Sunday, March 14, 2010

Seed starting for the backyard gardener and GBBD post





It's the 15th, which means gardeners all over the world are snapping photos for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day. Head over the May Dreams Gardens' blog to see what else is blooming this (almost officially) spring day.


Quiet excitement ensues indoors as well, as yesterday was seed starting day. Though I've tried many different methods, the one I'm about to show you is a near perfected system that fits my needs perfectly. I love all the kits, trays, and other paraphernalia available in catalogs, and have made many an excuse to buy things in the name of "making an investment". Most of the gear I've purchased has gone straight to the recycling bin. Our Master Gardener class speaker last week, Shephard Ogden (founder of Cook's Garden - and in the running for most enthusiastic speaker thus far - and that's saying a lot!), conveyed his fondness for plug trays for seed starting. Though I would love to have trays of seedlings, my biggest issue is that I have a small garden.
Yesterday, I started the first wave of seeds - they included: 3 black krim tomatoes, 3 Japanese black trifele tomatoes, 3 gold medal tomatoes, 3 tam jalapeno, 4 genovese basil, 3 cayenne peppers, 3 pepperoncini, and 6 strawberry fields gomphrena. Now like many people, my seedlings go under grow lights after germination - and as we know, the plants should be VERY close to the light source - about 1-2 inches. The biggest problem with plug trays for a small backyard gardener is that different plants germinate and grow at different rates and heights. If I had a tray of 24 peppers, I would not have an issue. But a tray with odds and ends means shorter plants are not right under the lights - which will certainly lead to leggy plants, which no one wants.


My assistant and I began by adding water to the seed starting mix. A soilless mix is best to use to ensure the environment is sterile for seed starting - cause you know...FUNGUS (if you're following my posts - you know I've become a fungus freak)! It's best to add water because it takes some time for the seed starting material to soak up the water. It will also increase in volume, so I let the mixture sit before filling my pots.




These are leftover pots from when I bought a gazillion a few years ago. When I run out, I will look into cow pots or another similar product made from easily renewable/sustainable materials. I love the size of these pots because they allow plants to grow for several weeks before having to pot up - and many times, they can go in the ground, as is, without have to pot up at all. These pots sit in plastic carry-out containers - a great excuse to order lots of Indian food in the late winter. I jest (sort of ), because these containers have been used for several years now, and will last many more. 6 pots fit perfectly inside the recycled container. The plant tags are 1/4 of a popsicle stick.

Below, the seedlings are covered with Glad Press 'n Seal (just about the only thing this product is good for!). Small vents are snipped in the top. The seedlings sit on a waterproof tray with a flat bottom so they can enjoy the warmth of the heating pad below. I will check on these every day to be sure they're not too sweaty underneath. If so, I'll make more vents or lift a corner. As soon as the seeds germinate, I'll take them off of the heat and put them under the grow light. The ones that haven't germinated will stay put (another benefit of separate pots in the cheap black trays).


This is how my seedlings are set up after they germinate (this photo is from the vault). I love using the separate square pots because I can move them around in different containers depending on how fast they grow, and how tall they get. The lights will stay in one spot, but I boost the short plants up with books so they can all be resting at the same distance from the light. It's not too perty, but it's works perfectly for me. I'd love to hear about your seed starting method too!

**A note on supplies: Space is maxed out at our house. The lights above are just cheapy lights that totally break down after the month they're set up on my piano. From there, the plants go outside to the pop-up coldframe (The Seedhouse), where they harden off. I will also often start some seeds in pots outside in this coldframe. It's sooooo not the cool coldframe complete with antique window that I would love to have, but the space outside is also maxed out and the pop-up coldframe folds into a serving plate-sized bag and hangs in the shed - the antique window doesn't.

16 comments:

  1. Cool flowers. I see that you've got a good start on the planting season ahead. Good luck with the tomatoes--hopefully they respect the space in your small garden.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful...always a treat to visit here! It is so exciting to start new seedlings and watch thier journey unfold! your variety sounds awesome!! happy Planting!
    Kiki~

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very good use of the Taming of the Shrew. It shows how cleverly resourceful you truly are.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello Wendy! Good job on the seeds. I hope all the seedlings will get to go out soon. I think they will all grow faster outside. I still couldn't totally imagine how much work you guys have to go through. Anyway, if my house is at your place, I would not have any room to sow indoor.

    I think it is easier for us to sow seeds here as we have only one type of climate whole year round - hot tropics. I just sow them outside. And very often, I sow seeds in the big container so that I do not even have to transplant.

    Nonetheless, I can imagine it to be quite fun to garden inside while it is snowing and cold outside ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. The seedlings look so healthy and green. Good luck on your babies!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well, now I know everything I am doing wrong. But at least knowledge is power and I can change my evil ways. Thanks for the great info and congratulations on all those adorable little seedlings. Can't wait to see the progress.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Delighted to meet you, Wendy, and thank you for stopping over. I can see you are one busy gal! So enjoyed my visit :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Wendy~~ I don't like the idea of using the vintage windows for cold frames because they're made with the old-style, non safety glass. My worst case scenario with children playing around them.... yikes, won't go there.

    Speaking of fungus, did the seed speaker person mention damping off? I wonder if he touted the merits of chamomile tea. I've found that it works, brewed strong, cooled and poured into a spray bottle and misted on the plants every few days. Is it just me or does this stuff work for everybody?

    Did you get hammered by those wicked wind storms?

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love the Rube Goldberg set-up...and the assistant (can I borrow her?)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I happen to really like your popup coldframe (seedhouse)--and good for you for being 'on the ball' with your seed planting (something I haven't tackled yet this year and it's getting pretty late to start...). But not 'too' late, so it's still in my vision for the near future! Good luck with those seeds! And your top photo of the Hellebore bloom is lovely;-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. THanks for looking everyone! Grace - am still picking up branches. The speaker did not talk about remedies. Luckily I have not had problems with damping off - can't even imagine losing all my seedlings in one blow! Good tip though - I'll have to remember it!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Your seedlings look great! I used to start my seeds on top of the refrigerator, the only space available and almost directly below a skylight, but I'd regularly forget to water them. Now I buy transplants, or sow directly in the garden!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Wendy, love the photos. Am impressed by the dedicated care you show to the seeds and seedlings. I love the way you break down the barrier of house and garden, and nurture your plants indoors. Does piano music help them grow better? (lol) Cheers, catmint

    ReplyDelete
  14. Funny Catmint. My 11 year old and I were going to do an experiment one year and talk to one of the plants while ignoring the other, but then decided that would be really mean! It's always nice to anthropomorphize.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I quite understand (lol) It's fun to anthropomorphize, but better not be mean to them just in case ... cheers, catmint

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for the idea of the Glad Press-n-seal. I also have seedlings and cuttings in a variety of sizes so keeping the right humidity level and light level for each can be a challenge as you said. I will try the Press-n-seal.

    ReplyDelete

My awesome gardening friends...thanks for leaving a comment! I don't typically repond here, but I love knowing who you are so I can visit your blog as well.

btw - if you're trying to show me nude Miley Cyrus photos, sell me nikes or viagra or antibiotics, or encourage my lovely garden readers to visit your site on solar panel construction, or seo-whatevers, sorry, but I'm not publishing your comment. If you want to moderate my blog - well, I can't keep you too busy, and the pay would be horrible. And lastly, no. I'm not interested in Club Penguin cheat codes. Thanks anyway.

Related Posts with Thumbnails