Not yet - I start mine April 3rd. Like you I am counting the days and getting everything ready. I guess I need to move further south!

TomNJ

I am with you but need to get the grow lights out and put together this week, mine are getting started this Saturday for a planned May 15th plant out in containers. I can hardly wait. Here is what I am growing this year all but 3 are new to me:

2009 Tomato List

Sun Gold Hybrid (Cherry)
Big Beef VFFNTA Hybrid
Brandy Boy Hybrid
Black Cherry
Aunt Ginny's Purple
Indian Stripe
Cherokee Green
Eva Purple Ball
Solar Set VFF Hybrid
New Big Dwarf
Tomato Heatwave II Hybrid
Goose Creek

Note: the heat tolerant varities are in the list as I grow 4 containers on my small upperdeck against the house and it gets very warm, Heatwave always does well up there but this year I am trying goose creek and Solar Set along with New Big Dwarf (NBD did pretty good up there last year)

I don't start mine until april 15. I like to plant out @ may 21 and keep that growth momentum rolling. They will catch up and pass most plants in my area by july 1. I believe it just doesn't give you any advantage for QUALITY fruit to plant big plants too early.

I started my "practice batch" two weeks ago, but I am trying to hold off until April to start most of them.

Tom8olvr, I think you said that the oxhearts/strawberry-shaped/wispy foliage are especially unhappy indoors after 5 or 6 weeks, so I am definitely going to wait to plant my German Red Strawberry, Anna Russian and Orange Russian 117 until April 15, and I think I will also wait until then for the cherry varieties, based on what Carolyn says in her books (that they grow fast so always start them a week later). Can't promise I can show that much restraint about the others varieties!

Mine were WinterSown a couple of weeks ago--I still have a few varieties I to do, but it's not the big hurrah of whats already outside. This is a bit late for me, usually I've got them all outside by the middle of March. Still freaking cold at night so no biggee.

You guys are all doing it right, anxious as you are, still holding off for the 1st week in April. My peppers were started on 3-15 and they look pretty darn good at this point. Transplanted to a 2nd tray today. Still more to go; will have lots for friends.

Got some Brandy Boy seeds in today, paid too much but at 73
I better get her done now, there isn't a whole lot of time to shop around! They will join 54 other varieties when I plant,targeted for April 1st.

Several experiments this year: Irrigation system in the PA garden, 7 container units with 1 plant each to be grown on the dock at the lake across the line into Ohio, at least 12 new varieties of tomatoes and peppers never tried before. So, lots of interesting stuff to look forward to.

Spread 3" of mushroom manure over my PA garden yesterday, went out to the lake to get the rototiller this AM, it commenced to rain immediatly upon loading the tiller into the truck. Damn, need to get the peas in!

I've started some, But my main batch will go in April 10-12th.

It's a six week crop. Start them now, and you better have somewhere to go with them May 6th. Trying to hold them from May 6th to 25th or 30th could be a challenge.

The early tomatoes (Kimberly and Bloody Butcher) for the patio planters were started a month ago. Everything else will be started over the next few days. This is about a week early compared to past years.

Me neither...i did start digging out flats n' stuff today...i shoulda started peppers, but they always do fine when i start them with the toms.

I've got a 4-day weekend coming up and it's supposed to be cold and rainy, perfect for planting seeds and getting the spare bathroom/bedroom set up for all my babies!

Mine getting started today, 2.5 weeks behind schedule. have just been too busy. will need to get them into large pots as soon as they are ready to grow to maximize size before planting out.

I started some about three weeks ago, aiming for 12 plants. Eight germinated, so today I started the four that didn't germinate again. I plan to plant out the first ones in early May, so I don't think three weeks delay on the others will make a lot of difference. With 12 plants, we'll get some early, some later, and that's fine.

well I started my first batch on march 20th then when they weren't up on the 23rd I started more seeds using a different method now Im waiting waiting waiting to see If any are going to come up. Dang it I'm to used to lettuce and cat grass that comes up in 3 days then again none of my letuce has come up yet either next year it's back to theburppe seed starting greenhouse kit for sure.l

I plan to plant out May 20th-June 1st depending on temps/weather.

So, haven't started maters yet. Peppers yes, tomatos, no.

I am chomping at the bit, but some last minute seeds haven't arrived yet so that keeps me more patient. I have the growing mix all made/limed and waiting for it's time to shine.

I started all my tomatoes for my hoop buildings on February 21st. They were suppose to go out this week. However due to the 50+ mph winds on Monday and the 2-17 inches of snow expected in Kansas this weekend, I am waiting until next week. The soil temp is good, the rowcover is ready and I am running out of space under the lights. I am planning on planting my second round this weekend. These are my outside tomatoes and tomatoes I plants I will be selling in early May. I will wait two weeks after that and plant a third planting. These will also be for sale.

I find that if they get too big, it is a bigger pain to deal with. Small and strong is better than big and weak, IMHO.

