New to starting plants from seed, could use some pointers

[thistlebloom]

Just note that if you sterilize soil in your oven, do it when you can open all your windows because it will make an unholy stink!

 

[grow_my_own]

You guys are awesome and have the best advice. Thank you so much!

I have a GINORMOUS southwest-facing window in my kitchen where I'll be placing the seed trays for sprouting. It makes my kitchen like a greenhouse most of the time anyway (even in the winter), so I was thinking that would be an ideal place to start my seedlings! I can replace the bucket lights over that window shelf with grow light bulbs, so I won't have to buy a light fixture and will be able to use what I have there (I have one grow light bulb but will have to pick up one more).

While I was trying to avoid the Jiffy peat pellets, after having read posts here and in other places, I think I'm going to go with the Jiffy pellets. I found some SUPER cheap on e-bay. I am not gonna do the peat pots, though. I found two trays of plastic seedling cells on my landlady's back porch (our places are adjoining & the porch is between my house and hers, so don't go thinking I was snoopin' around my landlady's yard... lol... it's all the same yard for the most part). Each of the trays has 48 cells, so that'll give me 96 starts! I may have to buy maybe one more tray (depends on what all I start from seed and what all I plant directly into the ground), but this will decrease the amount of stuff I have to buy. I have a small 5-pound bag of seed starter soil I got on clearance at our local Ace Hardware at the end of the season last year... would it still be ok to use that? I will have to read the label to see if it's sterilized. It's just Foxfarm potting soil. This is the product and all the good stuff it has in it:

http://foxfarmfertilizer.com/products_soils1.html

No worries about me sterilizing my soil in the oven! Hehehe... that's a little too ambitious, even for me!

ETA: I guess I wouldn't need the Foxfarm soil if I use the peat pellets, right?

 

[digitS']

If you use the peat pellets, I think it is best to have the plastic pretty tight around them, like in Heather's pictures.

Seems like I've used the pellets but I can't remember. The pots gave me some problems. If you keep them on during transplanting (& just tear out the bottom) you have to remember to cover the entire pot with soil. If not, the rim of the peat pot will act as a wick and the soil will dry out! Just keep in mind that peat moves water.

Last year's bag of potting soil should be fine. It isn't so much that the soil has to be sterile, it is that garden soil is anything but sterile! You have no idea if the microbes in there will be good ones or if they will attack your tiny seedlings! It is really best not to take the chance with it even if things turn out well, 3 times out of 4.

Steve

 

[silkiechicken]

Starting seeds in only a south facing window has never worked for me. They always stretched out and were too weak. I did however buy a cheap shop light and daylight bulbs and keep that about an inch or less above the tops of the leaves which works great. Too high and the plants will stretch.

I just used boxes and plastic drinking cups for simplicty and uniformity. Using different sized yogurt cups and such got a bit much for my OCD tendencies. LOL

 

[dickiebird]

I just used boxes and plastic drinking cups for simplicty and uniformity. Using different sized yogurt cups and such got a bit much for my OCD tendencies. LOL

"Red Solo Cups"

THANX RICH

 

[OldGuy43]

I do know one thing about using egg cartons. Use the Styrofoam ones, not the cardboardy stuff. There's something (probably acidic) in the paperish ones that will kill cause the seeds never to sprout. Before emergence I'd keep the seeds covered in wet paper towels in the dark.

Please do not ask what I was trying to cultivate at the time.

 

[The Mama Chicken]

There is a wooden contraption called "The Potmaker" that lets you use strips of newspaper to make pots. I think it was about $15, but it will last forever, you never have to buy pots again and the newspaper pots can go right in the ground. I love mine.

 

[grow_my_own]

There is a wooden contraption called "The Potmaker" that lets you use strips of newspaper to make pots. I think it was about $15, but it will last forever, you never have to buy pots again and the newspaper pots can go right in the ground. I love mine.

I saw that in one of the seed catalogs or on a website or something... was hoping to find someone that had actually used it and find out what they think of it! Thanks!

 

[wsmoak]

I saw that in one of the seed catalogs or on a website or something... was hoping to find someone that had actually used it and find out what they think of it! Thanks!

I have one, too. Like the peat pots, the newspaper pots want to dry out so you have to make sure to keep them watered, but other than that I like them well enough.

I bought a bunch of six-pack cells and trays from Farmtek and I reuse the cells until they tear or get too crumpled, and that's what I'm using most often. I recently bought soil blockers, but haven't managed to gather the ingredients for the special mix that you apparently have to use. I'll probably just give up and buy a bag of it!

I have the same setup silkiechicken shows -- wire shelves and shop lights. The lights need to be very close to the plants or they will stretch and get spindly. With some plants like tomatoes you can "fix" this by burying them deeper when you repot them, but that doesn't work for everything.

-Wendy

 

[Casa de la Luna]

Cool! There are some great ideas on here.

I usually use the pellets that "pop" up once they are wet and have had no problems planting them whole once the roots start to poke through the mesh but they don't have a rim like the peat pots do. You can get them super cheap too.

But when I run out of those (and I always do cause no matter how many I buy I can't seem to resist planting even more seeds ) I use just about anything from fast food cups, old yugurt/sour cream/cottage cheese cups, dixie cups etc. Be sure to punch holes in the bottoms and water from the bottom up. Just place containers in plastic trays or baking dishes, whatever you have laying around.