my seed starting operation with pics

wolfie · Sun Mar 28, 2010 3:59 pm

ya, I think I am going to cover the ground with the black plastic for a couple days to heat the soil... then wed we should have high 70 degree days, I will put the toms in the ground, and if it drops below 40 at night, I can put a bucket over the tom plant.. would that work ya think?

Ozark Lady · Sun Mar 28, 2010 4:04 pm

I bet it would definitely help. Just remember to remove the bucket! ha ha
Use the soil as mass! Sure, and the bucket to slow the heat loss.

The Helpful Gardener · Sun Mar 28, 2010 5:46 pm

Two layers of plastic with an inflation fan is the only good way to insulate with plastic; not very sustainable, unless you run enough panel for a battery to get you the through the night ("Whatever gets you through the night.. is alright, it's alright)

Pardon the 70's musical interlude, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

You could do a south facing sunpit with a themal mass in the north wall (say big rocks or black, water filled drums), and cover with a clear plastic. White doesn't allow a lot of light but means you don't break dormancy (good for overwintering).

But insulation with plastic isn't about plastic but how much air you trap in between...

HG

rainbowgardener · Fri Mar 25, 2011 12:13 pm

Thought I'd update this with pictures of how it is looking now; all the above is from last year.

overall view
[img]https://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt102/rainbowgardener/1seedlings3-11.jpg[/img]

tomatoes with measuring tape
[img]https://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt102/rainbowgardener/2seedlings3-11.jpg[/img]

petunia and geranium
[img]https://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt102/rainbowgardener/3seedlings3-11.jpg[/img]

red and green basil
[img]https://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt102/rainbowgardener/4seedlings3-11.jpg[/img]

tomato
[img]https://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt102/rainbowgardener/6seedlings3-11.jpg[/img]

green pepper (8" tall x 10" wide)
[img]https://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt102/rainbowgardener/7seedlings3-11.jpg[/img]

peppers were started early Jan, tomatoes not until late Feb.

as always you can click to enlarge, if you like close up view.

Now I'm just waiting for warm weather to come, but we have snow in the forecast...

applestar · Fri Mar 25, 2011 12:31 pm

Looking GREAT!!
Your customers are going to be very happy at the church sale.

Yogas · Fri Mar 25, 2011 8:29 pm

Just curious, when did you start your petunias? I started mine about a month ago and they are still very tiny. Any advice? I have them under grow lights.

Des_WA · Sat Mar 26, 2011 12:15 am

Your plants look so happy! And your setup looks great!

I'm especially jealous of your peppers; I started a set in January as well but peppers seem to be my achilles heel - I just can't make them happy.

The half that didn't yellow and die are all pretty tiny still. Everything else I grow is happy, just peppers...sigh.

rainbowgardener · Sat Mar 26, 2011 7:31 am

Yogas wrote:Just curious, when did you start your petunias? I started mine about a month ago and they are still very tiny. Any advice? I have them under grow lights.

Those seeds were planted 2/4, so about 7 weeks ago. One tip is to start early!! But I wouldn't have described it as very tiny 3 weeks ago. Do you start them on heat mats? That just speeds up the germination and gets them off to a good start. After they have one or two pairs of true leaves, I take them off the mats. Do you have plenty of light close to the plants, 16 hrs a day. (You will know if they are not getting enough light because they will get spindly and stretched.) Are they getting any nutrients? Mine are planted in Miracle Grow potting soil with added fertilizer. Seeds don't need nutrients to start and ideally it isn't good for the tiny seedlings to be fertilized, but using the MG works for me. Once they have one or two pairs of true leaves, they do need nutrients. Along with what's in the potting soil, I've been giving them diluted leachate from my worm bin occasionally. I think it is helping in that some of these look very sturdy and happy compared to other years when I haven't had the worm tea.

All I can think of without more information about what you are doing. But if you think you have all these bases covered, post some pictures and we will see if there's anything we can tell by looking at them.

rainbowgardener · Sat Mar 26, 2011 7:33 am

Des_WA wrote:Your plants look so happy! And your setup looks great!

