes the fun out of it but unless you want loads of plants, It's so much easier.
Very true Vegemight but if you want unusual varietes such as heirloom tomatoes or particular varieties of chillies or peppers then there really is no choice but to grow from seed. The good thing is that you usually get far more seeds than you need so I don't sow them all at once and can have another go if one lot fails (or are eaten by pests, dropped upside down on the floor, etc. etc.)
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
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Too early unless you have a heated greenhouse. My tomatoes won't be sown for at least a couple of weeks yet. To attempt to rescue them you need more light and one way of getting that is to cut a long side from a cardboard box and line the remaining 3 sides with aluminium foil. Place the seed tray in the bottom and put the box on a windowsill with the open side facing the window.
Thank you for the advice on tomato seeds will wait a bit longer. And then start them of inside of house on window ledge.
The variety I opted for were fine for sowing in Feb????
Hi Emma, those recommendations on the packet assume ideal conditions. In the case of tomatoes that means a heated greenhouse or equivalent, with lots of natural light from all angles and a constant temperature of about 15-20C.
They don't tell you that on the packet though!
Just posted this about Chilis from seed. I know I've become a lazy gardener but why struggle when it's too early unless conditions are ideal? Let the nurseries do the work, I now wait until after Easter and buy 3 or 4 established plants far sturdier than I could usually produce from seed. I know it takes the fun out of it but unless you want loads of plants, It's so much easier.
Very true Vegemight but if you want unusual varietes such as heirloom tomatoes or particular varieties of chillies or peppers then there really is no choice but to grow from seed. The good thing is that you usually get far more seeds than you need so I don't sow them all at once and can have another go if one lot fails (or are eaten by pests, dropped upside down on the floor, etc. etc.)