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Farmer Giles · 15-04-2012, 09:31 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening

On 15/04/2012 04:45, Baz wrote:
Farmer wrote in
o.uk:

On 14/04/2012 11:00, Baz wrote:
Farmer wrote in news:
:

On 13/04/2012 13:51, David WE Roberts wrote:
Two things:

I set out looking for seed sowing compost at the sheds, and the
best they did was a JI No. 1 which seems to be for cuttings, or a
very small bag of compost for seeds but nothing in bulk.

So I took the pragmatic decision to use GroBag compost.

Most stuff so far seems to be germinating, but not the tomatoes.

So is it necessary to have a particularly fine compost for tomato
seeds, or am I just unlucky with my seeds - T&M Ildi and Mr.
Fothergill's Principe Borghese?

Is there anywhere (national chain) which sells seed compost?
Or is JI No. 1 adequate?

I can't remeber having these problems in the past, but it is a good
few years since I grew tomatoes from seed.

I just sow them into multi-purpose compost, and have done for over
30 years without problems. Put the compost in a tray, moisten it and
gently press the seeds in. Cover with about quarter of an inch the
compost, put a sheet of newspaper on top and place the whole lot in
a plastic bag and put it somewhere like the airing cupboard. Doing
that, mine always germinate very quickly.

Yes. But I put mine on a window cill, its the same really but at
night on a cill the temperature can go down dramaticaly. I think
(probably wrong) it helps to harden them off.

I think that is wrong. The seedlings would not appreciate the cold
nights.

Do you grow them on the sill, or just put them there to germinate?

I put them on the cill to germinate then plant them out in a full sun
position when they have nice sturdy stems. No re-potting. I just sow them
in pairs and break them apart when I 'think' its time for them to be
planted outside. If frost gets them, I have plenty more to plant out.

Once they are outside and fruit has set all I do is take off side shoots,
water them daily and feed them weekly. In the few years I have grown them
I have had a very nice crop indeed, enough for bottling, sauce.etc.

Seems a very unconventional way of doing things, but if it works it
can't be wrong.