I agree with opinions on MG products. I never buy them. We usually mix our own potting mix. In the past, we've bought a large container of peat moss, perlite and mix that with some compost in a wheel barrow. Once it's mixed, we store it in one of those aluminum trash cans with a lid, where it's easy to access without plastic bags opening up and spilling every where. I've been experimenting with a new recipe after reading a lot about a 5-1-1 mix they suggest over on the Container forum. But the jury is still out on that one. We normally will use the mix all spring and summer and then in the Fall make up another batch, fill our aluminum can and bring it down to the basement for the winter for houseplants and seed starting in early spring. I'm sure there are premixed potting mixes available if you don't have the interest in making your own. I've heard Fafard makes a good product, although expensive. If I were buying pre made, I'd be looking at the ingredients. Peat moss, perlite, compost maybe, bark fines. I'd be avoiding a lot of other ingredients. Especially aimed at water retention, or synthetic fertilizer, coloring or soil 'conditioning'. Seeds have become so expensive now, that I would have to agree with Loribee, to save the money to spend on that. I don't use Burpee either. I have been buying from FEDCO which is an organic growers coop for seeds, supplies, potato tubers, etc. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from Johnny's either. Loribee, I love your yogurt container idea! We usually make our own yogurt and buy the large container once in awhile. I am going to have to try to start using multiples of the smaller size and save those for next year. I also have those red drinking cups that I use too.

i stated 1/4 tspn per gal as an everyday feeding ... of course a bit more now ... second.. the lesson you should take from all this.. you started too early .. and now they are too gangly and need food.. next year.. start them a few weeks later so they wont be quite so large at frost free date ... try starting them at 2 week intervals.. and take notes .. so you get the plant you want at the right time ... also .. you might want to figure out how to increase winter light.. try growing them under lights .... a stronger shorter stockier plant will be more vigorous... and plan on potting them up at least once... 4 or 6 weeks after they sprout.. gently pull one out of the cell pack .. if root bound.. time to pot up .. finally .... i hope you know how to plant them .. strip all leaves off and plant it so it is barely out of the ground .... tomatoes will root along the entire stem ... and take off like rockets ... ken

oilrigg, I've never sprouted seeds as you do; I used to use peat-pellets and now sow the seeds in seed-starting mix. I have a similar set-up to yours except mine are in multi-cell inserts in 10x20 flats, and I keep the cool (not grow) fluorescents about an inch above the top leaves. [I have sheets and chunks of styrofoam which I stack under the flats; as the seedlings grow, I remove layers of styrofoam. This saves the hassle of having to raise the lights all the time.] I water them from below, let them sit for 10-20 minutes, then just lift out the insert and switch it for a flat that hasn't been watered yet; this means that ideally the seedlings don't sit in the water too long. I plant 2-5 seeds per cell, depending on the age of the seeds and whether or not I've had trouble germinating them before. I've never noticed any correlation between the number of seeds and the health or size of the seedlings. When I'm transplanting to 16 oz. cups, I can be pretty rough on seedlings; and sometimes I save two seedlings from the same cell, which certainly kills a number of rootlets. I don't know if they respond positively to rough treatment as you speculate, but I do know that it doesn't seem to set them back much.

no but isnt it time to plant out ? they will take off then