No up potting - Page 2

Old School · April 6, 2019

I'm skipping the early seed start all together this year. With all the rain last year I didn't get any tomatoes until the first week of August here in central PA. I grew Sun Gold cherry tomatoes one year. I planted pre starts that were around 6-8 inches tall the same week I started from direct sown seeds. The direct sown were giving tomatoes about a week later than the pre starts. I have decided to give Cherokee Purple and Mortgage Lifter a try from direct sown as well. Nothing ventured, nothing learned I figure

JRinPA · April 14, 2019

If you really don't like potting up, maybe soil blocks would suit your style.

I seeded two flats of 2" soil blocks just yesterday, and expect them to do fine. I set the mats for 78F and expect 3-4 days of heat required. I don't plan to pot them up. All I'll have to do is bottom water them when the trays feel light, and then put them back under the lights. After a few weeks they'll go outside. Then, if they grow too fast and do need to be potted up, there is nothing much easier than tomato soil blocks dropped into a cup and backfilled, or a pair trenched to share the bottom half of a gallon milk jug. A week of that and the roots are popping from the stem all over the place, but aren't the overly long skinny roots wrapping around the inside of a plastic container.

Last year tomatoes started in late April were ready to plant-out inside of 4 weeks and they did spectacular. No pot up. Soil blocks are almost ideal for planting through plastic mulch, since the hole stays nice and small, and as soon as they are in that warm ground they take right off.

JRinPA · May 5, 2019

Mine are about 6" now. I might pot up this week into solo cups, for planting next week, but surely not all of them. Just the ones I expect to plant. It is just so much more convenient to keep them all in two easy to manage 10x20s.

Redbaron · May 5, 2019

I mostly grow tomatoes and peppers. Never up pot peppers. Always up pot tomatoes.

April 6, 2019	#16
Old School Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Central PA, Zone 6 Posts: 93	I'm skipping the early seed start all together this year. With all the rain last year I didn't get any tomatoes until the first week of August here in central PA. I grew Sun Gold cherry tomatoes one year. I planted pre starts that were around 6-8 inches tall the same week I started from direct sown seeds. The direct sown were giving tomatoes about a week later than the pre starts. I have decided to give Cherokee Purple and Mortgage Lifter a try from direct sown as well. Nothing ventured, nothing learned I figure __________________ -Frank

May 5, 2019	#19
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	I mostly grow tomatoes and peppers. Never up pot peppers. Always up pot tomatoes. __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

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April 14, 2019	#17
JRinPA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SE PA Posts: 972	If you really don't like potting up, maybe soil blocks would suit your style. I seeded two flats of 2" soil blocks just yesterday, and expect them to do fine. I set the mats for 78F and expect 3-4 days of heat required. I don't plan to pot them up. All I'll have to do is bottom water them when the trays feel light, and then put them back under the lights. After a few weeks they'll go outside. Then, if they grow too fast and do need to be potted up, there is nothing much easier than tomato soil blocks dropped into a cup and backfilled, or a pair trenched to share the bottom half of a gallon milk jug. A week of that and the roots are popping from the stem all over the place, but aren't the overly long skinny roots wrapping around the inside of a plastic container. Last year tomatoes started in late April were ready to plant-out inside of 4 weeks and they did spectacular. No pot up. Soil blocks are almost ideal for planting through plastic mulch, since the hole stays nice and small, and as soon as they are in that warm ground they take right off.