Starting seeds in the blazing heat outdoors

b54red · May 24, 2011

I'm trying something that I have never tried this time of the year. As soon as the latest seedbeds started sprouting I moved them outside where they get full sun during the hottest part of the day and I just left them out. I have had to go out and wet the containers a couple of times a day to stop them from completely drying out. The tomatoes are germinating good and they will be hardened off immediately, I hope. Now if I can just remember to keep them watered. Has anyone else done this with temps in the mid 90's and how successful was it? This time of the year it is just so difficult to harden off plants that have not been outside so I thought I would try it and see how it works. So far so good.

tuk50 · May 25, 2011

I start my fall crop in May each year inside and pot them before the true leaves form and put them outside immediately on trays outside my greenhouse.. the first few days I keep them on the lower racks which is an old 5 shelf aluminum food carrier that is made up of 2in slats that provide some shade and allows the stems to thicken up in the wind. Seems to work well.. and I have the same trouble with excessive evaporation, so I use a pine bark potting soil that I make and leave them setting in about an inch of water all the time and only have to water them every day or so. If you use a mix with a lot of peat it will sour if you leave them in water.
Hope this helps.
I meant to tell you that I've done this during years when it is 100plus degrees and it still works. They are tougher than most people think.

Stepheninky · May 25, 2011

I usually start them inside just in till they sprout, then move them out side to a location with full morning sun but that gets some shade in the afternoon, then as they grow I transfer them to full sun. We are in the high 80's when we have sun. It is weird right now it storms in the AM and in the late PM and has hot muggy periods in between.

Unlike your watering challenge mine is the opposite, I have been having to remember to drain all excess water off several times a day.

Timbotide · May 25, 2011

I am starting my seed indoors and then I move them into full sun as soon
as they germinate. The sprouts get full morning sun and are shaded by my back porch during the hottest part of the day. This process is working well for me.
They only problem I have is the seed coats on most of my sprouts are getting stuck and I am having to remove them by hand.

Marko · May 26, 2011

A couple of years ago I sow some seeds of Bloody Butcher in mid july, seedlings were outside from the begining on temps ocasionally exceeded 38C/100F. I had to water frequently, but plants were ok.

desertlzbn · May 26, 2011

Thanks for posting this thread, which reminds me that I need to get my hiney in gear and get my fall tomatoes planted.
With the unseasonably cool weather this year, I have been slacking. It is usually over 110 by now, and it just hit 95 today. SO I really need to get it together and get these planted SOON!

tuk50 · May 26, 2011

Yeah! its going to get hot in a hurry now. I'm leaving town for a while so I went ahead and planted my second round of tomatoes yesterday.. I got my fingers crossed .. they are just babies, but will probably do better in the garden than trusting a neighbor to take care of them. I usually like to plant them a bit closer to July when the monsoons come. The weatherlady on tv said we could expect the first 100deg day this next week. It can come in April and usually in early May, but this year its going to go from winter to summer this weekend... LOL.

Tracydr · May 28, 2011

Yeah, I need to get my fall seedlings planted, too. I start mine on the porch and let them have partial shade but it's really hot. It seemed to work well last year. I have some eggplant, ground cherry, sweet pepper and basil starts out there now and they're doing well. Starting to give them more morning sun each day. They only have their first true leaves and are really tiny. It's been close to 100 all week.

b54red · May 28, 2011

So far the seedlings seem to be fine and some are just starting to put on the first true leaves. I am having to go out and water them a couple of times each day. If I can remember to keep them watered for another week or two I will have them large enough to pot up. The rate at which I am losing plants to fusarium in the garden is going to leave me plenty of spots to plant them in before long.

b54red · June 15, 2011

Well the seedlings have taken a real beating because of the intense heat we have been experiencing. They have all but stopped growing and are a very pale almost yellow color and this is all varieties. I tried giving them some fertilizer and it did nothing for them so I'm trying to pot them up but they have almost no roots. The only explanation I come up with is the fact that they have been drying up so fast and having to get watered so often just to keep them alive that the heat and sudden changes in moisture level must be affecting root development. I just moved them all back into the greenhouse that is somewhat shaded to see if they will come back or no fall tomatoes for me. I doubt any of the plants in the garden now will survive til then if we continue having record heat and drought. The one rain we did have a few days ago just made the plants look worse which really surprised me.

