When will my tomato seedlings be ready to put in my garden?

It surprises me how fast some of these started sprouting. What all did you plant? The seeds that I actually planted in the garden are starting to sprout. I hope they survive! I planted more seeds in my little containers so hopefully I'll have more sprouting soon! I think I'm addicted to this! Lol!

 

In the ground, I have planted Snap peas, regular peas, lettuce and spinach. I put 28 tomato seeds in peat pots. Next I will plant beet seeds outside. I'm doing a little at a time.

 

I don't know much, but somebody mentioned cutting the empty toilet paper rolls in half so that they are about an inch tall and to put them around the seedlings. It is supposed to protect them from pests, I think, specifically, cutworms.
Not sure if that is helpful or not. I plan to give it a try when my zone is ready.

 

Interesting. I wonder if anyone else has tried that.

 

Poodledoodlemom, if I were one of those seedlings, I would never leave that porch! Its gorgeous

 

Lol! Thanks. I love it too! We'll be here two years in August and we have totally enjoyed it.

 

I went to water my garden yesterday and found 3 mushrooms that had just pushed the dirt out of the way and popped right up. Could this be from having the garden too wet?

 

I'm a Happy Gardener. The first tiny, green tips of tomato plants are showing above the soil in peat pots.

Regarding using toilet paper rolls as a guard against cut worms. I use about 4 inch sections of wire clotheshangers. I just push them into the soil as close to the plant as possible, about 2 inches below soil level leaving about two inches above. It also keeps the birds from snitching my plants for nest building.

 

Possibly and if you used any kind of manure or compost,,probably. Just pull them up and trash them.

 

Thanks guys.

So you put the toilet paper roll around the wire?

 

LOL No Poodledoodlemon, I don't use the toilet paper rolls at all. I have sections of wire cut from wire hangers. The sections are about 4 inches. I place one right against the plant, push about half into the soil and the remaining 2 inches is above ground, protecting the plant from cut worms and birds looking for nest building material.

 

Growingpains,
That is interesting.
How big are the seedlings when you do that? Do you have any pictures? Does it work for all seedlings, or only certain ones?

 

Beeker, I don't have pictures. I usually put my tomato plants outside when they're about 7or 8 inches tall, pinching off the bottom leaves and putting the plant in the ground up to where the first set of leaves were. This year, I plan to let them grow taller in the pots, maybe close to a foot tall? Assuming my patience allows. They're in little Peat pots now and will be transplanted to much larger pots into a mixture of Garden soil (Miracle Gro brand)and top soil. I started them in potting soil.

One year I started my seeds in Miraclegro garden soil. It was far too rich for seedlings. If memory serves me correctly, they died from too strong a soil, sort of burned out.

 

Lol!!!


Last night I looked at my garden and there were 10 new mushrooms. Do I pull them all? Would leaving one or two benefit/hurt the garden?

The only things that have sprouted are a couple peppers, a few rosemary and then something else that I don't know. Probably an herb.

I put 5 tomato seedlings in the garden to see how they would do...they are gone. Well, at first 4 disappeared but when I looked yesterday morning, the last one was laying down on the ground. The others were just gone. Not sure if deer got them or not. I bought some rabbit/deer repellant spray yesterday. I sprayed it but I'm not sure if it actually did anything.

Also, I bought a Meyer lemon tree yesterday. Yay!! There looks to be baby lemons on it! I'm waiting for my husband to FINALLY build me the garden that I've been asking for so I can put it in the garden to get full sun. Our neighbor did a kick-*** job on theirs - they even gave me some of their baby spinach that they grew. And when my tomatoes were destroyed, I think it made my husband feel bad. Or else he's thinking he better just go ahead and do it so I'll shut up already. Ha ha!!!! I got 5 free pallets and I want to use them to build up the bottom of the new garden.

 

Growingpains,
I lost my tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant seedlings last week. I just started the seeds again Monday. I hope they sprout and grow quick enough to get into the ground in 3 more weeks. I don't want a repeat of last year where the tomatoes weren't ripening until September and October. I was hoping to use Sjoerd's advice but I won't be able to this year. The seedlings will be too small. Maybe you can.

Here is the link:
http://www.volkstuindersvereniginghoorn ... age22.html

It is pretty neat.