Very little time.

I sow them into a WS container, stash them outside, wait for germination, and then into the ground.

Pysically, with me doing active hands-on work with the seeds and then seedlings, I would say that's under ten minutes per variety.

For the last few years, I have been starting them 5 weeks before I want to plant them out. Seems any earlier than that, and they get too tall and spindly.

So, how long do you spend growing your seedlings? Thanks for the tips

*****

I don't think it's so much how long ( 6-8 weeks as you say) it takes to get a seedling about 6-9 inches that can be transplanted, I think it depends on what your set up is germinating seeds and then transplanting those seedlings when they have 1-2 true leaves into cells in flats or cups or small pots, etc.

Depending on your set up it could take longer if you raise plants on a window sill with just natural light and shorter if you have conditions that allow for good growth.

So that means, to me, at least, what are you using to germinate seeds and how do you do it, that is, what artificial mix do you use.

Then comes the lighting questions as in what do you use for lights, etc. And how warm is it where you germinate your seeds and grow them on.

I guess it would be best if you shared with us what your current set up is and then folks could comment.

Are you growing two crops a year as many in your zone in Florida do, or trying to grow them during the hot humid days of summer?

I almost forgot to mention the time needed to harden off the seedlings before they get transplanted out.

For a general discussion of how to start from seed you might want to go to the top of this first page, click on the FAQ link and find the article on starting from seed, which I think will be very helpful.

Hope the above helps.

Carolyn

I grow for sale as well as for our own garden and most folks around here plant 1 st week in May. So I start those the middle of March. Our own plants get planted - with protection - mid-April so they get seeded end of Feb. to 1st week in March.

Carolyn's point of it depends on your growing conditions is well taken. We grow in a greenhouse so 6 weeks is plenty of time for us. Less ideal conditions will sometimes require longer growing time.

Dave

No sooner than six weeks from planting outside ... unless you can give them an early cold treatment ... say 50 - 60*F ... at first leaf stage, and then keep them cooler than 70*F ... say about 60 - 65*F ... so they don't get all leggy.

I think that the last poster has the point of cold hardening, although six weeks is a good goal, to the last average frost date in your area. Be aware of the forecast at that time as we humans cannot control the weather in any way.
A wet spring or freak freeze can spoil things.
I have done this from the start of my tomatoe life. (this might fit in the " how you know you are a tomatoholic" post)
Pre tomatoe life and post awakening to the tomatoe. I digress.

Cold treatment for two weeks immediatly after the true leaf emergence produces strong and fiborous roots. The addition of a gentle breeze via a fan during this will get you a stout stocky main stem.

Add this time to your equation.

I have started seeds 8 weeks before last frost date and had no issues. This year I am going to start some earlier and place them in the greenhouse the first of March which is 6 weeks before my last official frost date. This way I may have tomatoes by June if we have a decent spring. This past spring we had more rain and cooler temps then the past ten years

My last frost date is around April 15th, so I start my seeds mid to late Feb, so I can get them out for hardening off for a week or so. For the Six Wall of Water ones (4th of July and SunSugar), I start those first of February.

Thanks for all of the tips. I guess i am starting to get cocky as my second crop (planted back in September) has continued to produce even with a few freezing nights. I simply covered the plants and nothing has died.

I am currently starting seeds in a sterile mix of vermicultie, pearlite, and peat and starting them under lights in a room that is about 74 degrees. I plant on letting them grow until they are all four or five inches high and then transplanting while keeping them under 18-20 hours of light a day. Then, I will put them in the ground and, if it gets too cold, cover the plants with a frost cloth that is rated to 20 degrees. Last year I put my plants in the ground on the first of March and everything worked fine, but I am going to try to push this back a couple of weeks as when the heat comes the plants are toast no matter what....hence the early start

Tomatonut
I'm in FL like you and have a fall season crop in the ground and bearing fruit now. Planning to start new seeds for the winter/spring season around Jan 1 and get them in the ground around Mar 1 and avoid a freeze on them.

As you probably know the winter season is perfect for FL tomato growing as long as we don't have a freeze.
I guess the tough part will be which plants to pull out in March to give the space to the new seedlings (small yard limitations) or grow the new ones in pots.

Just started mine. Winter Solstice, Zone 7-8ish, PNW.

I'll nurse them along until May 15th - June 1st then put them out. It's a lot of work.

see also these recent related threads
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg1222213220075.html?4

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg121202301758.html?10

Tomatoes are one of the last things I start. Some I start 7-
8 weeks before transplant and others no more than 5 weeks b4
transplant.

If I put them outside June 1 (approx) then I don't start
them until April 15th - and a lot around the end of April.

The cold treatment that hoosier mentioned not only gives you a stalkier plant but can also give you higher early and total yields.*
Here in Germany the normal set out date is 15 may. 6 weeks prior is optimum for seed planting for me.

*Greenhouse Tomatoes, Lettuce & Cucumbers
By S.H. Wittwer & S. Honma

It depends on how you start your tomatoes. If using natural light, the 6 to 8 weeks from the last typical frost is fine.
However, if you use artificial lighting in a warm house, then 4 to 6 weeks is all you need. I use cheap shop lights and mine are ready to plant after 5 weeks. That's 5 weeks from seed. So for me, that's early March (Napa, CA).

I count on 8 weeks before I put them outside. I start in 36 count cell packs and eventually move them to 4" pots. They were fairly large last year when I put them out (~16") but were not spindly. I had beefsteaks before others in the area had cherries. I think it depends on your light set up more than anything. Mine get plenty of light with 10 floresent bulbs per 4 standard trays, basically fully covered with bulbs (30 bulbs in the set up total).

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Plants at transplant time:
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Here in zone 9, our last frost date is mid-march. That being said, I then start mine Valentine's day for a plant out date of first/second week of April. It's worked well for me for the past two years. I've found there isn't an advantage to planting out earlier, as the plants end up the same in the long run.

Elaine

I sow my seeds directly into 3.5" pots filled with potting soil - no transplanting. I then cover the trays with plastic wrap and place them on heating pads, lifting the plastic wrap for aeration daily. Germination starts in 4-5 days, at which point I uncover the trays and move them under shop lights, adjusting the lights to maintain them 1" above the plants. I water only when they are quite dry, and use a small fan to circulate the air for a while each day. After 3-4 weeks I start hardening them off.

This method consistently produces 8-10" plants with thick stems in five weeks.

TomNJ

Not sure where you are in Florida, but I am in Cocoa (East Central Coast) and I am lazy...too lazy to start seedlings in pots and then be expected to water the little pots enuf...I just sow directly into large pots on the patio (...I am exclusively a container gardener...just put a few Southern Star seeds in a pot a few days ago...the Cherokee Purples have just started to turn color (YEAH) and have done fine through the cold snaps, if you can call them that, over the past few weeks.

I have a few sheets I wrap the pots with if I think there will be a frost...that works for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cherokee Purple Tomato in Large Pot...December 24th or so...

Started mine yesterday looking for a March 1st plant out. I am starting to wish I would have started a little earlier since it does not seem like winter is coming down here this year.