Artificial light & indoor seed starting..

[Kubota Man]

I'm making my first attempt at growing heirloom tomatoes from seed indoors. The plants that I have growing are 5 weeks old this weekend. I'm growing German Johnson, Brandywine, and Arkansas Traveler. I will be planting some Rutgers and Pink Oxheart seeds in a week or so. I lost some plants when I started due to inadequate light in the room where I had the plants. I then installed flourescent shop lights over the plants and they have done well since then. The bigger plants are nearing perhaps 5-6 inches tall. At what point do I remove the artificial lights and go with only sunshine? I'm thinking I'll be planting what I've got outside in about 3 weeks or so. It has been a warm dry winter/spring here in NC, and if things don't change I'll be irrigating my garden from a pond. Any advice on the lights and what I've done so far & still need to do???? Thanks..

[grandpasrose]

Unless you are putting them outside into sunshine, you need to keep the lights on them until they are put outside. If you took them out from under the lights and just put them in a window right now, they would get tall and leggy, and probably fall over, in their search for more light. You've got a good start, keep it up til you can put them out.

Val

[Grey]

I start hardening off my seedlings a few weeks before planting - right now they are all on my porch, where they get great morning sun, and in the afternoon it's still very light but not direct sunlight. In a few weeks I'll move them to the deck, where they'll get morning, early afternoon sun and mottled afternoon light. After that, they'll sit in their pots where I will be planting them.

So right now - youre doing great - like Val said I wouldn't move them to a window as that won't be enough light.

[opabinia51]

You might want to invest in some flourescent grow lights as they will provide the proper wavelengths of light that your plants will need to grow. Though, it does sound like they are doing fine.