Tumbler Seedling Day 7
It’s a week ago that I shook my tomato seeds out of their packets and into seed compost. Some companionably high 5-ing in 7.5cm flower pots and some given a home to call their own in the shape of a Grow Pot or Peat Pellet.
So what has happened in the past 7 days.
Day One to Three
Every morning I followed my new routine of kettle on (for a cup of tea, not for the tomatoes, although so pampered are they that it wouldn’t surprise me to come down one morning to find a ticked breakfast menu card hung outside the propagator requesting ‘portion of potash, sunny side up’) and whilst waiting for the kettle to boil I took the lid off the propagator and dried off the condensation that collects in it. This was also my chance to peer in and check on progress. Which for the first 3 days was absolutely zilch. I am sure underneath the surface it was all lights, camera ,action and David Attenborough voice overs. But from where I was standing it was the Test Card!
Day Four
Routine disappointment now being served up alongside my cuppa I was about to pop the propagator lid back on when I noticed three tiny loops of green sticking up from the peat pellets. When they first emerge the seedlings resemble the backs of little needlework stitches. But instead of the beginnings of an embroidered frog these were three little Tumblers in the making.
Day Five
It was beginning to feel like I wasn’t such a ‘Billy-no-mates’ with only no shows to my party. Today’s count was 12 seedlings of 5 varieties.
Like any good hostess worth my mostess I checked my guests had plenty to drink and to my shame found the pellets were parched and so transferred them to a roasting tin for a drink until they were nicely refreshed.
Days Six
Party in full swing. Day Six count = 36 seedlings and 9 varieties.
The Propagator 7 Days After 1st Sowing
Day Seven
Full House ! 43 seedlings but all 10 varieties. The last one to show was Tigerella , and chosen for its exotic looks, it feels right that it should appear as the showstopper. If only I had planted Shirley as well I could’ve had a full on Palladium Propagator.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
do any tomato variety seedling stems purplish in color or would that be egg plant. I seem 2 have gotten seedlings mixed up thank you
Hello. Thank you for getting in touch with Tomato Lover.
I too have got some of my seedlings mixed up ! Everything you read says to label them carefully but as I wrote in a previous post I’ve somehow managed to still get a whole tray of seedlings which I now don’t know the names of . I have called them seedlings anonymous ! But that doesn’t help you !
I am surrounded by tomato seedlings and absolutely all of them are green. Even the dark tomatoes – Black Cherry and also Carbon which as a tomato is one of the very dark purple ones. So I don’t think they are tomatoes. I have searched through my gardening magazines and books to see if I could find any photos of egg plant/aubergine seedlings and in the March edition of Grow Your Own (UK) they had an illustrated article on how to grow them. The stems looked green ! But I have never grown Aubergines so honestly don’t know !
Are there any other Tomato Lovers out there who also grow Egg plants/aubergines and know if there are any which have purplish stems who could help solve the mystery of the mixed up seedlings !?
Intrigued by the mystery of your seedlings’ purple stems I have done a bit more ‘digging’ around.
I came across this link on a forum. It would seem that in seedlings stem can turn purple as a reaction to being transplanted into the garden ‘ transplant’ shock and the cooler temperatures outside. It would seem that growth might also halt during this period. However the good news is that the once the seedlings have settled in the garden and adjusted to the new cooler temperatures they recover.
Where are your seedlings now ? Does any of this fit with your situation ? Do let us know !
Hi, I too am a tomato lover and currently growing:
Amish Paste, Banana Legs, juliete, Pink Brandy Wine, Shirley, Follia, Black krim, Black from Tula and Russian black. All of which have germinated well and have now been potted onto next stage from original modules.
Reason for the communication is I too purchased the majority of my seed from nicky’s Nuresery and included carbon. I treated all my Tomatoes the same but after a failed first attempt and equally unsuccessful second attempt to get Carbon to germinate I have thrown in the towel for 2010. Any clues as to what may be the cause? – do carbon (being such a different Tomato) have a special need I have missed? Any help or suggestions greatfully received.
As an aside I do have a few Tomato seedlings with purplish stems and can share a photo if I knew how.
Hello
Thank you for stopping by and getting in touch. What a wonderful selection – I’m sat here swooning at the thought of all those interesting varieties. I love all those dark, broody Russians mixed with the more Marx Bros sounding Banana Legs !
As for Carbon not germinating that’s a mystery. F1 hybrids should have a 100% germination rate and the open pollinated/heritage around 80%. So its odd that none have come through. Last year when I grew Carbon ( from N’sN ) I wasn’t successful at getting very productive plants – but the few fruits produced were worth it as they were so show stopping both in looks and flavour. But I didn’t know that when I germinated them – so they got processed in exactly the same way as everything else and were fine – so I can’t see what special needs they might have at germination stage and I think within the percentages as listed above – a seed is a seed !
I agree with not carrying on with them for this year now – they take a long time to come to maturity so need a good long run up. But if you had any seed left I wonder about putting 1 or 2 seeds in a shallow tray on some wetted tissue ( loo roll or kitchen is fine), cover with cling film and see if they germinate. At least then you could see if anything was happening with the seed.
However the good news is you have lots of other black varieties -so you might not miss it as much as if you’d being relying on Carbon.
I’d love to hear how they all get on.
Oh sorry I also meant to say about the purple stems – I think its when they get cold – it’s nothing to worry about – they will be fine. If you have access to BBC Iplayer – have a look at Gardeners World Episode 4 in the first few minutes. I am sure Toby Buckland’s tomato seedlings look as if they are quite purple !
You asked if I would let you know how my tomatoes got on – forgot to mention I also grow Marmond both a few under glass but mainly outside. I have my indoor tomatoes in 9 inch bottomless pots which are three to a deep grow bag sat on gravel in gravel trays – am now during the current hot spell having to top up the gravel trays with water three times a day but can report all variaties (apart from my failed Carbon) are 5′ to 6′ tall (outdoor about 3′) and all bearing green fruit at varying stages with the most formard being the shirly plants. Feeding a liquid feed twice a week into the pots. All is set to be a bumper crop although I have had slight problems with blossom end rot wich cannot be due to allowing the plants to dry out and then watering – not sure why this is happening but as I have 50 mature plants unbder glass in two green houses and 18 outdoors I do not think a handful of sacrificial fruits will exactly cause me heartache. I will follow up later when I start harvesting. Can I post photo’s to illustrate my successes/failures? if so please advise on how I can do this – if not I understand.
Hello
It’s great to have an update and some futher detail.
Can I ask about the use of gravel trays – do you make holes/insertions into the bottom of the growbags for the plant to take up water?
When I used the Levington deep planters I noticed that they said not to make holes in the bottom – but if that’s how you are watering presumably you have to ? And do you choose this method to prevent water splash on the leaves or are their other advantages to that method as well ?
And liquid feed into the pots – is this related to feeder roots being the upper roots ?
I’d love to have photos from other tomato growers – I’ll need to ‘look under the bonnet’ of my blog to see how that’s done – and I’ll get back to you – but yes – technology willing – that would be great.
Thank you so much for the update and I’m really looking forward to hearing how it all turns out harvest wise.
Sally – in answer to your questions:
1. Yes I cut slits in the bottom of the grow bag to allow water take up
2. I use this method to ensure even watering i.e. keep the reservoir topped up and to simplify – three tomatoes to a grow bag so watering into a deep gravel tray prevents splashing and allows higher density of plants as I only need access to a corner of the tray.
3. Feeding – is along the ring cultur lines – you got it upper roots for feeding – lower roots used for water.
As for harvest – I too am in that “are they turning red yet” phase that requires so much patience.