dipchip2000 · June 15, 2011

Bill

I started my seeds for fall planting on June 1st and they are just getting first true leaves. I put 2 seeds per 4inch pot in potting soil and sprinkled jiffy seed starting mix on top to cover them and maybe avoid damping off. They have been outside on my covered patio and receive morning sun only but the afternoon heat is around 100 in the shade. I water from the bottom daily and so far they look great. I also have never done this so dont know what to expect. I think they should already be hardened off but will not plant out till mid-July if they can survive that long.Time will tell but so far they are ok. I started them in 4inch pots to avoid potting up and any stress that comes from disturbing the roots. They only get sun till about 1pm but the heat and humidity seems to last forever.

ron

b54red · June 25, 2011

I potted up the ones that survived but I lost most of the varieties that have done well in the fall. There was almost no root development on many of them but most seem to be doing better in the greenhouse now that I have repotted them. I am going to start some more seed for fall but I fear it is too late for most varieties but some like Black Krim, Red Siberian, and BTDP may do okay if I start the seed now. I guess I'll try it and see how things go. I have plenty of seed for everything except Big Beef so I won't have any of them for this fall for the first time in years. Maybe some of the new varieties that I am trying will work out.

Aphid · June 26, 2011

with the hot temps we have I simply fill a large plastic cup with moist jiffy mix ,, insert the seed and set them outside .. I keep them moist,, no need to water from the bottom or expect a damping off problem.. this is no different than planting seed in the ground... everything sprouts very rapidly this way and have a large cup to grow a while in.. I have had no problems with the seedlings not handling the sun ,,, they were born that way ....lol.

just pretend your seeding a garden, exactly like seeds are meant to grow.

insert seed ,,,water.. >>>keep damp<<<< until it gets some leaves. start fertilizing,,, watch it go !

Tracydr · June 26, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuk50

I start my fall crop in May each year inside and pot them before the true leaves form and put them outside immediately on trays outside my greenhouse.. the first few days I keep them on the lower racks which is an old 5 shelf aluminum food carrier that is made up of 2in slats that provide some shade and allows the stems to thicken up in the wind. Seems to work well.. and I have the same trouble with excessive evaporation, so I use a pine bark potting soil that I make and leave them setting in about an inch of water all the time and only have to water them every day or so. If you use a mix with a lot of peat it will sour if you leave them in water.
Hope this helps.
I meant to tell you that I've done this during years when it is 100plus degrees and it still works. They are tougher than most people think.

I have a bunch of rice hulls. Wonder if they would work as well as pine bark? What else do you use in your mix? How big of pots?

May 24, 2011	#1
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Starting seeds in the blazing heat outdoors I'm trying something that I have never tried this time of the year. As soon as the latest seedbeds started sprouting I moved them outside where they get full sun during the hottest part of the day and I just left them out. I have had to go out and wet the containers a couple of times a day to stop them from completely drying out. The tomatoes are germinating good and they will be hardened off immediately, I hope. Now if I can just remember to keep them watered. Has anyone else done this with temps in the mid 90's and how successful was it? This time of the year it is just so difficult to harden off plants that have not been outside so I thought I would try it and see how it works. So far so good.

May 25, 2011	#2
tuk50 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Tucson, Arizona (catalina) Posts: 413	I start my fall crop in May each year inside and pot them before the true leaves form and put them outside immediately on trays outside my greenhouse.. the first few days I keep them on the lower racks which is an old 5 shelf aluminum food carrier that is made up of 2in slats that provide some shade and allows the stems to thicken up in the wind. Seems to work well.. and I have the same trouble with excessive evaporation, so I use a pine bark potting soil that I make and leave them setting in about an inch of water all the time and only have to water them every day or so. If you use a mix with a lot of peat it will sour if you leave them in water. Hope this helps. I meant to tell you that I've done this during years when it is 100plus degrees and it still works. They are tougher than most people think. __________________ Hangin on for dear life!

May 25, 2011	#3
Stepheninky Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 682	I usually start them inside just in till they sprout, then move them out side to a location with full morning sun but that gets some shade in the afternoon, then as they grow I transfer them to full sun. We are in the high 80's when we have sun. It is weird right now it storms in the AM and in the late PM and has hot muggy periods in between. Unlike your watering challenge mine is the opposite, I have been having to remember to drain all excess water off several times a day. __________________ tomatoprojects.blogspot.com

May 26, 2011	#7
tuk50 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Tucson, Arizona (catalina) Posts: 413	Yeah! its going to get hot in a hurry now. I'm leaving town for a while so I went ahead and planted my second round of tomatoes yesterday.. I got my fingers crossed .. they are just babies, but will probably do better in the garden than trusting a neighbor to take care of them. I usually like to plant them a bit closer to July when the monsoons come. The weatherlady on tv said we could expect the first 100deg day this next week. It can come in April and usually in early May, but this year its going to go from winter to summer this weekend... LOL. __________________ Hangin on for dear life!

