I started two tomato plants, both indeterminate. One is a grape tomato and the other a regular sized. They are new for me.
Great, @Ed Wilson. Anything you grow is a boon to your life. I know many who rent or live in apartments or whatever cannot have large gardens, but I think it makes life better to just grow something, be it food or flowers. Even those who live in high-rise apartments can have a window garden or an Aerogarden such as @Yvonne Smith has.
Did you get any pointers from Gary Pilarchik? He is in your area, has experience gardening, and has a scientific background (I think). Don't ever use chemical-type fertilizer before plants germinate, as it appears to inhibit germination of some seeds, but every one has some trouble with germination sometimes. I had a total failure to germinate of one type of pumpkin last year, but the very same seeds did just fine this year, and the seeds were a year older.
Starting my own plants? I hauled a wheel barrow bucket onto my deck full of good compost from our yard (years of rotted grass clippings and leaves). I planted it as a raised garden yesterday. This morning a squirrel had sorted through it and picked out all the bigger seeds. Of course it could have been a chipmunk. I didn't see the bugger and we have both. I intend to try again. Will have to cover it with screen or something.
I love starting my own seedlings, I started between 250 and 400 plants a year, flowers and vegetables. Every year I tried starting a new flower or vegetable, my favorite was starting and growing tomatoes. Friend of mine gave me tomato seeds that is uncle brought back from Italy. He called it a banana tomato, it was a perfect sauce tomato very juicy. Of course I did a lot of direct sowing in the garden, mostly veggies like cukes, melons, squash, corn, beans, lettuce, spinach, Beets and on and on. Now I'm down to planting a few flower pots with purchase tomatoes.
I haven't looked at Pilarchik yet but I will. I'm getting very busy between home improvement work starting to come in, trying to weed my veggie beds and looking after my house. When I can't tell a weed sprout from what I've planted I just have to wait until the sprouts get bigger. I'm having to cover my roof with corrugated roofing in preparation for solar panels being installed in a few weeks. I was nervous about signing a $20,000 contract but the numbers look good for the energy savings exceeding the lease payments. I've wandered off topic - sorry.
I used to have a book that had drawings of the seedlings it was very helpful. That you can go online get actual photos of the seedlings, below is a link that might be helpful. https://www.almanac.com/content/vegetable-seedling-pictures-and-identification
That is exactly what happens to me when I start seeds outside, @Mary Stetler . The squirrels get the big seeds, and the birds eat the little ones. I put a screen over the strawberries to keep the birds out, and the next day, I found a poor little robin that I had killed in the net, so no more nets for us, either. What I do now is start all of the seeds inside, and now some in the little outside mini-greenhouse, where they don’t get eaten. I keep the aerogardens growing and then transplant outside one they have sprouted enough to move and not become squirrel food. With all of the shortages this year, and more food shortages predicted, I have been planting more seeds than usual, and it seems to be a good year for things to grow out here. I have been watching youtube videos on propagating cuttings, so now I have some fig, rose, and blackberry cuttings that I am trying to propagate. I am going to start some rosemary next, I think and then maybe other herbs as well. We have a gazillion mint plants (which I planted all over to try and discourage mosquitoes) and I am bringing in mint and drying it for mint tea this winter.
I will tell you about my blackberries and raspberries. They sink the ends of the canes into the ground and start themselves. With a snip above the start I can transplant them where I will. They also bolt to where I don't want them and are harder to remove then. mostly the raspberries. The blackberries seem to be crawling underground, this year, spreading via the roots. Will have to dig some up shortly.
You can still garden if you want, @Marie Mallery but it takes some special preparation. When I lived in the heat of south Georgia, most plants would cook in the ground. Okra, summer squash (if you could beat the squash borers), and watermelon would survive fine. I grew a wonderful crop of green beans by laying drip tape beneath plastic then covering between the rows with a foot of straw. The beans really thrived if the water kept running, but the water use was minimal due to the use of drip tape. You have to do things to keep the soil cool, but the plants can deal with warm air if they get enough water.