Not sure where you are at..but that seems early for tomato plants...unless you are in Florida..Im in Ga and just started peppers and tomatoes last week and will plant tomatoes first week of Feb, Good luck
PS>>IM still trying to decide when to start my marigolds and zinnias

I'm in Indiana, I start them early to be able to have 2-3' plants to sell. I have customers that want that size, to show off to the neighbors. These plants will be sold in 1-3 gal pots.

Marla

I need to correct my first post..I started peppers and eggplant ...not any tomatoes yet... I cant imagine keeping them from getting leggy starting now in Indiana..How do you manage that??I sell plants in gallon and 3 gallons too..but like I said..start them later..people start planting out sometime in lateMarch or first of April down here..
Casey

I start them out inside the house under flourescent lights. As soon as I can, they go outside into my 'greenhouse' (just a plastic covered car canopy, no heat). I don't keep my plants as warm as some people do, so they grow slower. I also up-pot the plants just as soon as they get taller than the pot that they are in. They don't get root bound at all, so most of their growing energy is used for root growth. This gives the plant plenty of strong roots and is ready to be put into the ground and then they take off.

It reallys bugs me when some people will hold their plants until the roots almost have no dirt left in the pot. I believe it stunts the plant and it's cruel to the plant. Crazy, yep that's me.

Marla

We started onions and leeks in December. Will start tomatoes in May (I hate transplanting anything over 5" and find small plants catch up with the bigger transplants every time), peppers and eggplant in early April and probably will start some kale and broccoli in about 3 to 4 weeks. Lettuce will be started in a couple of weeks, cukes for the hoop house start late March as will the zukes and charantais melons that will also go into the hoop house.

I would have to get the list out in order to list when everything gets planted. We pretty much are planting something 12 months a year.

boulderbelt, I'd love to see your list. You seem to have alot of experience and knowledge. Plus you're not that far from me.

I start things early, not so much for my plantings, but for retail plant sales. They really add to my sales, to help out with the 75% of sales that I'm going to need for my market.

Marla

I will be starting tomatoes when I get back home from vacation (Mau'i). Usually, I start tomatoes in February. They do just fine under lights indoors but now, I have a greenhouse with which I contract and so the seedlings are started under lights and then transfered to the greenhouse. Works really well. This makes for good transplant sales in April and May and for earlier harvests as I will generally plant out early varieties like the Russians and Canadians I have around April 15th. Yes, I know it's a risk in my zone but generally the frost period is over by then. I have been starting tomatoes, peppers and other things under lights, indoors for years. I used to think the neighbors were going to call the law on me for growing MJ in the house. One neighbor even asked a good friend of mine if he thought I was growing MJ and he laughed at her and said of course not.

you guys are earlier than me ,, i,m in ohio , highs of 20 all week , i can,t plant till may 31 [ frost ] must be nice , kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: last out of the gate

iinvent1----Wow! your produce is beautiful and your prices are fantastic. You do not gouge people like a lot of growers do at the farmers market. $2.00 for a big quart of tomatos. I charge the same price at my stand. I Think having your own stand is a fantastic idea- - keeping a distance from some of the the growers that use the farmers market as an excuse to charge double the price what produce should be, claiming how much it cost to grow. Its about twice as cheap to grow semi-organically than conventional methods(fertilizer-herbicide-pestide) No wonder that people are starting to wise up about farmers market prices and buying direct off the farm. I have been growing and selling direct off of the farm for about 7 years with a stand and knew that the farmers market over- pricing would be their own un-doing. Mark

Two early here,but do have all my seeds. And if you have a two foot or a 4" tomatoe plant and plant them as soon as you can they both usaully produce the same time unless you change the natural conditions like plastic. The only time this is different is if you did this latter in the season and then the older plant has the advantage.It has to do with day length .

I am redoing the floor in my greenhouse and then will start planting. I hope to finish it today, nice to get out of the house, the snow has all melted for now.
I am going to start with lettuce for us to eat, onions and garlic. Has anyone ever sold garlic starts? I was wondering if onion and garlic starts might be popular at the market. It varies from 10 to 45 degrees here, no heat in the greenhouse, so really to early to do much more, maybe some broccoli.

thanks , ive always sold 3pds for 2 dollars , it cheaper than packing and goning to market , [ gas , rent , ect ] my customers come from a 100 miles around , to meet me , see garden ect , a little fame in the summer never hurts anyone,, its always been self serve , regulars keep others honest , and out of towners always over pay , kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: see it works trust

Mark i charge what you would call a gouging price for my organically grown (not semi as there is not such thing you either are or you ain't) and i am not getting rich. And why should I charge the same for my hand grown with care and skill produce as they do at the grocery for industrially raised produce? Should a Cadillac be the same price as a Yugo?

Boulderbelt, Our markets in my area have suffered because of the number of people that have started to grow their own produce fresh to get away from the high prices at the farmers market. If a small market grower 1-5 acres can,t grow efficiently enough to keep prices at a near market price then maybe they should put less care and more volume in their mindset. We are not growing babies, we are growing simple vegetables that mother nature takes care of about 90 % of the process . Sometimes we have to water/weed and amend our soil but its basically a simple process. When we opt to grow on a small basis and not use harvesting machines and pick by hand does not mean we can punish the customer with high prices, We picked this inefficient style of growing.
As far as large growing operations their produce is the same as ours when fresh off the farm.
I mean realistically $2-$3 dollars a pound for green beans,3-5 dollars a # for heirloom tomatos.
Example: It takes me about 3 hours of time to prep and plant 800 row feet of Jade beans the seed cost about 22.00, picking time 1 hour = 20 pounds =30 ft., one weeding at 6-8 inch stage 2 hour. total labor 30 hours for roughly 500 pounds of beans that i sell for 1.00 a pound . thats about 17.00 an hour. (very fair price)
I use no pesticides but I use non-organic fertilizers.

