[VeggieVirgin]

I notice from the (in)famous sowing and planting chart that it's possible to sow tomato seeds indoors in February.

Is this a good idea, or is it better to wait until a bit later in the year?

[Aunt Sally]

I start mine off in the greenhouse with some heat under them in February.  You need really good light for them though as they easily become leggy.

[DD.]

Depends what facilities you have to look after them.

I too start them in Feb, but indoors, then transfer them to a warm greenhouse come April. If you don't have a heated greenhouse, you need to hold back, otherwise you'll be trying to look after them indoors and that's when you get the problems.

[VeggieVirgin]

Thanks for replies - gosh, you are quick off the mark today!

I've got an unheated greenhouse, but I've also got an unlimited supply of horse muck and I was toying with the idea of a variation on a Victorian-style hotbed inside my greenhouse - i.e. putting the horse muck in containers, with a thin layer of compost on top, then putting the seed trays on top of that.

[DD.]

Never tried it, so I'm not qualified to say if it'll work.

For anyone reading this, if you do start them indoors on a window sill, don't forget.......

DD.'s Aluminium Foil Trick

[galen]

Aunt Sally / DD - Are you growing a greenhouse variety or do you eventualy plant these Feb sown ones outside ?

[noshed]

You'd probably need a big container to get the muck to heat up enough. On our site people grow pumkins like that but the heaps are about 2-3 cubic meters (these are outside obviously). They then put compost in a hole and cover the plant with glass until it warms up a bit. But you are talking about big plants, not little delicate tom plants. I would just leave it a bit later to sow if you're worried about them growing on - they will catch up.
As to varieties - I find Gardeners Delight are pretty bombproof and taste nice.

[DD.]

Aunt Sally / DD - Are you growing a greenhouse variety or do you eventualy plant these Feb sown ones outside ?

Mine are destined for a heated greenhouse. The outdoor ones are sown mid-March.

[Aunt Sally]

Aunt Sally / DD - Are you growing a greenhouse variety or do you eventualy plant these Feb sown ones outside ?

I grow all my tomatoes outside in large pots.

[DD.]

I also increase my outdoor tomato stock by rooting the side shoots taken off the greenhouse ones.

[galen]

I'd forgotten about rooting side shoots - Having seemingly spent a small fortune on my Tom seeds this year (£3.60 for a packet of 6  ) that seems a good way of propogation whilst also saving some of my expensive seeds for next year 

[DD.]

What variety are those, may I ask?

[galen]

Olivade, got them from T&M - But thinking about it, I had a £10 free seed offer and in the end got them (plus a few over packets of seeds) for P&P in the end. And yes I know their P&P costs a fair bit anyway. No way I'd normally pay that much for my Toms !   

[DD.]

That's OK. I get my £4.99 cucumbers either that way, or in Wyevale's 50p sale!

[skinnY]

so when would you recomend planting tom seeds indoors for gowing in an unheated greenhouse outside for teh rest of the season?