I'm especially jealous of your peppers; I started a set in January as well but peppers seem to be my achilles heel - I just can't make them happy. The half that didn't yellow and die are all pretty tiny still. Everything else I grow is happy, just peppers...sigh.

Don't know for sure, but off hand yellowing and dying sounds like too much moisture. Too much moisture kills way more seedlings than too little. We all try so hard to take good care of them!

Des_WA · Mon Mar 28, 2011 8:44 pm

Yeah my first thought was it was overwatering; I started a second set in February and was much much leaner on water with them - waiting until they start to wilt to water. They're better than the first set, but they're still a bit yellow. I'm going to try a compost tea to water with next time in case it's a nutrient deficiency somehow.

rainbowgardener · Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:46 pm

Well if you have four feet of wall anywhere, you could easily do a half size version of this. I have the bottom counter sitting on kitchen cabinets, but that is just for storage for all the pots and supplies. You would just need 3 shelves hung from the wall at least 12 inches wide. The top shelf has the lights for the second shelf hanging from it, and other wise is just storage space. The middle shelf has trays of plants and has the lights for the bottom shelf hanging from it. Four 4' long shop light fixtures and you would be all set. That would support 8 trays of plants which is 144 3 inch pots! And it would take up no floor space, just the wall space!

Farmer Joyce Beggs · Thu Mar 31, 2011 6:30 pm

Very Very nice!!

somegeek · Sat Apr 25, 2015 11:20 am

I get anxious too about putting my plants out. We put our tomatoes in the ground two weeks ago during an eight day warm streak. The next week was lows of 38, highs of 58 and rain with minimal sun. I've been covering our individual tomatoes with garbage bags supported by a bamboo stick(garbage bag is ziptied to the top of the stick). The strings in the pic were removed from the plants when covering.

I left our makeshift green house (99Â¢ spring clips and 6mil plastic from Home Depot) over one of our planting beds to protect the peppers and cukes in the ground there. They look happy inside.

Whatever you decide, good luck!

somegeek

sweetiepie · Sat Apr 25, 2015 12:50 pm

I would love to make or even get a greenhouse like that. But plastic and wind here just doesn't work. No matter how secure I fix it to the frame within a week it has tears in it.

I would have to actually make a greenhouse building. No funds for that. I have numerous tents, I have wondered how that would work. They are huge. I could put the flats of plants on a table. I could unzip the windows for light during the day. Just don't know.

Sorry for being off topic, just rambling.

rainbowgarnder love your plants. They are beautiful!!

Meatburner · Sat Apr 25, 2015 8:06 pm

somegeek, where are you located. We are several weeks from putting tomatoes and peppers in the ground here in zone 6.

somegeek · Sat Apr 25, 2015 8:38 pm

Meatburner wrote:somegeek, where are you located. We are several weeks from putting tomatoes and peppers in the ground here in zone 6.

Vancouver, WA.

somegeek · Sun Apr 26, 2015 1:38 am

sweetiepie wrote:I would love to make or even get a greenhouse like that. But plastic and wind here just doesn't work. No matter how secure I fix it to the frame within a week it has tears in it.

I would have to actually make a greenhouse building. No funds for that. I have numerous tents, I have wondered how that would work. They are huge. I could put the flats of plants on a table. I could unzip the windows for light during the day. Just don't know.

Sorry for being off topic, just rambling.

rainbowgarnder love your plants. They are beautiful!!

That's some rough wind to contend with. Bummer. If you have the space / time perhaps plant some kinda hedgerows to break the wind a bit for next year? Or maybe some wind breaks with posts and tarps?

somegeek

rainbowgardener · Sun Apr 26, 2015 6:29 am

Zone doesn't matter as much at this point in the season as average last frost date. I have had tomato plants in the ground for over a week, maybe two. They have been through a couple nights of 35 ish temps and have two more nights of 38 ish temps coming up. They aren't growing much while it is like this, but they are putting down roots while they wait and will be ready to take off, when it warms up more.