Mark, I also charge a outrageous price, to some people. I'm in a semi-rural area, but I won't price my beans less than $2/lb. It's too hard of work, and my customer's won't attempt to come out and pick them for 1/2 price. I've offered. My tomatoes also did not go below $1.50 last year, most of the time $2/lb or more. Only time, that I went below that price was if the person wanted to buy 25 lbs or more. I wasn't the cheapest either, but mine was the best looking and tasting (per customer remarks). Of course, this was at the farmers market, which I had expenses to attend (my customers are aware of the costs of my being there). With the price of gas to travel, plus to use in the tillers and tractors, my prices will not be going down.

When I figure up ALL of my expenses, I make less than minimum wage. Considering all of the hours that it takes deciding when to start, what to grow and every minute of the decision making, in addition to the planting, weeding, harvesting and marketing time. Oh yes, don't forget the loss of sales for the items that don't sell. Unfortunately, not everything that I grow, is good enough to sell. Each pound is a loss of sales, but I still had the expenses to produce.

Sorry if this is too long, but after all these years, I've considered if this is actual worth the time and worry to continue. If I didn't enjoy it, it would not be.

Marla

Marla I feel the same as you sometimes. Is it it worth all the trouble. If it werent for my Electronic tech. job I would be in a world of hurt. Up where I live in Michigan , I would sell practically nothing unless it is a value.
Dont get me wrong I would love to get higher prices ,but it just wont happen - If I raised prices I would have very few sales. Too much un-employment and low wage earners up here.
The Dairy and crop farmers have some money but most have a big family garden. College towns are good and major towns with a high education rate and also tourist/resort areas.
Mark

I will say that my market is across the river from Purdue University, but you would be amazed to find that MOST of the college students and staff don't shop the market.

Marla

well for those that dont enjoy tilling and playing in dirt you could always do what i did and just go to growing everything hydroponically , since i switched my tiller has remained parked plus I have the added benefit of be able to grow and harvest any vegetable about 11 months out of the year along with several fruits.
I will admit that the initial start up cost can be high but if you already have a greenhouse you can start small and buildup. I started with my setup outdoors without a greenhouse a built up from there.

Alot of my customers have a negative response to greenhouse or hydroponics. I don't know why exactly, but I think what they have purchased in the store might be part of it.

Marla

I don't market them as greenhouse or hydroponic I just display them by what they are fresh fruit and vegetables....the stores like to double the price for organic or hydroponic grown vegetables but I don't I sell all mine as vine ripe as that's what they are. just I don't fight with plant diseases or bugs

hillbilly, please post some pics. of your setup so we can see your operation, sounds like a great system ( your quote RE: Hobby Gardeners Not Wanted? 1-25-2011 *grew 6000lb tomatoes,300 bushel bell peppers,3500 heads of lettuce,200 bushel of beans,250 bushel cucumbers plus a whole lot more of other items just last year*) It amazed me for that is near 40k worth of produce for 1 acre at my low up north prices. Mark

Mark, I don't do hydropodonics but on 1-3 acres with good fertilization and the blessing of Mother Nature, you could grow 40K worth of produce. But that would also have to include ALOT of hard work. At my market, I've only reached that amount of sales 1 year. I regularly sell 20K, and I could grow, intensively, that amount of produce on 1-3 acres. I don't have the best of ground, but are working on it. And of course, Mother Nature hasn't been in the best of 'moods' the last few years.

Marla

mark,
that comes from being able to harvest 11 months out of the year and the added plus that everything starts producing earlier and produces longer.

By the end of the day, I'll have transplanted 624 baby tomato plants into cell packs. Just the beginning. These plants are scheduled to become the 3-5 gallon pot plants and sell for $10+ during May/June.

I'm going to seed some cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and marigolds also today if I don't run out of energy.

In 2 weeks, will be transplanting more tomatoes and probably the peppers and eggplants, they were too small for today's activities.

Marla

marla , Im curious how many grow lights do you have and how do you keep the plants from getting leggy? Also,what do use for heat. Nick

I use regular flourescent lights, not grow lights (they're too expensive. Some of my plants do get leggy, but for the most I keep the house heat (where the plants are) at about 70-74 degrees and I keep the lights very close to the top of the plants. Low enough for the plants not to touch, but very close. Besides the house heat, I have 1 heat mat that I'm using this year for germinating the pepper seeds.

As far as how many, right now, I have 4 4' and 4 2' lights, with 15 trays (10x20) under them. I have racks set up with lights, and instead of changing the height of the lights, I put risers under the trays. After I get done with the lights/shelves that I have (without buying more) I will have 60' of lights. This is all inside of my 14x50 mobile home, along with 2 adults and 4 cats living with the plants. I will need to buy more lights/shelves this year, but I'm not sure how many more.

Only crazy people (me) do this this early in the year. Our greenhouse people start their plants in early March, but I don't have their advantages. I'm glad my husband is understanding.

I will actually have close to 700 tomato plants instead of 624.

Marla