cucumbers, toms.

hi all hope everyones ok.
right buying a small propagator to do me seeds in,will be using carmen f1 cucumber seeds and variety of tom seeds.
how long do i keep in the propagator.
how often do i water them.
when do i put them in my unheated greenhouse.

do i water more after there out of the propagator,and were should i situate them after the propagator stage in my kitchen,or dining room.
sorry for all the questions but if i dont ask i dont learn.

 

I don't know how to explain about watering ... its kinda something you learn.

I pick up a pot and feel how heavy it is ... if its too dry it will be too light, but I can't tell you what "too light" is in grams!

I sow my seeds in small-ish pans (shallow pots) and put them in a polythene bag until they are tall enough to prick out. I don't water them at all in that period (unless they take months to germinate, in which case every month or two I open the bag and sit them in a bowl of water for 20 minutes, allow to drain freely, then put back in the bag an re-tie)

Sow the seed thinly, and transplant ("prick out") when they are large enough to handle between thumb-and-forefinger without damaging them - normally when the first true leaf appears, but for very small seedlings it might be a bit longer (the first pair of leaves are the cotyledon(sp?) that come out of the seed itself, the second pair will be "true" leaves - which will look like the real thing!)

One suggestion I have is that you sow an extra pot and water that half as often, or half as much, as you give to the others. If the Test Pot shows stress you've got it about right; if there is no stress you are over watering the others and should cut back both lots.

My tomato plants, once in their final pots (11 inches I think) get about 1 litre of water at each watering, and they are watered twice a day. If they were in the soil they would need less.

So you pot on, and then keep the little plants at about 18C - windowsill or propagator.

Then you harden off by putting them outside during the day, and bringing them in at night.

And finally you can put them in a cold greenhouse.

It takes about 8 weeks to produce plants, and Tomato plants can be planted in cold greenhouse mid-to-end of April. They need to be kept at about 18C until then - so normal central heating will do.

 

Hi Hammer, I am just about to sow my toms & peppers, I will leave the cuces until the end of the month.

I use cell trays, putting one seed per cell and covering lightly with vermiculite. Sow about 4 extra cells than you need in case you lose them or they don't all germinate.

Put the trays into another shallow tray of lukewarm water until they are soaked.

I will put them into the propagator, which is in the house in a bright place, and leave the cover on until they are germinated. They should not need another watering until then, but if the vermiculite dries out you can repeat the soaking. Once they are all up I will turn off the propagator and remove the cover during the day to allow ventilation.

When they are about 3 inches high and with 4 leaves I will pot them on into 9cm pots, again covering the surface with vermiculite. As Kristen says, lifting the pots to feel their weight is a good way to know if they are drying out.

I will now put them into the greenhouse during the day for the extra light and take them back into the house at night.

When they are about 6 inches high I will pot them into 15cm pots. They will go permanently into the greenhouse at about mid-April.