Spreadsheet I use to track my tomato germinations..

**nctomatoman** · March 10, 2007

http://www.nctomatoman.topcities.com...ermination.htm

This is one sheet of an Excel sheet I've used going back to 1999 (there are loads of worksheet tabs at the bottom of the master file, this is an html view of just my tomato sheet this year) - basically has variety, vial options to use, cell number, then first day germination shows, days to germinate - will later add observations (leaf shape percents, dwarf vs indet, etc). Just posted in case you are really bored and want to go crazy figuring out how I track all of this!

amideutch · March 10, 2007

Craig, Don't know about the spread sheet but "Zig Zag Wattle 1 and 2 caught my eye.

Sounds like something our friends down under came up with for names on your project.

Ami, still trying to do it on the other side of the pond.

michael johnson · March 11, 2007

I notice that according to craigs records- the majority of his seeds germinate within three days or four days, I wish mine did !!!, I usualy have three or four varieties that germinate in three to four days, but all the rest usually take around eight to ten days, - he must be using some secret formulae, combines with moon phases technology and high tem combo,

Zig Zag wattle Ami- must be one of those very rare tomato seeds to come out of OZZ -not many do.

**nctomatoman** · March 11, 2007

Michael, I think it is a combination of very shallow sowing, placement in front of the sunny window, the heat mat I use, the saran wrap loose fitted covering - or maybe I am just a magician!!!!

Zig Zag Wattle is a working name Patrina gave to one of the dwarf F2 fruit out of the hybrid Witty (Budai X Cherokee Green). It at this point appears to be a gold fruited dwarf cherry tomato.

dcarch · March 11, 2007

Craig,

Very thorough and organized.

I also use spread sheet to keep tract of things.
I have several other categories (columns) for my charts.
1. color - Black, red, pink, yellow, green, bi-color, etc.
2. Extra-early, early, mid, late.
3. Taste: sweet, tard, good, best, spitter, etc.
4. Size: Indet. Det, Pot, Micro, etc.
5. Seeds From:

By using the sort function, I can organize the varieties anyway I want to.
I also use the chart to print out labels for seedlings and plants.

A few of them I have pictures imported into the chart.

dcarch

michael johnson · March 13, 2007

I think the main secret to Craigs germination success lays in the fact of the sun shining through the window onto the seed flats, which just at the right time creates a high temp situation under the saren wrap whith high condensation just in the area above each seed sowing so that there is a constant drip of tepid to quite warm water dripping onto the seeds all the time the sun is on them, I firmly believe that there is also something in the suns rays that help wake up seed, just like humans receive vitamin D from it.

On the whole-it appears to simulate natural conditions in may to june when all plants and seeds germinate and grow in the soil naturaly, so this must be part of the secret -along with a little sheer genius from Craig of course-who appears to have hit on just the right set of conditions and personal know how to do the job.

I dont know why more of us dont use this sun on the seed flats method more often- I think it is because a past fear has been installed in all of us, that the sun damages young seedlings and dries up seed trays etc, but in Craigs case it appears to me that the sun from the window is in short bursts of perhaps an hour or two and then it passes out of sight as the sun moves accross the sky, therefore the actual time the sun is playing onto the seed flats is just sufficient to heat the surface and water condensation to the ideal level without doing any further damage- which lasts right round until the next sun burst on them

March 10, 2007	#1
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Spreadsheet I use to track my tomato germinations.. http://www.nctomatoman.topcities.com...ermination.htm This is one sheet of an Excel sheet I've used going back to 1999 (there are loads of worksheet tabs at the bottom of the master file, this is an html view of just my tomato sheet this year) - basically has variety, vial options to use, cell number, then first day germination shows, days to germinate - will later add observations (leaf shape percents, dwarf vs indet, etc). Just posted in case you are really bored and want to go crazy figuring out how I track all of this! __________________ Craig

March 11, 2007	#3
michael johnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK. Posts: 960	I notice that according to craigs records- the majority of his seeds germinate within three days or four days, I wish mine did !!!, I usualy have three or four varieties that germinate in three to four days, but all the rest usually take around eight to ten days, - he must be using some secret formulae, combines with moon phases technology and high tem combo, Zig Zag wattle Ami- must be one of those very rare tomato seeds to come out of OZZ -not many do. Last edited by michael johnson; March 12, 2007 at 12:23 PM.

March 11, 2007	#4
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Michael, I think it is a combination of very shallow sowing, placement in front of the sunny window, the heat mat I use, the saran wrap loose fitted covering - or maybe I am just a magician!!!! Zig Zag Wattle is a working name Patrina gave to one of the dwarf F2 fruit out of the hybrid Witty (Budai X Cherokee Green). It at this point appears to be a gold fruited dwarf cherry tomato. __________________ Craig

March 11, 2007	#5
dcarch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NY Posts: 2,618	Craig, Very thorough and organized. I also use spread sheet to keep tract of things. I have several other categories (columns) for my charts. 1. color - Black, red, pink, yellow, green, bi-color, etc. 2. Extra-early, early, mid, late. 3. Taste: sweet, tard, good, best, spitter, etc. 4. Size: Indet. Det, Pot, Micro, etc. 5. Seeds From: By using the sort function, I can organize the varieties anyway I want to. I also use the chart to print out labels for seedlings and plants. A few of them I have pictures imported into the chart. dcarch __________________ tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato Last edited by dcarch; March 11, 2007 at 11:11 PM.

March 10, 2007	#2
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	Craig, Don't know about the spread sheet but "Zig Zag Wattle 1 and 2 caught my eye. Sounds like something our friends down under came up with for names on your project. Ami, still trying to do it on the other side of the pond.

March 13, 2007	#6
michael johnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK. Posts: 960	I think the main secret to Craigs germination success lays in the fact of the sun shining through the window onto the seed flats, which just at the right time creates a high temp situation under the saren wrap whith high condensation just in the area above each seed sowing so that there is a constant drip of tepid to quite warm water dripping onto the seeds all the time the sun is on them, I firmly believe that there is also something in the suns rays that help wake up seed, just like humans receive vitamin D from it. On the whole-it appears to simulate natural conditions in may to june when all plants and seeds germinate and grow in the soil naturaly, so this must be part of the secret -along with a little sheer genius from Craig of course-who appears to have hit on just the right set of conditions and personal know how to do the job. I dont know why more of us dont use this sun on the seed flats method more often- I think it is because a past fear has been installed in all of us, that the sun damages young seedlings and dries up seed trays etc, but in Craigs case it appears to me that the sun from the window is in short bursts of perhaps an hour or two and then it passes out of sight as the sun moves accross the sky, therefore the actual time the sun is playing onto the seed flats is just sufficient to heat the surface and water condensation to the ideal level without doing any further damage- which lasts right round until the next sun burst on them