Need help starting seeds in plastic seedling trays

[3riverschick]

I am not a good gardner at all.
I want to plant a nice garden this year and grow the plants from seeds.
I don' know how. I have an electric seedling warming mat the size of one of the mini greenhouse trays.
http://www.burpee.com/seed-starting...7E.node2?catId=2208&trail=&_requestid=2908305
About 10 quan. of the 72 space mini greenhouse trays with the clear covers and the double tray on the bottom so the seedlings don't rot. They don't have dirt in them.
http://www.burpee.com/seed-starting/grow-kits/greenhouse-kit-prod002626.html?omn2pd=sh&catId=+
I have a cheap mini greenhouse I got at Tractor Supply.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/groundworkreg;-greenhouse-5-1-4-ft-h?cm_vc=-10005
I have several kinds of veggies and herb seeds I want to plant. We are in zone 5B in western PA. Going to snow today and later this well be in the low 50's but freezing at night.
Problem is, I don't know how to put all these things together to make healthy seedlings I can transplant outside.
Seems to be it's still too cold to start seedlings in the greenhouse outside. So I set it up in the house somewhere?
How warm does the room have to be?
How warm will it really get in the greenhouse?
I really don't want to put them under expensive light. I do have a south facing window in an upstairs bedroom which gets good light. How much light do they need a day?
How much humidity will the greenhouse generate?
What kind of soil should I put in the trays?
I read somewhere that these fancy soils can have a chemical in them which is not good for bees?
Can I use natural sunlight and the warming mat instead of lights?
Help!

Last winter we processed many sweet peppers but ran out end of Dec. .
Had 28 plants then, so want to plant 60 this year so will have enough for
the entire winter in freezer. Ran short on chives, have enough tho, just didn't
process enough. Want about 30 tomato plants. Plus herbs, basil, thyme, parsley, oregano.
I have :
1. Burpee Tomato Super Sweet 100 Hybrid ( cherry tomatoes)
2. Burpee Tomato Super Beefsteak
3. Burpee Sweet Pepper Kaleidoscope Mix ( many colors)
4. would also like to grow brussel sprouts ( what kind?) for my chickens and Lettuce(what kind?) ,
and green beans for braising in a pan(Blue Lake?).
I can go to Walmart and in the side driveway they have pallets of special soils. If the bag has any hole in it,
they sell it for 1/2 price. Any special brand and type I should be looking for? I have Epsom salts here but
don't understand how much and when to water seedlings. I just have to use the 72 pot trays as that is what
I have. I suppose I could get some stryrofoam cups if you think are really necessary.
My herb garden is a standing "square foot" garden raised on legs so no bending. I love it. It's 4x8
and at table height. Here's an example of someone else's:
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/accessible/building-table-gardens.htm
More on the subject:
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/accessible/what-are-accessible-gardens.htm
Interestingly gets almost zero weeds even tho placed in middle of yard.
Table height gardening is the best! We built it cheap from rough cut lumber from the mill.
Only 25. in wood for the whole thing. Then I painted it white with barn paint from Lowe's.
Filled it with Miracle Gro soil which fed for 6 months. ( got 1/2 price at Lowe's, holed bag)
Then the next year I bought the BB sized Miracle Gro beads and put one teaspoon per square foot.
Then mixed the soil. Worked great the 2nd year. This year, I need to replace most of the soil as
it as gotten root bound. Which is also good because I can use the old soil to amend soil in
other parts of our lot.
Thanks for your help!
Karen
I can grow them from seedlings, I just don't know how to grow from seeds to the seedling stage.
---------------------------------------
Well My glory! I looked at what folk are selling raised table gardens for! Wow! 200. 250.
That's just silly! Just 32.00 for rough cut lumber plus 16 lag screws 6 inches long. @ 1.00 each
The "x" cross braces on each of the 4 sides can be affixed with 4 inch nails ( 32 quan.) @ 4.oo the lot .
Plus 2 bags of soil per bed at 6.00 each. 8" deep table garden.
Plus 12.00 for barn paint of you want to paint it.
This is much like the route we took:
http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/giam/news/pdfs/tablegarden_manatee311.pdf
Some changes tho. The soils need to be at least 6 inches deep so 2x6 for the sides. And the whole thing should be lag screwed together, nails won't hold. Plus there should be cross braces in an "x" on the legs to stabilize it,
otherwise as it ages, it will tilt until it gradually leans to one side and falls over. One of ours did that after 2 years.

Best,
Karen

 

[digitS']

Hi Karen .

Lots of questions. Between the "lot" of us, we probably have all the experiences and answers. Problem is, just like most anything, we each find a way of doing things that seems to work well and then stick with that. I mean, experimenting is great but if we fall behind in our timing, sitting out the rest of the year isn't what any of us would be hoping for.

We can turn to the academics! Here is a guide that makes a good deal of sense to me even if these Texan horticulturalists were writing half way across the country in a quite different environment: Texas A&M, Starting Seedlings at Home

They give you an idea about temperatures. We have gardeners who use the little movable greenhouse like you show. You are right, it won't hold heat well without the sun and will heat quickly in an hour of bright sunlight. I use a much larger greenhouse but also make good use of a sunny South Window when the seedlings are tiny, especially.

How much light do they need a day? We are often told that most gardens need 8+ hours of direct sunlight. It is a good idea indoors, as well. I use plastic covers before the seeds sprout but never sit those covered containers in the sunlight. Once the plants begin to emerge, the cover needs to come off and the seedlings need to have sunlight.

Be careful about your soil mix. We now have some things on the market that are of very low quality. You won't need very much, a bag or two? Tell the people at the garden center exactly what you intend to use it for and what your concerns are.

I hope some of this is of help.

