Your lights must be close to the plants. To do it well you will need 4 bulbs side by side for one flat. However if you used 4 bulbs you could do 3 flats. The end of your flats need to hang over the flat a few inches. You will not burn your tomatoes with grow lights. You can germinate with cool white lights. I think the other trick is to time it just right so that they don't out grow the amount of light you'll need for them to be surrounded efficiently. You will need to transplant also which means you must prepare to have more lights as they grow or just start smaller. How many flats do you plan on sowing? It is my opinion to use smaller containers to start seeds in so your seeds wont rot. It gets to me a juggling act too to keep them at just the proper dampness. Use a spray bottle to mist them frequently on top. You don't want the mmedium soaked. Be sure to use those doam lids as they hold in the right amount of moisture. If you haven't invested in heating mats it would be an excellent investment, trippling your germination rate. They are inexpensive if all you want to do is increase the ambient (surrounding temperature in the room) up 10-15 degrees. Once your seedlings germinate you're done with the mats. I'd be careful using bottom watering until you at least have germination and becareful not to over water. You can also make a tent to keep the right moisture in the rooms. At this time is is of the utmost importance that you do not let the top of the seedling medium dry out or the seeds may be cooked. You must check them once or twice a day. take off the domes and give them a good mist. You can get hydrolic misters for 6 bucks at Walmart but I doubt they are in stock, just get a good spray bottle. Too much water is another major culprit for leggy tomatoes. My suggestion is to sow about as half as many seeds as you have lights for now because once you start transplanting your seedlings will take up twice the amount of space. Another trick is to transplant a tomato plant deeper than it was grown, this goes for anything transplanted for the most part. Always pot up one size larger. It is important the plants do not sit in mushy medium. You may also pinch off a couple new leaves, this also helps to bush the plant out. I'd wait a little while though. Also don't over plant, or if you do get rid of the weaker ones early enough they are not affecting the nearby ones. Instead of pulling them out snip them off so as not to disturb the soil. I would also start fertilizing a weak solution. Look into what is best at this time. Be careful of not too my nitrogen so you don't get a lot of green but not fruit. (Research the best fertilizer for tomatoes sprouts. Some are for healthy root development, which maybe you want now. Whatever you choose dilute the solution about 1/4 and give it to them every time. the bottom watering suggestion is good but keep the mats handy incase your medium gets water logged and you have to evaporate the water fast. I prefer a heavy mist until I have reason to believe roots are extablishing. I've grown many things in the basement, many heirloom tomatoes, so good luck, I'd get grow bulbs with the whole spectrum of lights, but cool white will germinate the seedlings due to the plants don't need light to germ but heat. Good luck, hope this has been helpful, Micki Of course harden off your seedlingsusing your coldframe. I'd love to make a coldframe. Yours sound like the ritz. Have you considered Winter Sowing your seeds? the benefit to that is your seedlings will be stronger and heartier. Here's a link you might be interested in. I'm sure your cold frame would be put to much good use, and you'd eliminate the problem of the seedlings being spindly. Winter sown tomatoes don't germinate as fast but because they have been grown with Ma Nature they are much hardier and catch up to their counterparts, Let me know what you think, Micki Here is a link that might be useful: winter sowing tomato seeds

I'm not an expert, but there are several on the market that can provide a good P-K rich blend you need. Phosphorus will promote root growth; Potassium is for flowering and fruiting. All plants need a little Nitrogen but don't overdo it. Miracle-Grow for tomatoes is good, and there are some others that Lowes and Home Depot (& probably Wal-Mart) sell that provide higher ratios of Phosphorus and Potassium. I think one is 'Ultra-Green' and another I've seen is by Green Light called Super Bloom that is high in Phosphorus I think. I've used a liquid concentrate called 'Earth Juice' and also put Osmocote slow release granules & composted cow manuer (Black Kow) in the hole when I plant. I supplement with water soluble feedings and also use Epsom Salts. Some folks use Compost Tea (homemade). I have also used the MG tomato fertilizer as a general purupose and go-to fertilizer every couple of weeks. Hope this helps. You really have to find what works well for you and your soil. How big is your garden?

Well, I'll chime in with a straight face, MOL..... my 'maters are all in pots, and need water at least twice a day, I mix up some MG in a bucket and pour some into each bucket I have next to each plant, I keep that water-bucket there so all I have to do is dip out some water and not drag the hose all over the yard.. so essentially I am giving each 'mater some liquid fertilizer each time I water...I won't even speculate at what strength but the water is blue, from the MG... most of my 'maters are getting pretty big, they are from last year's planting Tom brought me.... but they are still setting fruit so I keep them going even tho' they are pot-bound now.....I speculate that the only thing that keeps them going is the liquid fert., by now, because any other nutrient in the potting-mix has been long-gone..... works for me.... sally

Thanks Sharon One thing I have noticed about the fertilizers targeted for tomato growing is that they have Calcium and Magnesium beside NPK. Otherwise they all have different NPK ratios. That is very relevant when you are growing in soil less medium and/or hydroponically. In most established garden soil chances are that there is enough Calcium and Magnesium. SOIL TEST. Having said the above, a soil test can be very useful. Then you apply what is lacking instead of shooting in the dark. Most soil tests results, that I have read here over the years, indicated that there is enough P . The reason appears to be due to the fact that plants uptake much less of it than N and K. The second reason is that P is attached to the soil and won't leach out as N and K. There are other crucial trace elements that plant need and can benefit from, such as Boron, Zinc , Manganese, Sulfur and Iron. Only a soil test can show a good picture. BTW: Next week I am going to take samples for analysis. Sey