Subject: Vegetable Plants From See

From: [email-masked] (Mark Walker)
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 1995 14:18:13 GMT

TO: [email-masked]

j>Last year I tried growing vegetables from seeds. I read several books
j>on the subject - but seemed to do everthing wrong. I planted tomatoes
j>and peppers from seeds because I was told these were very easy to do.

j>2) I used 2 shop lights for a total of 160 watts of power only about
j>   six inches away from the pots. When the plant started to grow they
j>   were long and stringy - I was told I needed more light. 
The lights should be kept about 2 to 3" away from the plants at all 
times, that is why your plants got so leggy. Also twelve weeks is way to 
far in advance cut that back to 6 to 8 weeks.

j>Am I missing something or is growing plants from seeds very hard to do
j>and only for fun and not economically a good idea. 
I personally would only grow plants from seed that I can not find at my 
local garden or farm co-ops, it is cheaper for a greenhouse to propagate 
the standard beefsteaks etc. than you can start them.

j>Is it possible to just get some good outside topsoil, seed it and put
j>it  in the window. Whats the best thing to use for containers, I am
j>looking  at about 40 tomato plants and 20 pepper plants. 
You can use garden soil if it is sterilized first, (boy does it stink 
when you do it though), if you don't you are asking for trouble. Weeds,
insect pests, damping off, etc. Again if you are after the standard 
plants just buy them unless you really like all the work. (I hate to 
discourage you but I went through the same thought processes and buy 
almost all of mine these days).

Mark

j>______________________________________________________________________
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j>|  ___
j>|  | James M. Villard                         E-mail: [email-masked]
j>|
j>|_____________________________________________________________________
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j>____| 

j>      
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