seed-starting help?

[alivia]

I feel like all my starts, especially my tomatoes, are being super pokey at going anywhere. My heirloom tomatoes germinated well, but they have had just their seed leaves for nearly a week. Shouldn't they be progressing a little faster or is this normal? We are in zone 6, and I started them in our south-facing windows. I water them very regularly, every 1-2 days, if the top of the soil is dry.

One more question: I bought some overhead fluorescent lights for the seedlings at the hardware store. One was marked "for plants" and the other wasn't. I couldn't find any discerning difference as to what made one "for plants" and not the other except price. Is there really a difference?

Thanks!

[lmonter]

Tomatoes and peppers seem to be slow. Parsley and thyme and stevia from seed are even worse.

Just don't overwater your tomatoes (dip your finger into the soil - if it's damp, leave it alone). I also use just regular bulbs in my seed starting shop lights. If you can get a full spectrum bulb(s) I think those work better, but eh. Whatever you've got.