May 25, 2011	#4
Timbotide Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Northport Alabama Posts: 304	I am starting my seed indoors and then I move them into full sun as soon as they germinate. The sprouts get full morning sun and are shaded by my back porch during the hottest part of the day. This process is working well for me. They only problem I have is the seed coats on most of my sprouts are getting stuck and I am having to remove them by hand.

May 26, 2011	#5
Marko Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Slovenia, Europe zone 7b Posts: 300	A couple of years ago I sow some seeds of Bloody Butcher in mid july, seedlings were outside from the begining on temps ocasionally exceeded 38C/100F. I had to water frequently, but plants were ok.

May 26, 2011	#6
desertlzbn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Tucson Posts: 659	Thanks for posting this thread, which reminds me that I need to get my hiney in gear and get my fall tomatoes planted. With the unseasonably cool weather this year, I have been slacking. It is usually over 110 by now, and it just hit 95 today. SO I really need to get it together and get these planted SOON!

May 28, 2011	#8
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	Yeah, I need to get my fall seedlings planted, too. I start mine on the porch and let them have partial shade but it's really hot. It seemed to work well last year. I have some eggplant, ground cherry, sweet pepper and basil starts out there now and they're doing well. Starting to give them more morning sun each day. They only have their first true leaves and are really tiny. It's been close to 100 all week.

June 15, 2011	#10
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Well the seedlings have taken a real beating because of the intense heat we have been experiencing. They have all but stopped growing and are a very pale almost yellow color and this is all varieties. I tried giving them some fertilizer and it did nothing for them so I'm trying to pot them up but they have almost no roots. The only explanation I come up with is the fact that they have been drying up so fast and having to get watered so often just to keep them alive that the heat and sudden changes in moisture level must be affecting root development. I just moved them all back into the greenhouse that is somewhat shaded to see if they will come back or no fall tomatoes for me. I doubt any of the plants in the garden now will survive til then if we continue having record heat and drought. The one rain we did have a few days ago just made the plants look worse which really surprised me.

June 15, 2011	#11
dipchip2000 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Muskogee, Oklahoma Posts: 664	Bill I started my seeds for fall planting on June 1st and they are just getting first true leaves. I put 2 seeds per 4inch pot in potting soil and sprinkled jiffy seed starting mix on top to cover them and maybe avoid damping off. They have been outside on my covered patio and receive morning sun only but the afternoon heat is around 100 in the shade. I water from the bottom daily and so far they look great. I also have never done this so dont know what to expect. I think they should already be hardened off but will not plant out till mid-July if they can survive that long.Time will tell but so far they are ok. I started them in 4inch pots to avoid potting up and any stress that comes from disturbing the roots. They only get sun till about 1pm but the heat and humidity seems to last forever. ron

June 25, 2011	#12
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I potted up the ones that survived but I lost most of the varieties that have done well in the fall. There was almost no root development on many of them but most seem to be doing better in the greenhouse now that I have repotted them. I am going to start some more seed for fall but I fear it is too late for most varieties but some like Black Krim, Red Siberian, and BTDP may do okay if I start the seed now. I guess I'll try it and see how things go. I have plenty of seed for everything except Big Beef so I won't have any of them for this fall for the first time in years. Maybe some of the new varieties that I am trying will work out.

June 26, 2011	#13
Aphid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Nashville TN zone 6-B Posts: 133	with the hot temps we have I simply fill a large plastic cup with moist jiffy mix ,, insert the seed and set them outside .. I keep them moist,, no need to water from the bottom or expect a damping off problem.. this is no different than planting seed in the ground... everything sprouts very rapidly this way and have a large cup to grow a while in.. I have had no problems with the seedlings not handling the sun ,,, they were born that way ....lol. just pretend your seeding a garden, exactly like seeds are meant to grow. insert seed ,,,water.. >>>keep damp<<<< until it gets some leaves. start fertilizing,,, watch it go !