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Post by ncgarden on Apr 4, 2015 5:28:55 GMT -5
My seedlings are pretty big, but I am not putting them in the ground for another week. Do I transplant to bigger pots today or let them crowd for another week? Attachment Deleted
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 4, 2015 8:22:21 GMT -5
I thin to one plant per pot after my tomatoes have germinated. Then when they are about the size of yours I transplant them into deep square pots that are about 4" across. I only have one plant per pot and now I harden them off on my covered and protected front porch. They will continue to live out there until planting time which is about the middle of May for me. This also allows me to plant their stems deeper and grow some extra roots before planting time.
Yours really look like they need to be either potted or planted but you KNOW that you always get too anxious and they freeze to death. It is supposed to go down to 30 here again tonight. I don't know about North Carolina weather but if it were me I would re-pot only the amount of seedlings that I was going to plant and keep them at least another week.
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Post by tbird on Apr 4, 2015 8:41:07 GMT -5
What is in your 10 day forecast?
do you have any protection to put on them?
What plants are in there? toms, peppers, eggplants??
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Post by OregonRed on Apr 4, 2015 9:29:59 GMT -5
maybe a little off subject, maybe not...
I'm direct seeding tomatos this year - how do I get them deep??
I'm of the : "nature does it this way, right?"
(maybe i'll do both) I've just heard, here actually, that direct sew (volunteers) and started indoors tend to come out the same... so...
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Post by octave on Apr 4, 2015 9:45:04 GMT -5
OR basically you are letting tomatoes grow like "volunteers". In my experience direct seeding tomatoes do not produce as much as transplanted ones where you bury the stems and allow for the plant to develop deeper and stronger roots. Perhaps if you prepare a hole and fill it 2/3 of the way with compost and necessary amendments, then you may scatter 3-4 seeds in each hole, and then bury the stem as the plant grows.
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Post by desertwoman on Apr 4, 2015 9:45:39 GMT -5
I would pot them up now. They really are crowded.
This will give the seedlings a chance to recover from transplant shock from all that separating before going into the big world of garden, wind, sun .
Also, you will gain more freedom in when you put them in the ground. With all the weird weather we all have been having- who knows what next week will be like. Or two weeks from now.
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Post by gakaren on Apr 4, 2015 9:58:21 GMT -5
Some of mine are about the same size. Some will go directly in the ground since we shouldn't have any more cold here. Some will go into good sized paper cups with holes punched in the bottoms for drainage....much easier for me to plant from those paper cups or just tear out the bottom and plant the whole thing making sure the entire cup is under soil.
I also may try something else this year. My son is now in Va., just above the N.C. line and I may ship him some of my extra plants to put in the beds he is planning. That would be both tomatoes & bell peppers....I have no idea how well they will ship, but if I don't try, I'll never know! ;)
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Post by mrsk on Apr 4, 2015 10:34:49 GMT -5
I think pot now. If you ever wind up having to buy store raised tomatoes in those little pots, those are always root bound. When you dig them up in the fall, you will still find that little root bound ball. I know that if you plant them deeper, they do grow more roots, but if you dig up a tomato in the fall, that was either planted by seed out there, or not allowed to get root bound, you will see quite a difference in the root system, those roots will be thicker and more widely spread.
I use the WOW, and get mine outside in the big world as soon as possible. It is cold and windy today, but hoping tomorrow or Monday will be warmer, I would like to set up my WOW. They need to be set up in advance of planting under them.
Mrs K
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Post by ncgarden on Apr 4, 2015 11:07:11 GMT -5
Thanks guys - I will transplant the big ones this afternoon!!!
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Post by James on Apr 5, 2015 9:56:30 GMT -5
Ya, pot them up. You likely already have it done before I get around to responding? I solved the problem by getting a bunch of 8 oz. plastic drinking cups and putting some soil in them and planting 2 seeds in each cup. (punched a hole in the bottom) the seed came up about 80% so most cups have 2 plants in them. I plant to just set them out and let the two grow together. Some have only one. They will grow in these cups for another three weeks before planting out time in these parts.
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Post by James on Apr 5, 2015 9:56:40 GMT -5
Mine are out back in a shed with a South window. No heat. I did hang a 4 foot 2 tube fluorescent light over them on chains so it can be adjusted for height, and have it about 4 inches above the plants. So far it seems to be working. the tomatoes are up and we will see how they do. (This is a new experiment. I do have some South facing windows in the house, but didn't want the mess of growing in the house) We could still get some pretty cold nights here. It will be interesting to see if the shed will stay above the freezing point?
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Post by Tomato Z on Apr 5, 2015 13:33:34 GMT -5
So James, how many tomatoes do you plant out?
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Post by Mumsey on Apr 6, 2015 4:08:54 GMT -5
It is going to be rainy nearly everyday this week. I will be working on transplanting tomato seedlings. Have yet to count them, but thinking there should be around 100. Some are in 4" pots, those will remain 4 to a pot. The extras get moved to another pot (small cup in this case). Dad supplied me with more fluorescent lighting and little plastic cups, after all they are his tomatoes!
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Post by James on Apr 7, 2015 17:19:35 GMT -5
Oh, I don't know......... maybe around 30 plants.
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Post by ncgarden on Apr 7, 2015 17:32:41 GMT -5
The seedlings all survived the transplant, although it is terribly untidy down there! I did not have enough pots, and did not want to buy any more - but the deed is done. I did end up planting the bee garden transplants, and seeding that area. I think I may put in my salad seeds this weekend. Not putting in the tomatoes, peppers and brassicas until the 25th, I think.
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