Question
Hi Mike,
This is my first attempt at starting tomatoes & peppers from seed.  I started out with 2 - 4' grow lights (shop lights), a heat mat for germination, starting trays divided into rows, & used a seed starter mixture consisting of peat moss & perlite, etc.  Everything has gone great so far...  The seedlings look good, & are starting to develop their true set of leaves.  Yesterday I began to transplant some of the seedlings.  I placed a few seedlings into peat pots, filled with the same seed starting mixture, & covered the seedlings up to their first set of leaves.  I am planning on fertilizing with Miracle-grow soluble tomato fertilizer (diluted) in a couple of days.  I also took the transplants off the heat mat.  My question is...  should I be using a different soil type or is the seed starter sufficient until I transplant to the garden?  Also, is there anything else you may recommend based on the info I have provided?

Thanks so much!

Erik

Answer
Erik, at this stage, once the seedlings are ready to be transplanted, it is best to use an organic potting soil. Seedless starting mixes are great for the germination process, but have very few nutrients. I prefer to have the seedlings fed through the soil once they're mature. Therefore, I would highly recommend using a potting soil at this point and discarding the starting mix.

By the way, nice job. It sounds like you've done everything by the book, especially considering it's your first attempt. Just be sure to keep adjusting the lights by keeping them 3" above the top of the seedlings at all times. And be sure to keep them on a timer for 14 hours per day. Other than that, just keep doing what you're doing, and everything should turn out great.

Good luck, and please write again if you ever have a question.

Regards,

Mike