I start my seeds on a shelf above my water heater.

After they sprout I put them under shop lights.

This is the extreme of cheap seed starting. The only thing is that they must be repotted as soon as true leaves appear.

This post was edited by garf on Mon, Jan 12, 15 at 12:17

Get the taller dome. Better to have more head space than not. Sprouts can sometimes take you by surprise with how quick they pop up.

Can't say anything about direct seeding- I live too cold to be able to do that.

I never use a dome. Don't need it if you keep the mix moist. The domes should be removed after the seeds sprout to increase air circulation and prevent fungus issues so the height of it matters not.

Rodney

I don't use a dome. I start my seeds on damp paper towel in a baggie on top of the fridge. When they have their cotyledons I plant them in 3" pots and they go under the grow lights / sunny windowsill.

Linda

wow...you guys have lots of different ideas. Thanks so much. I usually cheapo things out...and am sorry later. I have learned it is better for me to pay a bit more on:1. things that I use a lot 2. things that are important to me. Thinking now there are many ways/methods to get these seeds to fire.

In my experience, tomato seeds are nearly indestructible. Assuming relatively fresh seeds, they spout readily and grow vigorously.

Sun...that is reassuring to hear. However, you guys have already made me run through my pension check for this month. At least I won't have to buy plants in the Spring...

I've always had the best luck with Jiffy peat pots. They sell the peat pots already in growing trays. After buying the trays, I keep them and just order the peat pots in mass. I like peat pots because they are pretty much dummy proof in terms of getting good seed germination with my process.

Just hydrate them, plant 3 seeds per peat pot and then keep the top on and supply warmth and light via shop lights (T8 6700k bulbs). You should have tons of seedlings in 7 - 10 days.

For a heat source I use an electric blanket (which can be had cheap and give you enormous about of heated surface area) with a plastic garbage bag under the tray to protect the blanket.

In my experience, heating is a must (especially if germinating pepper seeds). Make sure you give the seedlings light as soon as they emerge so that they don't get leggy. I generally use light right from the start as tomato germination time can vary widely due to strain or seed storage/age conditions).

Once they get true leaves I transplant them to the small bathroom dixie cups and bury them up to their true leaves and feed them once with 1/4 concentration of liquid feed.

Once they get a good size (6' or so) I thin the crop to remove the less desirables and then transplant to 4' x 4' square pots.

Once they bounce back from transplant shock, I'll go through one water stress stage to promote root growth (wait until they wilt and then water them). And then water as needed, and give them full strength liquid feed and Superthrive as needed.

At six weeks I complete a hardening off process for a week and then they are ready to go into the garden.

I built a DIY growing shelf using the ladder shelf technique. LS are really cheap to make (you can a huge 4 shelf 8' by 2' shelf for under $50) and are also super easy to take apart if necessary. You can get all your wood cut at Home Depot/Lowes, etc. so all you have to do and screw together the scaffold supports and then tack on the shelves (takes about an hour). I hang 6 two light shop lights (two rows of three) using some hooks and light duty chain so that I can easily adjust them as the plants grow and put them all on a timer. After making the shelf and getting the shop lights, I've got 32 square feet of growing space.

Here is a link that might be useful: DIY Growth Shelf build instructions

I plant 2 tomato seeds per cel in the 6 packs, They all germinate even after 6 years. But maybe that's because I keep the seeds in plastic vials in the fridge.

I don't use a dome nor a heat mat and no lights. The result is a healthy stocky plant. First I soak in a bowl and change the water once or twice a day. When I see the beginning of a sprout I carefully plant them one each to a three inch pot.

I make my own seed mix. Usually roughly equal parts of DE, peat, compost, and bark fines. The mix varies depending on what I have around. I keep the mix wet until they sprout.

After being placed in the pots they are placed outside in full sunshine during the day and brought inside at night. After a week or two they stay outside if the temps are mid forties or above.

I use stainless steel trays. Plastic is too flimsy for me, difficult to carry in and out and sometimes they develop leaks which isn't good inside. Stainless steel has a much longer useful life. I use restaurant style full size chaffing dish steam pans and inserts. Perforated inserts can be used if you want to water from below by dipping the insert into a steam/water pan.

I tried a heat mat and ended up with leggy plants. I don't mind waiting a couple of extra days for the sprouts.

If you use full sun and no dome you shouldn't have any damping off problems. And you don't have to worry about hardening off because they are conditioned from day one.