Tomatoes - what have I done wrong?

[grubbysoles]

Hi all,

My boyfriend has kindly built me a greenhouse (so he does love me after all!!) I planted some tomato seeds around a month ago and put them on my kitchen windowsill (which is very busy with seedlings at the moment), and absolutely nothing happened. Nothing at all. I kept them moist, they got plenty of sunshine. No seedlings. Nothing to go in my new greenhouse

So I have just planted some more seeds - any tips for getting them to germinate? I grew tomatoes from seed last year and was swimming in tomato plants - far more than I could use - but I can't remember what I did differently. It's the same packet of seeds, though, so could it be that they have just got too old? They are still within their 'sow by' date on the packet. I have put the ones I've just planted in the airing cupboard as I thought perhaps they weren't warm enough on the windowsill. Is this a good idea or a bad one!?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

PS - I have the same problem with my spring onions. Planted seeds about a month ago, put them on a sunny windowsill. Nothing has happened....

[Annpan]

Might just not be hot enough there? try popping them on a heater (or airing cupboard or in a heated propagator if you have such a luxury) wrap them in a poly bag to stop them from drying out and put them back on the window-ledge as soon as they have sprouted. Otherwise they will go leggy and you'll have another problem.

[Ellendra]

Is it possible the seeds were stored in the wrong place? If they got too hot or too wet they might have died. There shouldn't be that much difference between seasons, I started some from a packet that was 4 years old and had been sitting in my dresser, they sprouted fine.

[DeneciePie]

I second the poly bag recomendation. Also try just putting the seeds on top of the moist potting mix before bagging the whole pot. A warm place is more important than light until they sprout. If you end up with leggy tomato seedlings plant them deeper than they grew and they will root along the stem without harm.
Best of luck.

[Helsbells]

How strange and frustrating that they havent germinated. I would follow what everyone else has said.
You could also try just putting some seeds on some kitchen towel, keep it moist and pout some tomato seeds on it and see it they germinate. If they do then plant them. Did you use the same compost as last time?

[Green Aura]

I think they need a bit of dark as well as a bit of warmth to germinate - so the airing cupboard sounds like a good bet. You might need to put some more in though. After a month in damp soil the might have rotted. Leave those where they are and put some more on the windowsill with a sheet of newspaper over them until they start to sprout.

If you do it now they've got time to catch up.

[SarahJane]

I never seem to have much luck with tommy seeds and end up swapping something I CAN grow for some tom plants. I have tried everything but I am fighting a losing battle.

[grubbysoles]

Thanks for all the tips. I have some in the airing cupboard now, and I'll also put some on some kitchen towel and some in a pot with newspaper over them. It IS different compost this time around - I bought a load of cheap stuff from the tip and I'm not sure if that was really a good idea or not, although all my other seedlings have been popping up nicely. And the seeds should be ok - they've not been very hot/wet, etc.
I'll try all 3 of the above methods and hopefully my next post will be offering tomoto seedlings when I have too many

[dave45]

FWIW last year in Bulgaria my friends over there gave me some of their tomato seeds... they just squashed a tomato, scooped the middle out, rinsed away the pulp and wrapped the seeds in newspaper. They were on my windowsill for 6 mths, the seeds dried and stuck to the newspaper. A month ago I picked them off the paper and planted them 2 to a module in case of failure... and left them on the windowsill ... result - nearly 100% germination.

I can only guess your seeds were dud

[grubbysoles]

Yes, I think they should have got going pretty effortlessly, if last year was anything to go by. I put some in the airing cupboard and now have a grand total of 2 seedlings!! In the meantime I have cheated and bought some tomato plants from my local farm shop, although I also managed to snap one of those in half whilst planting it in the grow-bag. I'm obviously just VERY talented horticulturally!!

[DeneciePie]

FWIW I have had decent success "planting" tomatoes and peppers in the garden by laying the seeds on the soil and putting a folded coffee filter over them. Take the paper off once they sprout and I add a milk bottle cloche until the second leaves show. But we are finally in a season when night temps are aove 50F. Light seems less important than heat until they sprout.

Good luck!

DeneciePie

[grubbysoles]

Thanks for the tip DeneciePie. I got 2 seedlings, thanks to the airing cupboard, but then one of them shrivelled up and died. The other is now in the greenhouse making some very slow progress. I think it might also have something to do with the compost I used - it was pretty cheap and not very nice. I'll keep hold of the seeds for next year and try them with better compost, and if they're still rubbish next year I'll have to concede that the seeds have had it!

[grubbysoles]

Hello,

Me again! After 'cheating' and buying a couple of tomato plants, they are now doing very well indeed in the greenhouse and have lots of little yellow flowers on them. As I've not grown tomatoes in the greenhouse before it suddenly occurred to me - do I need to do any kind of pollinating of these flowers to get fruit?? My greenhouse is not too well-stocked with bees, so will I have to do it myself? Or do they self-fertilise? I have one Alicante plant and one Red Alert....? Thanks in advance for any advice. I'm not too well-versed in the sexual habits of tomato plants.

[Green Aura]

No need to hand pollinate - just leave a window open and the insects will do it all by them selves.

[grubbysoles]

Thanks Green Aura - have left the window open today. Let's just hope there is enough of a bee population left to actually do the job...