A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 Accounting for plant fatalitys

This is my first year starting some plants indoors. I am wondering how to account for no-shows. So If I want to have 9 tomato plants to plant in my garden, how many do I need to start. Would this be the same with my cucumbers, peppers, and the rest that I plan to start indoors?

Hannah,
I don't know what you start your seeds in--I use 3-inch Jiffy pots (Wal Mart has them). I always put at least 2 (you could put as many as 3) seeds in each, thereby ensuring I will likely get at least one healthy plant in each pot (I've rarely had a totally empty peat pot I already have Roma tomato seedlings up. I planted 2 seeds each in 14 peat pots and had both seeds in 11 of the 14 pots germinate. The other 3 have 1 each. Now I have to do the part I alway just hate--pull out the very healthy extras from all the pots with 2 tomatoes in them Good luck on your planting.

Now thats not fair. I planted 3 pepper seed per 5 peet pots and only 3 pot produced plants so far. I dont know if it was bad seeds or what but anyway......

I usually have good germination rate on most everything I plant...But if I wanted say 9 tomato plants I'd plant about 12-15 seeds and if all them sprout, you can always give away the plants you don't want. With melons I plant them outdoors and in hills...I plant 5 seeds to a hill and then thin to 3 plants per hill. peppers germinate a little different then tomatoes...so if you wanted 9 then plant at least 15 seeds. Putting 3 seeds in each pot is also a good idea and you can always pull out the ones you don't want.