I remember a time in February/March many years ago, when it rained every day n San Diego.

I also remember a year when I lived in La Mesa that we had no rain at all. It's really hard to know what the right advice for you is, but I won't let that stop me (smile).

If you think that this is going to be a very rainy year, put the plants in their own containers now, and move them to protected spots when nasty weather is on the way. If they are going to need large containers, you might use lightweight soiless potting mix, to make moving them easier.

If you think you're in for just a few more showers before the end of March, put them in the ground, and keep something around to cover them with if night temperatures dip below 40. Milk jugs with the bottoms cut out will work while they are small and cardboard boxes will do fine later.

Jan

How's that for straddling the fence?

Hi Ragtimegal, I can tell, You are gonna have fun :-)

8, several wk old seedlings, of 2 varieties, 3-5" tall, in 2 containers, 3-4" apart and doing well. Weather coming with lows in the 40s and a new garden spot almost ready. What to do right?

You could roll the dice and keep them where they are hoping the 40s don't last too long or get colder.

You could repot to give each its own pot and bring them back inside for a while or build a mini greenhouse from scrap lumber and clear plastic (my choice).

You could plant them and prepare to protect them from what ever comes (second choice).

You could repot the two best of each, buy 2 more of two more varieties and put those 8 in the mini greenhouse (actually thats my top choice :-)

Dappled sun, protected from wind, moderate temps and care teasing roots apart, planted to within 1/2" of true leaves, a healthy drink with good drainage, no fertilizer for a week or so and your plants should not have any meaningful transplant shock. You may infact notice none at all.

Compost and Mulch are good things.

40s and hail are not.

Have Fun!

Thanks Jll..good job straddling that fence, but both sound look good advice!

Dave, I love the idea of a greenhouse! I am impulsive enough to go out and build one tomorrow, but the question that immediately came to my mind was...do I really need a greenhouse in San Diego, with our cold season so short? If the answer is yes, and I can learn how to properly use one..well then sign me up!

In the meantime, I'm probably going to have to do one of the two options that you both laid out. I'm going to cover them tonight, since we're dipping below 40. I don't know if there is a way to find out what the probability of a rainy vs dry season for this spring will be. Farmer's Almanac perhaps? I really have no clue there. Since I don't have other containers on hand, I think I may go the route of planting them and ensuring that they are covered in cold temps.

One last question since we're on the tomato topic here: I just planted some heirloom tomato seeds and they are indoors at the moment. I think I may have planted them too deep. They were tiny seeds, and I probably planted them an inch deep, perhaps a bit more. Will those come up? I'm tempted to just add another seed very shallow to those peat pots, as I read that seeds should be planted at a depth approx half their circumference. That would make these just barely below the surface. Is that correct?

I am already having so much fun and look forward to learning and sharing with everyone on the forum!

Gotta cottage cheese or butter tub? How bout a peanut butter jar or yogurt cup. A couple holes poked in the bottom and you're in buis.

An inch is pretty deep. Might try a quarter. I hear the peat pots have pretty bad mold problems. I use the pellets, many use a soiless mix. As a kid, we did thousands, for years, in egg cartons with potting soil.

I don't know if you'll find a mini greenhouse useful or not but I sure do. Doesn't have to be anything overly large or fancy. Just something to let the plants be outside but protected.

Here are a few pics from last yr.

A piece of heavy, opaque plexi was the top for cool nights or rain.

Sweet, Dave. I see lots of varieties there.

Another option for you, ragtime, are translucent steerlight tubs. I use them for my seedlings, and just snap the top on them at night. Depending on the weather prediction, I may stack the tubs and cover them with blankies, or bring them inside. As the weather warms up, most of these tubs will be converted to self-watering containers for the big tomatoes.

jan

I had students plant several hundred seeds one year to sell for the school's biology club. They had over eager fingers and put the seeds in holes an inch or more deep and the seedlings came up came up just fine.

Thanks for the pics, Dave!! Your seedlings look awesome, and you have so many varieties.

So many choices here, I suppose I could even do a bit of an experiment and try each method out with a seedling of each variety and see which yields the best result...I see an experiment in the making!!

I don't know what steerlight tubs are. Are they pricey, Jan?

Spiced Ham (love the name!) I'm happy to hear that you had luck despite the depth of your seeds. I won't give up on them and I'll put my remaining seeds in another container. I saved the plastic carton that I bought grapes in, and it will do quite nicely!

I will keep you posted on the experiment..I'm excited to get started!

: )

Ragtime, when you start "repurposing" kitchen garbage you are on your way to being a natural gardener. (grin) I have a separate pile of recycles that I am sure I will find a use for sooner or later.

Steerlight tubs are the inexpensive copies of Rubbermaid storage bins with lids. They let plenty of light through, even with the top on. And with the top off, they protect the seedlings from harsh wind.

Ah, I see. I think I already have some of those sitting with junk in them in the garage. Time to start cleaning them out!

Disease question here: I was reading the Ulimate Tomato Transplant thread, and someone commented about disease protection from the day of planting. This is something I hadn't even considered. Afterall, I'm not going to get diseases on my plants.. : ) Now that I'm back to reality, I need to figure out what diseases are common in my area. Does anyone know how to find that out? I may post the question in the Disease forum, but I figure someone here would know as well.

I haven't moved the plants yet. I'm a little chicken to do it, but I swear one of them grew an inch between yesterday and today, so I had better get a move on soon!

Oh, and thanks to everyone the recommended covering them. I covered them last night, and it got down to 34!! I suppose if you consider that I have just left them outside in containers, unprotected all this time, that I can't kill them at this point.

I think these tomato plants are stressing me out...is it 5 o'clock? I need a glass of wine.. : O)

OMG...I have red spider mites on my seedlings! I just moved one into another container and noticed white spots on the leaves. I found a post that said to put a papertowel underneath and shake the leaves, and sure enough, a TON of little mites came off!

I'm going to research those and perhaps post in the disease forum, but for those of you reading this one, I'd love any advice....where's that darn wine bottle..