You're probably wasting seed by putting them outside. Best to germinate at 75F and then move them outside.

I think four seeds will certainly be enough if you want two plants out of them. Don't be surprised if you end up with plants to spare. I also think that by starting them outside, you'll be able to skip hardening them off. I don't see how it would be wasting seeds by planting them outside as long as your weather is warm enough, but I could be wrong.

If you're going to sprout them outside then keep them outside. Don't bring them in unless you have temps going below 30 degrees.

Taz, could you please explain why sprouting outside wastes seed? In my experience, you're wrong.

Since I have got better germination and survival of seedlings inside how could I be wrong? You get better germination rates under controlled temps and weak seedlings get a chance to strengthen before subjecting them to the elements. To me that's just common sense.

Could it be a situation where direct seeding is more successful or appropriate for one area, and not another? I live in a very warm area (although we do get frosts), and every year I have beautiful and healthy "volunteers" that come up (of course, I have no idea how many seeds are "wasted" in their growth). I know many people in this area that direct seed with great success, and wouldn't do it any other way. On the other hand, I like a good jump start on my growing season, so I start my "deliberate" plants inside. I hate hardening plants off, for some reason, so if I lived in a place that never sees a frost, I'd probably direct seed exclusively. Perhaps it is all a matter of personal preference?

I'm pretty sure this is going to be a preference/location/spacial debate. I do not have room inside to start seed unless I do it with coffee filters and plastic bags. But then, I have to plant the sprouted seed SOMEWHERE and that would be outside. I would think it would shock the seed if I had it all warm and cozy and then put it into the elements.
I guess I may try a couple seeds in a few different ways and see if there is a big difference in how the seeds/plants grow. I figure if people winter sow seeds and get growth, no harm in me "winter sowing" when my temps are rarely below 40*.
I have a spreadsheet for all my seeds, so I'll track growth based on germination method and report back in a few weeks.

I'm sure it will work just fine in a warm climate. My growlight setup thingie is in an unheated garage. I have a thermometer in there, and even last winter when we had an all time record low of 16 degrees, it didn't get down below freezing in the garage.

Tomatoes will grow more slowly in cool temperatures, but they WILL grow. You just have to give them more time. They'll be ok as long as they don't freeze.

Peppers and eggplants need more heat. I have mine on one of those greenhouse heating pads to keep them warmer than the tomatoes.

And of course when I'm having a day like today when it's in the 70's and sunny in December, the kids get a "field trip" to the back porch to get some natural sunlight. If it freezes, they get snatched back inside the garage, but we're not due to freeze again for several days.

I betcha I could direct seed my tomatoes if I wanted to. The main downside is that the garden is currently taken up by the vegetables I grow through the winter (lettuce, brassicas, peas, etc.), so there's not enough room for them.

i usaully usaully plant (1.75 x number of plant needed)rounded up to nearest whole number.

We use to direct sow tomato seeds but before we did, we would burn the soil (or later gas it to kill weeds), rake it into very fine particles and then sow the seeds. I'm sure we still did not get near the germination rates but we were susceptible to freezes.

If direct seeding worked a treat, I would have thousands of volunteers each year, instead I get a couple two or three.

Hardening off is simple - I sit the plants on the east side of the house, then on the north side but close enough to where they will get sun for only a few hours. I gradually move them back a bit each day until they are in the sun from its rise to setting.

Mike

That's very similar to the process of hardening off I use Mike. I put them very close to the east side of the house and move them further from the house every day or 2 until they get around 6 hours of direct sun then I plant them.