Steve

 

[lesa]

I always say, there is nothing hard about getting seeds to grow... the hard part comes in the transition to the garden. Try starting the seeds inside near that sunny window- and as soon as weather permits- get them out in that greenhouse.
You might want to try Marconi peppers. They are very large. I probably had 12 plants and put away pounds and pounds of peppers in the freezer. Good luck with your garden!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Like Steve said, we’ve all got our ways of doing things. My method is different than yours so I’ll be kind of generic.

My biggest problem probably has to do with keeping the moisture right. You need to keep the seeds moist so they will sprout. A clear plastic top will keep the moisture in and keep them from drying out. But you don’t want them wet, especially after they sprout. Not only can that drown the roots it can lead to damping off. That’s a disease where a fungus that thrives in wet cool conditions can kill the plant, especially when it is young. Once the seeds have germinated and you take that clear plastic top off, you need to keep the soil around the plant fairly dry but not let it dry enough to let it wilt or die. It can be tricky. Watering from the bottom, not the top, is a standard way to approach this. The soil also needs to be in a container where it can drain.

Different seeds have different requirements. Some seeds, I think basil is one, needs light to germinate. Some seeds need dark. Some don’t care. A general guide is that the seed needs to be planted about three times its diameter in depth, but there are a few exceptions to that. Still three times the diameter is a good guide if you don’t have specific knowledge of something different.
Some seeds, say peppers and tomatoes, need the soil to be warm. I’ve got my soil heated to 85 degrees this year. The tomatoes love it. I got almost perfect germination and they are growing really well. Of course with the soil that warm, I have to watch it so it doesn’t dry out.

I don’t have a window I can use with good natural light. I built a stand and hung a fluorescent light from that. I also hung white paper on the sides to reflect that light back at them.
Here’s what I use. The box underneath has an old string of Christmas lights in it for heat. Your hot pad will work fine.

 

[ducks4you]

It depends on whether you are growing cool weather crops or warm weather crops. Even the garlic that I started from store bought likes some heat. I started two in a pot on the ledge of my south facing kitchen windows, where it gets a chill. I started 4 others on top of the refridgerator and THOSE grew 3x faster.
We are transplanting one week old tomatoes this weekend. DH started them in a 12-cell mini-greenhouse with jiffy pots--those dehydrated circles that expand. We will transplant each whole jiffy pot to a deeper, biodegradable pot, place all 12 in an 8 inch deep window planter (for watering from below), and put the planter on top of a 1'x12' piece of wood that is now sitting on top of my very old (original) 12 inch wide radiator. The radiator sits by a south facing dining room window with a storm window. DH's tomatoes will stay warm AND get sunshine. We'll see them for breakfast every day so we won't forget to water them!
Saturday, I will fill in around the jiffy pot with starter soil, and then later on fill to cover the leaves after each plant grows it's 2nd set of leaves. I intend to transplant these babies about 5x before they go outside. THEN, they will each be buried up to their top leaves and I will give them cardboard box fencing so the wind doesn't kill them.
On the other hand, I am starting spinach and cabbage this weekend in mini greenhouses but on the east facing, enclosed (not heated) porch. It's about 15-20 degrees warmer than the outside temperature and they'll get a better start than direct sowing. This gives me more time to prep THEIR beds and they'll do fine transplanted with some mulch to blanket them.

 

[catjac1975]

Make sure you have good seed starting formula. I use reusable plastic 6 packs. Many people use recycled plastic cups though I do not. Cover seeds lightly with vermiculite. Water from the bottom. Do not let it dry out and do not make it soggy. The warmer is most important. You can get the best light from the south facing windows but, west is very good too. You can get away with window light. I have grow light but have used window light for 30 years and grow light for the last 5. They do make your plants straighter but leaning to the light plants grow just as well. Make sure you harden off your plants before planting outdoors. Use a liquid fertilizer when your plants are well along- I use fish/ kelp formula. MEASURE CORRECTLY!!!!
Start small and do more each year. Keep it fun. You will have better pepper yields from a larger, mature seedling same with eggplant.If I plant store bought seedlings I will get a vey poor yield. My peppers and eggplant are already 4-5 inches tall. This is not true for all veggies.

 

[Carol Dee]

Lots of good advice from those who have already responded. Have Fun and

 

[digitS']

Karen, you asked about brussel sprouts. This will be the 1st year ever for me to have them. You want them for your chickens? That seems an odd choice to me.

Blue Lake green beans are a good variety.

"Lettuce(what kind?)" What kind do you like? I had never grown head lettuce (iceberg) and had some nice plants one year. I was pleased but nobody else seemed to care.

Most other lettuce types are often just called "leaf" lettuce. I'd like to separate out the "butterhead," "Batavian," & "Romaine." They are somewhat different from each other and the "leaf." Having them in the garden increases the salad days and enjoyment.

Starting lettuce in containers is good for an earlier crop but it also helps in dealing with weeds before & after setting out. I seem to get much better odds of having late lettuce using started plants instead of direct-seeding in the garden.

Steve

 

[dickiebird]

I'll start with one of your 1st questions about no dirt in your mini greenhouse.
If you have the 72 space tray it should have 72 peat pellets packed with it. Place one pellet in each position of the tray, then add warm water to the tray, about 2.5 quarts.
The pellets will expand to about 1.5" tall.
Scratch up the top of each pellet and plant 2 to 3 seeds in each one. Be sure to cover seeds to proper depth in pellet.
Set tray on heat pad, cover with lid and wait for first seeds to sprout, after first seeds sprout prop up one end of cover, when most seeds are sprouted remove cover and place in sunny location.
Add water when top of pellets look tan rather than brown. Only add water to the bottom of tray not to top of pellets.

THANX RICH