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Growing from Seed

seed starting with heat mat but no flourescents

11 years ago

This is my first season gardening and I've got some questions about seed starting. I bought some Jiffy seed starting pods, and plan on putting tomato and carrot seeds in them. I also have a heated mat. What I don't have is a flourescent overhead light. Can I place the heated mat with starting pods near an open window, or maybe patio sliding door, during the day? I live in Southern Clalifornia, sunset 20. Any comments?

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Comments (7)

dsb22
11 years ago
That amount of light is fine for germination, which should be very fast with a heat mat. Very bright light is needed after germination, otherwise your seedlings will start stretching towards the light source and get leggy quickly. I use Jiffy pellets and a heat mat (plus a thermostat) and most things come up in 1-7 days. Tomatoes will also outgrow a Jiffy pellet quickly. If you have a yard or balcony and your temps are warm now, you can just pot up the seedlings, harden them off and move them outside at that point though.
mandolls
11 years ago
I have not heard of anyone successfully starting carrots inside and transplanting them - you should seed them directly in your garden.
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I agree with mandolls....fluorescents don't put out much heat compared to incandescent, but it still puts out noticeable heat which surprised me. I am also a newbie and need to invest in a soil thermometer, but I can tell by experience so far that the shelf I added immediately above my top tier 4' 2 bulb fluorescent light fixtures stays a nice comfortable "warm" and has been perfect for germinating all manner of vegetables so far. You could even box in (or just tent it with plastic) the area above the light and it would become even warmer but that's not necessary for my setup inside the house where the air temp is usually 70-75 anyway. With a cooler basement setup you may want to build a sort of grow box to trap more of the heat rising from the light fixture as your germination station. Now I've just planted daylily seeds on the rack to germinate so we'll see how they do but I expect good results. Good luck with your seed starting!
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Were the seeds all of the same variety? Sometimes, seeds just germinate at different rates, for no reason at all. In your situation, before considering air circulation, I would look first to the heat source. Possibly your heat mat is hotter either in the center or around the perimeter, thus causing better germination either in the cooler or hotter areas. I have seen this before using my cheap heating pad, as the coil inside makes certain areas of the pad hotter than others. Air circulation really is only important during germination to the extent that you don't want the seeds to rot or develop a mold/fungus. If the un-germinated seeds aren't rotten or severely moldy, then air circulation is fine, IMHO.
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I have used my heating pad many times. You can also place the flat on top of the fridge or freezer for extra warmth. Anything that is warm will work. Oops, I see you don't want to use the frig.
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User
11 years ago
I have no light source but I do have a cold greenhouse and manage pretty well. I use a heat mat to get tomatoes going and cover the seed trays with a lid at night. If temperatures drop too low, I throw a bit of horticultural fleece over the seed trays.

Mandolls is right - sow the carrots directly in the soil, they really won't transplant (although it is possible with Jiffys but very costly). They do not require extra heat or light.
gardenweb88
Original Author
11 years ago
So, start tomato seeds, but not carrot seeds. I plan on growing the tomato plants in 20 gallon containers.

Is the below correct?
I grow the tomato seeds in the jiffy pods over the heat mat next to a window. Then after germination occurs, repot, jiffy pod and all, into a larger 1 gallon container that I use to slowly harden the plants off to direct sunlight. Then repot again into the permanent 20 gallon?
susanzone5 (NY)
11 years ago
If you live in southern California, then you can start the seeds outdoors now, where they will grow.No need to bother with indoors.
gardenweb88
Original Author
11 years ago
It's less trouble for me to plant the seed directly into the permanent container.

Can someone explain the how to sow directly into the pot for tomato seeds? Am I filling the pot only slightly, then waiting for the seed to germinate. And as the stem grows, I add more soil?

or do i fill the entire container with soil and amendments and plant the seed towards the surface of the mix?

This post was edited by gardenweb88 on Fri, Apr 12, 13 at 21:21
digdirt2
11 years ago
Am I filling the pot only slightly, then waiting for the seed to germinate. And as the stem grows, I add more soil?

Just like that. Check out all the FAQs here too. They cover all the basics.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing from Seed FAQs

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