I've actually done it several times successfully these last couple of years, using two different methods. Its best if you can remove a plug of earth WITH the plant. The plant will recover very quickly if it even goes into shock at all. I used this method to transplant a broccoli and three marigolds from different areas of the garden this year. If there's not enough room between plants to get a plug of dirt with the one you're taking out, dig the little guy out gently with your fingers, then make a hole deep enough to accomodate its longest roots then close it up around them and water. This is a less successful method than the first, but I did do it with a couple of carrots last year. They grew to maturity, but turned out to be 'Thumbelinas' instead of full size Chatenays! ;) On the other hand the two kale seedlings I used this method with this year have become nice and huge. Hope it helps! --GW

You need a large container of warm water to lessen the shock. Maybe 80 F water is good. You shake the root ball up and down in the water washing off the soil until you have like all roots only. The plants will separate. some roots get broken off but you can keep almost all plants alive. You can lay the plants down in water. Keep them in water until they are transplanted. As you pull the plants apart keep them in water. the water will help to untangle the roots. But some will get the roots broken off. That is ok the plant will grow new roots and recover. pull them off the rootball in groups. even pull in half. that brings some roots with the pulled off bunch. now separate them. move the plants up and down in the water to help separate the roots. After transplanting you give them some time to recover from the shock. Bell peppers are much harder to grow then chile peppers. The bell peppers will just not produce all bunched up. You could chop off all plants except one plant. You could cut down the plant and root the cutting but that is somewhat tricky and difficult. I would tear them apart and not worry too much about roots being lost. just plant them and they will make a comeback. right now the most valuable part of the plant is the roots and the part of the stem below ground from which the roots grow. new roots will come out of that part very fast. just keep all the stem and a little root and it will grow for you just fine.

Plus having a compost pile might attract bears, right? (At least, we have that issue at our cottage in northern Michigan. They aren't real common, but have been known to get curious and/or hungry and seek them out. I can only imagine it's a bigger problem for your area.) OK, so with frost free dates from early May to early October, you aren't all that different from my growing season. (I'm just a week or so on either side of that.) By that calculation, you're actually not too early to be starting your seeds. :) The reason I asked about your low temps is that tomatoes generally go outside here once the lows are in the 50's. For me, that's typically mid-to-late May, so again, just a week or two ahead of you. Since I typically start tomato seeds 6-8 weeks before I want to transplant them outside, I'd say you're right on time with your seed starting. :)

I'm not sure why some people here continue to take stabs in the dark when guessing what kind / colors of lamps to use. This has been researched to death. The key points are correct color, maximum output, and low heat. The old rule of thumb was to use a cool lamp and a warm lamp to get a balanced light. Since then, it has been found that for most hydroponic growth (where the research has been done), lamps with a color in the temperature range of about 2200K or 2300K is as close to the correct color for flowering and fruit production. For vegetative growth, it has been found that lamps with a color in the temperature range of 6000K to 6500K is most effective. For those who only use this lighting setup for seed starting, you can use the cheap 4 foot T-12 twin tube shop lights from Walmart for about $12-$15. While you are there, pick up the GE 'Daylight' lamps that are ~6300K. They should be about $9 for the two-pack. The drawback from this setup is the low lumens/output. If you are a bit handier with tools, use your imagination and build a light panel GE 100W Daylight compact fluorescent lamps in each socket. Even with 10 100W lamps, you still don't use that much electricity but still produce the lumens (light output) to make it better than a desk lamp. I know of more than a handful of people who have used these lighting setups very successfully. This can allow you to increase the light concentration significantly without boosting the heat output too much. If you're serious about a lighting project, consider using a high pressure sodium ballast and lamp. 400W to 1000W is good for starters. This gives you maximum light output (a good 1000W HPS lamp can put out 110,000 lumens compare to 3,080 for a 40W T-12 tube).The drawbacks to MH and HPS lamps are cost, and *can* generate a large amount of heat. If there are further questions, please post, or you can also start checking hydroponics sites, or hydroponics lighting manufacturers and look for the various brands (Sun, Gavita, Hortilux, Osram). For those thinking about using quartz halogens, save your money. They aren't the right color, and they waste much of the power in generating heat rather than light. If you want to waste your money on grolux/full spectrum bulbs, have at it. The company is in business because a lot of people think they are better. Save your money and do it right the first time rather than listen to those who THINK they know what they are doing... If the pot heads can figure it out, why are people still beating their heads against a wall and still using one cool and one warm bulb? --->Rob