http://awaytogarden.com/tips-for-growing-better-tomatoes-from-seed Organic gardening inspiration from Margaret Roach Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:28:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://awaytogarden.com/tips-for-growing-better-tomatoes-from-seed/comment-page-1#comment-59842 Margaret Thu, 26 May 2011 23:18:43 +0000 http://awaytogarden.com/?p=3566#comment-59842 Welcome, Nikki. I don't know the answer with certainty, except to say that yes, too-wet soil will overwhelm young seedlings, as will too-rich soil, I think. Always best to start things in a sterile medium at first, meaning no additives beyond a seed-starting mix, and fertilize very lightly after they have true leaves and look like a baby plant of the kind you are expecting. Welcome, Nikki. I don’t know the answer with certainty, except to say that yes, too-wet soil will overwhelm young seedlings, as will too-rich soil, I think. Always best to start things in a sterile medium at first, meaning no additives beyond a seed-starting mix, and fertilize very lightly after they have true leaves and look like a baby plant of the kind you are expecting.

]]> http://awaytogarden.com/tips-for-growing-better-tomatoes-from-seed/comment-page-1#comment-59242 Nikki Wed, 25 May 2011 16:27:48 +0000 http://awaytogarden.com/?p=3566#comment-59242 Hi Margaret: I've moved my tomato babies outside to a greenhouse because they seemed not to be thriving inside under my florescent plant lights. They were doing fine inside until I transplanted them into their own little containers. The containers have a mix of peat and my very own worm castings. That's when I noticed their leaves were yellowing and kind of curling up on themselves. So out to the greenhouse they went. i checked weather.com's historic feature and learned my night time temps don't get above 50 degrees until June 14, so I can't put them in their bed yet (even if I did the poor babies would probably be upset from all the rain we generally get until summer). Either way, they're doing even worse in the greenhouse, they've got no new growth and are still yellow. I have some larger tomatoes in there too (they were a freebee from a hardware store) but those are doing fine. The varieties in my green house are Cherokee purples, yellow cherry, a Roma, a Beefsteak, and the Early Girls are the ones that are doing well. I also have several varieties of new world pepper seedlings in my greenhouse, they seem very happy. I have 4 types of basil in there as well, the lemon basil is upset about the move but the rest are fine and growing new leaves every day. The only thing I can think is that the worm castings are too rich, there insn't much air flow, and I've changed how I'm watering them (the pots are in large reservoirs that I keep filled). Any advice would be much appreciated, thank you! I live at a higher elevation in the Pacific Northwest. Hi Margaret: I’ve moved my tomato babies outside to a greenhouse because they seemed not to be thriving inside under my florescent plant lights. They were doing fine inside until I transplanted them into their own little containers. The containers have a mix of peat and my very own worm castings. That’s when I noticed their leaves were yellowing and kind of curling up on themselves. So out to the greenhouse they went. i checked weather.com’s historic feature and learned my night time temps don’t get above 50 degrees until June 14, so I can’t put them in their bed yet (even if I did the poor babies would probably be upset from all the rain we generally get until summer). Either way, they’re doing even worse in the greenhouse, they’ve got no new growth and are still yellow. I have some larger tomatoes in there too (they were a freebee from a hardware store) but those are doing fine.
The varieties in my green house are Cherokee purples, yellow cherry, a Roma, a Beefsteak, and the Early Girls are the ones that are doing well. I also have several varieties of new world pepper seedlings in my greenhouse, they seem very happy. I have 4 types of basil in there as well, the lemon basil is upset about the move but the rest are fine and growing new leaves every day.
The only thing I can think is that the worm castings are too rich, there insn’t much air flow, and I’ve changed how I’m watering them (the pots are in large reservoirs that I keep filled).
Any advice would be much appreciated, thank you!
I live at a higher elevation in the Pacific Northwest.

]]> http://awaytogarden.com/tips-for-growing-better-tomatoes-from-seed/comment-page-1#comment-59178 Margaret Wed, 25 May 2011 10:25:04 +0000 http://awaytogarden.com/?p=3566#comment-59178 Hi, Jerry. <strong>Black</strong> walnuts exude chemicals from their roots that make the soil near them inhospitable to other plants, so many things will fail to thrive beneath or beside them. <a href="http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/staff/rbir/blackwalnutcompanions.html" rel="nofollow">Read about it (which is called allelopathy) here</a>. Hi, Jerry. Black walnuts exude chemicals from their roots that make the soil near them inhospitable to other plants, so many things will fail to thrive beneath or beside them. Read about it (which is called allelopathy) here.

]]>