Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post

shelleybean · February 9, 2015

I should point out two other reasons I've already started.

My heat mat and seed starting set up is here in the office by my computer, but my grow lights are in an unheated laundry room. It's a tall until that holds 8 flats. At this time of year, that room is 10-15 degrees cooler than the house, so though it helps make stocky little tomato seedlings, those are less than ideal temps for peppers and eggplant. Their growth is slow, and even starting them now, by the time I get them outside, they'll still only be about 3 inches tall. Similar to the size you'd see sold in market packs.

My second reason involved a trip coming up. My sister will be here checking in on our smallest pets while we're gone and I'm comfortable with her watering the seedlings under the lights, but I don't want to leave anything under the dome while we're gone. I don't want to have to worry about damping off and I don't want her to have to keep checking to see if anything has germinated. I want to be done with that by the time we leave.

Right here by the water, my last frost will be right around the end of March. Go two weeks beyond that to be safe and that leaves me around tax day. Last year I planted on April 13, the year before that was April 9. I don't remember before that but I've been using tax day as my target for about 20 years without any problems. What I do worry about is spring storms with strong winds coming in off the water, and the possibility of hail, but I'm not worried about frost at that point. If I lived further inland, yes, but not right here.

February 9, 2015	#74
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	I should point out two other reasons I've already started. My heat mat and seed starting set up is here in the office by my computer, but my grow lights are in an unheated laundry room. It's a tall until that holds 8 flats. At this time of year, that room is 10-15 degrees cooler than the house, so though it helps make stocky little tomato seedlings, those are less than ideal temps for peppers and eggplant. Their growth is slow, and even starting them now, by the time I get them outside, they'll still only be about 3 inches tall. Similar to the size you'd see sold in market packs. My second reason involved a trip coming up. My sister will be here checking in on our smallest pets while we're gone and I'm comfortable with her watering the seedlings under the lights, but I don't want to leave anything under the dome while we're gone. I don't want to have to worry about damping off and I don't want her to have to keep checking to see if anything has germinated. I want to be done with that by the time we leave. Right here by the water, my last frost will be right around the end of March. Go two weeks beyond that to be safe and that leaves me around tax day. Last year I planted on April 13, the year before that was April 9. I don't remember before that but I've been using tax day as my target for about 20 years without any problems. What I do worry about is spring storms with strong winds coming in off the water, and the possibility of hail, but I'm not worried about frost at that point. If I lived further inland, yes, but not right here. __________________ Michele