Jay

I just started mine two days ago. No sprouts yet. But I will be trying Kellogg Breakfast, Stupice, Siletz, and Red Siberian. I would love to try more but I am limited on space/SWC. Good luck all.

I start mine on April 1 so that I have a reason for anything that goes wrong. I already have a white she-goat to sacrifice, and the tachyon emitting power crystals should show up in the mail any day now.

"I already have a white she-goat to sacrifice, and the tachyon emitting power crystals should show up in the mail any day now."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, thanks I needed that.

I'm WSing mine and I haven't put them out yet. Still waiting on my TGS order that should be here anyday. Hopefully today. Plus the fact I change my list like 10 times a day in my head, LOL. I cut down on my numbers quite a bit, not sure if I'm gonna be able to get my manure this year, so I'm only putting in 1 tomato bed instead of 2 (a spot that needs to be enriched quite a bit).

Melissa1977

Like many other Zone Fivers, I have not started any tender seeds yet. I usually shoot for a Memorial Day plant out, but even that can be risky because we have had heavy frosts that late. But what else can you do?

LarryW, I am so with you! I took an extra 4 days off from work expressly to haul manure, till, get the garden ready, plant my peas, check and lay out drip lines, etc., and do some yard work but we had rain, wind, more rain, wind, snow, rain, and then this morning ice covered with icy snow! You can nearly figure that if I take time off from work, it will be nasty weather....and at my job, if you don't schedule in advance, you are not likely to get the time off. *sigh*

If the weather is nice after work any time this week, I may just get the Mantis out and till a strip alongside the garden for my peas, radishes, carrots and beets.

Peppers and coles are slated to be started the first weekend or so in April (if I can hold out that long!) Then about 10 - 14 days later, the first of the tomatoes with the rest in the following week as space is made on the germination mat.

I have narrowed my list down to about 85, but I probably need to trim that by about 15-20, depending on whether I want to put out two or three of some varieties, or if the weather is nice enough to till up a little more space in the pasture. I'm also waiting on some seeds to arrive, and that may change the entire picture, AGAIN.

I think I will go count tomato seeds. *grin*

Bets

I will be starting mine Apr. 4-5. They will catch up with everyone else's who have been started. At least I hope. :-)

It's April 13th and I still haven't started my seed. I'm
going to h*ll in a handbasket.

Starting today, been lazy with all this rotten weather. Finally a nice day to clear the garden and also start the tomato seeds indoors. Gotta get those beets, lettuce and spinach planted too. Oh yes, and set up the light station for when (or if) the tomato seeds sprout.

I'm still starting seeds, but I feel guilty about it!!

Just sowed the last of the Roma Bush and a few Beefsteak.
Mater sowing, all done

I started mine April 2, a little later than I usually do, but the weather here has been colder and wetter than usual, so probably for the best. 1st Black Cherry up 2 days ago, 2nd just today. Still waiting on Coyote. All the rest transplanted into sm pots and going to spend a couple of hours out in the sun today. Forcast for 54 degrees. If everything goes well they will go out into garden the second week of May. I planted 9 new varietes of tomatoes, thanks mainly to Trudi and WinterSown. Started more seeds than I needed to make sure I got some of each. Most germinated so I will have extra plants to give to neighbors.

Good gardening, Mary

tom8olvr,
You were the one who told me it would be OK to start a batch of seeds today (April 13) after I got back from vacation, so according to you, you are not going anywhere in a handbasket.

I'm starting Batch 3 today - my cherries and my "wispy" types. And I'm potting up Batch 2 today as well, which are about 2 1/2 weeks old. Batch 1 was started over 4 weeks ago and looking very awesome, but we will see if they get a little too big for their britches by May 16. Overall, my mad science experiment is 9 weeks/7 weeks/5 weeks from plant out, and a few of varieties in the 9 week batch are also in the 7 week batch. GWCW (GardenWeb Conventional Wisdom) says that the 7 week batch will do as well if not better than the same variety in the 9 week batch - I'll start posting pictures soon.

For those of you zone fivers feeling late, I just started my seeds 1 week ago, zone 8.

5 each of Black Cherry, Cherokee Purple, Costoluto Genovese and a mystery Spanish variety given to me by a friend with no ID. Sure, I should/could have started earlier, but the weather for the rest of the week is forecast to drop into the 20s. Only about 3/4 of the seedlings are up, and they're still coming up... it's going to be a long wait until the first tomato...

Wow, all you Zone 6ers, especially those from MA, are giving me hope that I am actually somewhat close to being on schedule. I actually started a batch on March 14th and another on March 26th. My seedlings were really slow to come up, however, so I thought that I was going to be way late. Seems instead like I am in line with what others are planning for. I am in the city so I can go outside a little earlier than rural folks, but still. Only by a week, maybe two if the weather's cooperative.

Cleo - You're on batch #3... I've not even started!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've not even
decided completely. I have a pile of definitely, a pile
of considering, a pile for friends and family, and a pile
of ones I've heard great things but still not convinced...