they can sure spend a lot of time indoors

[digitS']

For outdoor plants, they can sure spend a lot of time indoors :/:

Up high in the warm kitchen getting ready to "pop" above the soil surface:

Peering out at the big, wide world early one morning:

Against the south wall of the sunshed, growin' & growin':

Soon they will be transplanted to a "room of their own" in 128 flat inserts. We can think of it as the seedlings going off to college and living in the dorm.

Steve's digitS'

 

[MeanQueenNadine]

Nice work love seeing all those free, recycled containers.....

Oh yea, the plants look good to :bouquet

 

[digitS']

Thank you, ma'am!

It was tuff emptying all those oatmeal raisin cookie and strudel stix boxes, but somebody had to do it .

(To find your "supposed" official zone, Nadine, you can go to the gov'ment's map. It's hard to read and getting hopelessly outdated. If you look at those "Average Annual Minimum Temperatures" for each zone (e.g. 6a = -10 to -5 F) you should be able to determine your zone by yourself. For the Weather Service information go to their website and click on "Monthly Average Extreme Min Temperatures" for your state. )

Edited today to show the "dorm room" photo of a flat of snapdragons:

Here's a photo of some of the plants after they made it outside last Spring:

 

[red-hen]

You really do a heck of a nice job with those. Congrats.

What do you use as your seed starting medium, by the way? I've been using those expandable peat pellets for years now, which I love. Anytime I try to use regular soil, I get damping off disease and lose the few sprouts that come. With the pellets I get huge success though. Curious what you have in yours - it looks dark. I'm testing out some Tom Thumb peas in coffee grounds / alfalfa / tea leaves this year. Too early to tell if they'll germinate yet though.

Do you use all your plants yourself, or do you resell some?

 

[Backyard Buddies]

GREAT JOB! I love the use of the recycled bakery trays! That just gave me a great idea for Earth Day!

 

[digitS']

That's Black Gold Organic in the boxes and trays. The only time a soil-less mix is used is when I start cuttings and am concerned about pathogens. Then, I make my own potting mix with compost, garden soil, and peat moss when I'm potting up established perennials. My stuff is weedy but good enuf for larger plants & pots.

Perhaps I should use a soil-less mix for seed starting but I can only remember a couple of times when there was any damping-off. There are lots of cookie boxes each year but seldom any damping-off and I've gotten "gun shy" about trying anything new. It was a fearful step to go from standard to organic Black Gold a few years ago. Many years ago, I tried a completely different brand for the babies and the result was a disaster !! Now, I'm stuck in my ways . . .

Steve

 

[red-hen]

Thanks for the info, Steve.

Like they say, "if it ain't broke don't fix it" The results you're showing obviously say "it ain't broke!" Great pics and nice little plants. I love playing with seeds - but you outshine me in quality AND quantity easily.

 

[OCMG]

Fantastic job Steve!!!

I received a free flat of 72 pellets this year so i decided to use it....DON'T BOTHER, if you thought about them forget it. they have no value, at least for me. I planted peat pots along side them and got 99.99% germination for the peat pots and soil and about 1% germinatioin from the pellets. I treated them all the same. In fact the peat pots with the seed starter did so well they are growing out of the house.

Since I live alone I only use the pots but have over 100 seedlings going right now. And more the come.

Isn't gardening fun????

 

[red-hen]

OCMG - I guess that just shows we all can get different results. Mine are just the opposite of you. 100% on the pellets, and horrid on the soil. Glad it works for you all! Maybe when I move I'll have better luck with soil there!

 

[OCMG]

I guess I shouldn't make blank statements like that.
But it was soooo bad for me I assumed it was for everyone, and that is why she gave them to me.

I too am glad they worked for you.....