HelpfulGardener.com

Afternoon All,

So I'm a full on newbie when it comes to anything gardening.

I brought this tomato grow kit in Wilkinsons
https://www.wilko.com/growing-kits/wilko ... vt/0446665

after planting the seeds (4 days ago) I'm a little concerned that they may not grow.
I have placed the propagator on a south west facing ledge during the day and in the evening place them under a lamp in my living room, to ensure they get light throughout the day. I use a spray bottle to keep the soil moist and not over saturate.

The reason I am concerned is that in our property the heating is controlled room by room and I the room that the propagor is in gets quite cold at night.

I will be covering the p bottom half of the propagator with bubble wrap to attempt to keep the soil warm but will also be attempting to DIY a solar grow light.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Many Thanks

Tomatoes will germinate in 50 degree weather but they like 70-80 better. Try a heating pad or heating mat. Most people who do indoor propagation in cold climates use some kind of bottom heat. It is better to keep your plants in a single location and not move them around. Light should be very close to the plant about 8 inches above. If you use a window the plants are likely to lean toward the window. If it is cold outside the window, the plant may not like that either. A shelf with a flourescent light right above it can work. There are grow lights and stands you can buy but you can build your own for less. All you need is a shelf or rack, a flourescent fixture, and chains/rope to raise and lower the light.

https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticult ... RZ5QK9V6HM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgrb2BzH4DI
https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticult ... d+heat+mat
https://www.google.com/search?q=grow+sh ... 8LyZiMm9nM:

When the tomatoes get large enough they need to either be hardened off out side or up potted. Most tomatoes will need a trellis or cage and they are heavy feeders so they need tomato fertilizer at the right time.

Here's a thread about seed starting https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... 48&t=44183

My tomato seed with bottom heat from a heat mat, sprouts in about 3-5 days. Without the heat mat it would take longer.

Be careful with the dome. It is only for germinating the seeds. Once your seeds have sprouted, you need to take the dome off or your seedlings will likely get damped off (a fungal disease little seedlings are prone to in conditions of too much moisture and too little air circulation).