Today we tackle a question from a listener who asks, why were my tomato seedlings last spring so skinny? Debbie Flower and I run through all the possibilities, and it turned out to be a very good tomato seed planting primer, something to keep in mind when you’re starting tomato seeds indoors next January, February or March.
The Plant of the Week is a colorful, warm season annual that will be widely used in celebrations next week. No, it’s not the Halloween pumpkin. It’s a plant with even more cultural significance, a couple of days after Halloween. The marigold. You’ll have to listen to find out why.  It’s on episode 149 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by SmartPots and Dave Wilson Nursery. And we will do it all in under 30 minutes. Let’s go!
And this programming note: During November through January, Garden Basics will become a once a week podcast, released on Fridays. We will return to two a week in February, 2022.

Pictured:
Giant Belgium tomato seedlings.

Links:
Smart Pots
Dave Wilson Nursery
UC Davis Arboretum
The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter
Tomato and pepper seed starting tips
Seed starting mix
Indoor seed starting kit  with light stand fixtures
More indoor light fixtures for good seedling growth

More episodes and info available at Garden Basics with Farmer Fred

Garden Basics comes out every Tuesday and Friday. Live links, product information, transcripts, and chapters available at the Buzzsprout home site for Garden Basics with Farmer Fred. 

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Farmer Fred Garden Videos on YouTube

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