To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] direct seeding
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2005 19:21:24 -0600
Stephen Sadler wrote:
Have some of you tried direct seeding of tomatoes, impatiens, etc.? I
read
years ago that direct seeded plants would catch up with, and overtake,
indoor-started plants in terms of size, vigor, and production.
Direct seeding does produce tomato and pepper plants that mature faster. I
used to direct seed some at the same time I transplanted seedlings grown
under lights when I lived on the Texas Gulf Coast in Zone 9b. The
direct-seeded ones set fruit first.
That said, direct seeding is an option only for those with long growing
seasons. Mine is 95-105 days. It's all I can do to get the entire tomato
crop size up properly before the first freeze, which was Sept. 23 in 2004.
About a quarter of the crop ends up being picked green just before the
freeze and ripens in the sunroom over the next three months or so.
Doreen Howard