Re: post above. I had trouble getting it to post... This year, I sowed entire packets of seeds into four inch pots. I labelled each pot and then put them all into clear Rubbermaid boxes turned upside down. These boxes are vastly superior to the "seed domes" that are sold each spring. They last almost indefinitely. I then put the boxes under flourescent lights and into a small bathroom where I run a space heater to keep the room at 75 to 80 degrees. (If you do this, look for low boxes so you can get the lights as close to the seeds as possible.) I had tomato germination in less than 48 hours. Eggplants and peppers took about a week. Once the seedlings had their first set of true leaves, I emptied each 4 inch pot and separated the plants a la NC tomato man, putting each seedling into a cell or a 4 inch pot. I buried the stems in the soil all the way up to the first set of true leaves for EVERYTHING not just for tomatoes. then I moved the trays down to my basement and under flourescent lights. It stays about 60 to 65 degrees down there. I used Gardeners Supply germinating mix for the first time this year and I was impressed. For years I had germinated seeds in Miracle Gro Potting mix because the only kind I had used was Jiffy. GS was vastly superior to either one. I agree with the above poster that peat pots are an invitation to disaster. Try styrofoam cups and punch a hole in the bottom. They are way better IMO. I am happy to report that all 20+ flats of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, zinnias, pentas, vincas, angelonia, begonias, helenium, and heliopsis are doing very well. All we need now is WARM weather!

Again, has anyone ever done studies of the various tomatoes in both germination and growth times? Germination times? Yes, several studies are available and all are based on the conditions provided. Soil temp, soil moisture levels, seed age, planting medium used, amount of planting medium used, etc. So while getting consistent results within the study is possible, drawing any conclusions that would apply across varieties or nationwide are not. Instead you find general germination recommendations such as: "cherry varieties grow faster than beefsteak varieties" or "For best results provide a soil temp of 70-75, use a light texture well draining soil-less mix, fresh seeds, shallow planting, etc. = germination in 4-7 or 5-10 days." Vague and general.;) Growth times? Yes, that is how you get the DTM listed for each variety and how varieties are classed as in Early, Mid-Season, Late Season etc. EX: Brandywine is normally classed as a Late Season 80-90 day variety while most cherry varieties fall into the early and mid-season classes. So one would expect to be eating cherry tomatoes long before Brandywine would produce. But again, DTM is easily affected by individual growing conditions so as is often mentioned here, DTM is just an estimate. Dave

I've got you beat on the 40 years buying tomato seed although I produce all my own OP seed usually, but honestly, I don't look just at germination results. It's just as important to me and I would assume others, to get seeds that are true to the variety, actually even more so than just germination that's great. Germination rates can vary tremendously depending on the individual. I make seed offers. I can distribute seeds for variety X that are absolutely fresh seed and the germination reports I get back can range from 100% to 0%, yes, I said 0% bc not everyone sows seed the same way, uses the same mix, etc. And different retail seed sources acquire seeds in different ways. Some produce all their own seed, speaking OP now, some buy off the shelf, some subcontract out and many do a combination of the above. The overall freshest best germinating seeds, that's OP seed, that I know of are from SandHill bc Glenn sells no tomato seed over 2 yo. As for hybrid tomato seed I've always had good luck with Harris seeds and Stokes, and others have made excellent comments about Johnny's and Pinetree and SSE seed ( from the public catalog) and a few others. but I do think it's perhaps best to look at those companies that sell only OP seed as opposed to those that sell primarily hybrid seed, as opposed to those that sell both in equal numbers if companies are to be compared. Again, germination is NOT my major concern, trueness of seed is. I used to do a wrong varieties thread here at GW and it became apparent that some companies are much better than others when it comes to selling seed that was true for the variety. And NO company is perfect re seed trueness or good germination of seeds. Carolyn

I just ran across this site because I was looking for a cause of this and if and how to plant my tomatoes. I have 2 tomatoes, on the same vine that were bought in the store about a week ago. My house temp is about 68-70 degrees and I have sprouts that broke the surface of the tomato. It looks rather cool but like I said, I don't know if and how to plant them or if I can this time of year. I just put a link on here, not knowing what I am doing to see if you can get the picture. But, can I just plant it inside, whole in the tomatoes so that I don't mess up the cause of the growth?