Starting Seedlings.

[Garf]

I have been starting random small batches of seedlings. I have a few Big Beef, Everglades, Atkinson, and Floramerica. I need to start more Floramerica.

[chancethegardener]

Hi Garf,
Do you grow your tomatoes indoors in winter or do you keep them outside? How successful were you in the past with growing tomatoes in winter in Miami?

[Garf]

Originally Posted by chancethegardener

Hi Garf,
Do you grow your tomatoes indoors in winter or do you keep them outside? How successful were you in the past with growing tomatoes in winter in Miami?

Winter is our growing season. Dade county is the winter vegetable capital of the USA.

[chancethegardener]

Originally Posted by Garf

Winter is our growing season. Dade county is the winter vegetable capital of the USA.

Did you also try growing melons/watermelons in fall?

[kurt]

Originally Posted by chancethegardener

Did you also try growing melons/watermelons in fall?

I have down here in Homestead and seem to run in fungal issues on the leaves.We tried lopes,pumpkins,melons.I know there is some lopes produced in mid -north Florida.

[chancethegardener]

Originally Posted by kurt

I have down here in Homestead and seem to run in fungal issues on the leaves.We tried lopes,pumpkins,melons.I know there is some lopes produced in mid -north Florida.

So is the only problem fungal issues? Do the melon/watermelon fruits find enough time and temeprature to ripen?

[Garf]

Originally Posted by chancethegardener

Did you also try growing melons/watermelons in fall?

Not my thing. Tomato, Radish, pole beans, brussel sprouts. Right now, only tomato. I planted a few Bloody Butcher seed too. They seem slow to come up.

[meadowyck]

Gosh, I'm glad to hear someone is having luck. I'm having a terrible time starting seeds, the rainy weather has put a damper on my seed growing, less than half of the seeds planted have sprouted and then due to cooler temps and rain, they soon die.

I'm about to get out the heat mats and go back to how I started seeds when I lived up north in the cold.

How do the rest of your Floridians get seeds started at this time of the year? H E L P!!!!!

[Garf]

Originally Posted by meadowyck

Gosh, I'm glad to hear someone is having luck. I'm having a terrible time starting seeds, the rainy weather has put a damper on my seed growing, less than half of the seeds planted have sprouted and then due to cooler temps and rain, they soon die.

I'm about to get out the heat mats and go back to how I started seeds when I lived up north in the cold.

How do the rest of your Floridians get seeds started at this time of the year? H E L P!!!!!

I have little room inside, so I start everything outside. Only the strongest survive. That's what I plant out.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by meadowyck

Gosh, I'm glad to hear someone is having luck. I'm having a terrible time starting seeds, the rainy weather has put a damper on my seed growing, less than half of the seeds planted have sprouted and then due to cooler temps and rain, they soon die.

I'm about to get out the heat mats and go back to how I started seeds when I lived up north in the cold.

How do the rest of your Floridians get seeds started at this time of the year? H E L P!!!!!

Jan, please go to the starting from seed forum and view the very first sticky post. Excellent videos by NCTomatoman on how to plant exactly, and how to transplant from there. It should be all the help you will need.
-Marsha

[meadowyck]

thanks Marsha I've seen his videos, I've never had problems with growing seeds, it is just here in FL. I can't grow a darn thing here.

I'm giving it one more try on the seeds and if these fail the that is it, I'm done with trying grow anything here.

What I was asking FL growers is how does everyone start theirs? are you planting them and leaving them outside? are you using heat mats, (which seems crazy to me with us living in the south).

Of course just weeks prior to me starting my seeds we had nice hot temps and lots of sun. now the last two weeks, we have drop to 80's in temps and cloudy, rainy and cooler weather so the seeds don't like it.

