Need help with starting seeds *ADDED MORE PICS* pg. 3

[kennedyscochins]

I have started broccoli seeds, they have sprouted and are doing good. I thought I would work on green bell pepper seeds now. I had an idea to use my small incubator and set the temp at 80 degrees for them to germinate. I turned my humidity off since they have water in the soil. The humidity is still saying 94%. My mom said she thought peppers didn't like a lot of humidity. Any advice on this? It is too cold in my house for pepper seeds. We keep it around 68 inside. This also may be silly, but could I just put a regular heating pad (like the ones for your back) under the pan that has the seeds in it to keep the soil warm or is this crazy?

 

[lesa]

I don't the heating pad idea is crazy, but it might not be safe. Need to be careful with water and electricity. I think the incubator idea, might work. Peppers certainly like heat. The humidity could be a problem with mold growing- but I would try a few seeds for the experiment. Good for you on the broccoli seeds!! What zone are you in? Since they like cool weather, you might be able to get them outside soon.

 

[kennedyscochins]

I don't the heating pad idea is crazy, but it might not be safe. Need to be careful with water and electricity. I think the incubator idea, might work. Peppers certainly like heat. The humidity could be a problem with mold growing- but I would try a few seeds for the experiment. Good for you on the broccoli seeds!! What zone are you in? Since they like cool weather, you might be able to get them outside soon.

I am in zone 6. I said I was doing good with the broccoli, but they have just sprouted. They are about 3 inches tall, but look weak. I don't know if this is what they are supposed to look like or not since they are so young. I just planted them last week and they are already 3-4 inches tall. I have a CFL bulb on them for light. I fixed them up in a rubbermaid container and wrapped the sides of the container with aluminum foil to reflect the light. How long does it take to know if the sprouts will become stronger or not? I had a garden last year, but just bought plants. I want to do my own this year

 

[lesa]

Have you ever done any research on cold frames? They don't need to be fancy or expensive- but in my opinion getting plants started outside, works so much better. Mother nature's sunlight just can't be copied indoors...Do you have a protected area outside (maybe a deck, etc.) where you could set the plants outside for a few minutes each day? What are your daytime temps right now? Starting seeds is no easy task. Don't be discouraged- and good for you for trying!

 

[kennedyscochins]

Have you ever done any research on cold frames? They don't need to be fancy or expensive- but in my opinion getting plants started outside, works so much better. Mother nature's sunlight just can't be copied indoors...Do you have a protected area outside (maybe a deck, etc.) where you could set the plants outside for a few minutes each day? What are your daytime temps right now? Starting seeds is no easy task. Don't be discouraged- and good for you for trying!

Temps are anywhere from 30-50 right now. Supposed to be 28 tonight. Too cold for peppers. I bought a tiny greenhouse today but I still think it would be too cold

 

[joz]

If there is any water in the soil, it's going to contribute to the humidity in the incubator. You need to keep the soil wet to germinate those seeds. Ergo, you're always going to have humidity in your incubator in this situation.

Humidity during germination isn't bad. Humidity AFTER germination, when there is a danger of the seedlings damping off, IS bad.

 

[April Manier]

If you buy a heating mat for plants it is going to be set at about 70 degrees. That isn't far from your 68 in the greenhouse. Peppers aren't going to want to dip down in the soil temp until they are a bit more established. My advice would be to start them in teh incubator, removing the lid daily to allow some drying out. i transplant when they are about 3 inches with a well established second set of leaves.

We start our peppers and tomatoes in the heated seed box and then move them to our unheated hoop house. I built a heated seed box (it's on my site). I think that you could use my plan with a heating pad. I have mine lined with plastic. However, that being said, I am hereby realeased from any and all liability should you have electrical issues

There are plenty of folks who just use electric blankets and never have a problem. Anyway check out the link below and see if you are game for fashioning something simular with what you have.

http://heronsnestfarm.blogspot.com/2011/02/building-heated-seed-starts-box.html

 

[kennedyscochins]

Thank you everyone! I am excited to do my own seeds this year. I just hope it all works out and they get stronger. Time will tell what I need to do.

 

[April Manier]

Enjoy the journey!

 

[thistlebloom]

I have started broccoli seeds, they have sprouted and are doing good. I thought I would work on green bell pepper seeds now. I had an idea to use my small incubator and set the temp at 80 degrees for them to germinate. I turned my humidity off since they have water in the soil. The humidity is still saying 94%. My mom said she thought peppers didn't like a lot of humidity. Any advice on this? It is too cold in my house for pepper seeds. We keep it around 68 inside. This also may be silly, but could I just put a regular heating pad (like the ones for your back) under the pan that has the seeds in it to keep the soil warm or is this crazy?

Ridgerunner has also posted his heat setup on here, which I think is a clever use of tree lights. Look here: http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=30814 post #10
He's described how it's built somewhere on TEG...

Here's what I used for my peppers last year because our house gets into the 50's at night and my seeds weren't doing anything:

Here you can see the thermometer. I just used a sweater box with the little Christmas lights in it. It worked really well for the small amount of peppers I started.