The tomato sprouts are leggy, which means they have a very long stem and two little leaves at the top. This is due to lack of light. I am going to leave the fluorescent lights on over night. I may also raise the trays so the plants are closer to the lights. And tomorrow I am going to get all the ingredients to make a soil mix and fertilizer, which I listed in my previous post. It is suggested that the tomatoes be transplanted soon as they may get so tall they will not be able to stay vertical. So to remedy this, they need to be transplanted deep into the soil. By having the majority of the stem under the soil the plant will have more stability.

I pre-soaked some lettuce seeds and sowed them last night in a recycled sprouts container. To my surprise there was on little lettuce sprout standing tall this morning. The flourescent lights really help to accelerate the growing time. I turn the lights off at night and leave them on during the day for 12 to 16 hours.

I have to start thinking about transplanting the plants to new containers so I can continue the rotation of sowing new seeds. Also, there is a critical time for transplanting. The younger the plant the less stunned it will be from the move. If the root system is well established it can take the plant up to two weeks to accomadate the new home soil. From my readings, the best time is when the plant has grown a second set of leaves, or it's first true set of leaves. So, once this happens, I will transplant to coco pots or jiffy pots. I have found a recipe for a soil mix from the Square Foot Gardening book.
     1 part course vermiculite
     1 part screened peat moss
     1 part screened compost
     1 part good garden soil

Add two cups of organic fertilizer
    1 part bloodmeal
    2 parts bonemeal
    3 parts green sand
    4 parts composted leaf mold