[kurt]

Jan,just got back from PA 5 days ago.Since I was running late on usual start I ran down to Home Depot and got last of the 70 cell Ferry Morse Jiffy greenhouse trays(they call them 72 but really 70 ).You pour the recommended water.The cells pop up(encased in a mesh sleeve).They do have a indentation for a seed.The kit comes with a plastic lid which is made for up north early starts which you do not need here in Fla.I then take a bamboo skewer and enlarge the indentation to 1/4 inch at most.Insert the seed and if you have good hands with the sharp skewer end crumble some starter soil adjacent and cover the seed tap with finger to make sure seed is set in but covered.After a good misting only with spray bottle to keep moist.I think most seed starting problems I have had before stem from planting too deep(they will find their way up eventually)but are rotted by too much moisture since the soils and humidity do not allow evaporation down here versus northern climates.When these plugs show roots at bottom of mesh I will transplant to my plug trays.Plug trays are 35 cell,2 1/2inch tops ,1inch bottoms with drain hole,6 inch deep.These are usually my starter trays.I fill with promix,pack lighty,with a pointed seeding awl make indentation,fill with seed starting mix(spray moist)insert seed,lighty cover spray moist.If and when I use the Jiffy plugs I do cut and remove the mesh at transplanting for root movement and growth.I have never seen the mesh biodegrade as of yet.I do put in full early morning sun for about 2 hours and then under cover for rest of day.So far seeds coming up day 3-4.When uncover of roof overhang will turn trays as seedlings reach for sun.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by kurt

Jan,just got back from PA 5 days ago.Since I was running late on usual start I ran down to Home Depot and got last of the 70 cell Ferry Morse Jiffy greenhouse trays(they call them 72 but really 70 ).You pour the recommended water.The cells pop up(encased in a mesh sleeve).They do have a indentation for a seed.The kit comes with a plastic lid which is made for up north early starts which you do not need here in Fla.I then take a bamboo skewer and enlarge the indentation to 1/4 inch at most.Insert the seed and if you have good hands with the sharp skewer end crumble some starter soil adjacent and cover the seed tap with finger to make sure seed is set in but covered.After a good misting only with spray bottle to keep moist.I think most seed starting problems I have had before stem from planting too deep(they will find their way up eventually)but are rotted by too much moisture since the soils and humidity do not allow evaporation down here versus northern climates.When these plugs show roots at bottom of mesh I will transplant to my plug trays.Plug trays are 35 cell,2 1/2inch tops ,1inch bottoms with drain hole,6 inch deep.These are usually my starter trays.I fill with promix,pack lighty,with a pointed seeding awl make indentation,fill with seed starting mix(spray moist)insert seed,lighty cover spray moist.If and when I use the Jiffy plugs I do cut and remove the mesh at transplanting for root movement and growth.I have never seen the mesh biodegrade as of yet.I do put in full early morning sun for about 2 hours and then under cover for rest of day.So far seeds coming up day 3-4.When uncover of roof overhang will turn trays as seedlings reach for sun.

Jan, I do exactly everything Kurt does, step by step, except this year I had so many varieties that i did Craigs dense planting method for the seeds, but starting today the seedlings will be transferred to the expandable jiffy pots. Mine also get the 2 hours of sun, but I have a grow light system so they get about 10 hours/ day of light.
I do not and never have needed a heat mat,I would say absolutely not necessary because we are starting our seeds in the heat, and I never cover the seeds with the plastic cover, it invites damping off.
Overnight temps near 80 degrees I think means no heat mat needed. Never even heard of one before TV.
-Marsha

[meadowyck]

what is my problem is I have food grade DE and that is too fine, it is killing the seeds.

So tomorrow I'm going out to pick up some seed started and start over the way that I did up north.

One way or another I'm going to have success....LOL

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by meadowyck

what is my problem is I have food grade DE and that is too fine, it is killing the seeds.

So tomorrow I'm going out to pick up some seed started and start over the way that I did up north.

One way or another I'm going to have success....LOL

Jan, Home Depot and Wal Mart both have miracle grow seed starting mix in a bag for $3.99, which will be more than enough for you to start all your seeds. The expandable jiffy pellets are also a seed starting medium, ready to go.
You WILL have success.
-Marsha