Growing from seed!

[tedln]

In my many years of gardening, I've never had an interest in growing my tomatoes from seed. This past gardening season, I developed an interest in growing some heirlooms from seed.

I didn't know the right way from the wrong way and the opinions about the right way vary significantly. I decided to do it as simply as possible. I didn't want to buy a lot of "grow" lights until I was sure it was something I wanted to do. I didn't want to buy a bunch of special sterile soil. I didn't want to buy a lot of special pots for up potting since I already had a collection of small pots my wife purchased flowers in last year. I did buy some seed trays with individual cells and the soil pellets which are nothing but compressed coconut shell fiber. No nutrition in those as far as I can tell. I did buy a 20# bag of potting mix with some added nutrition from Ace Hardware for $4.49 for up potting. It supposedly is the same mix as the miracle grow mix on the shelf above for $9.95. I have now up potted four varieties of the seven varieties I am starting.

My setup is the top of a technicians metal cart with a thick rubber cover. It has a single incandescent light on a flexible neck. So far, everything is doing fine. Everything has not germinated as I would like, but I haven't lost any of the plants that have germinated. I plan on moving the plants that have been up potted outside under plastic covers within three days. I just believe nothing can replace sunlight when it comes to growing plants if the temperature is right.

Here are a couple of photos.

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/2010%20Garden/IMG_2124.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/2010%20Garden/IMG_2125.jpg[/img]

Ted

[Ozark Lady]

Good job on not losing seedlings, I can't say the same, true leaves and transplantling is the first tricky hurdle for me. I've probably lost 10% to date.

Hardening them off is the next one!

[tedln]

Good job on not losing seedlings, I can't say the same, true leaves and transplantling is the first tricky hurdle for me. I've probably lost 10% to date.

Hardening them off is the next one!

Since I am usually just messing around trying different things, I up potted a few plants before they had true leaves. They were as easy to move using a teaspoon as a shovel as the others. They seem to be doing fine. That doesn't mean I won't still find a way to kill them, but I haven't so far.

Do you have any ideas about why some of your seedlings didn't make it?

I relate gardening to raising kids. We gave our kids all the love they could handle, but we encouraged them to play in the dirt and get dirty. I can remember the days before they had a vaccination for every disease. When a neighborhood kid got the mumps or measles or chicken pox, we encouraged our kids to play with them. It got all the child hood diseases over with and out of the way while they were still young and resilient.

I treat most of my garden plants the same way. Sometimes a little stress makes things stronger.

Ted

[Ozark Lady]

Most of the loses were surprisingly cabbage, broccoli, and brussels.

After potting these rather leggy plants up. I waited a few days, they seemed okay. In the meantime, I uppotted alot of tomatoes.

I finally got lights up and could move them, to the unheated mobile.

I turned on lights and fan, and made sure to soak the pots at least once a week really good, in addition to routine watering.

Funny thing, the cold hardy plants are dying, the tomatoes look like, oh yeah, let's grow!

My son looked the set up over, and said it is too cold, so for tonight fan is off and heat is on!

But the heat lovers are doing good! Just doesn't figure. I will figure it out I hope. If not, oh well, those do better for me as a fall crop anyhow!

The tomatoes are short with fat stems, the cold weather crops were leggy anyhow.

[gixxerific]

I am very much with you Ted on the tough love. I have always been like that. I treat or sometimes mistreat my plants. If they make it great if not try again or go to the backups.

This is my first true year of massive seed starting. Haven't killed much yet, that I cared about that is. I do have a green thumb and I believe the tough love has a part in that as well. But like you said there are so many opinions on how to do EVERYTHING that it is hard to figure out so you just have to go with your heart most of the time.

I'm sure you will be fine you know how to garden seed starting is just another part of that.

Good luck.


As far as using a fan I don't really do it, with good results. I do however have a heating duct with a diffuser pointed at my starting area. That may be doing what is needed or maybe I'm just that good.

Dono

[tedln]

Ozark Lady,

I've only tried starting tomatoes from seed. I would probably kill everything else if I tried to start it. My feeling is that if the other stuff can't just make it from seed in the soil, I probably didn't need to grow it anyhow. I did tell a small lie because I just remembered I do have some Habanero peppers and eggplant sprouting from seed but I simply put the seed in the little pots and put them under the cover outside (my Texas Aggie cold frame). If they germinate and grow, I have spots selected to plant them. If they don't make it, I know where to buy some.

Dono, I have a ceiling fan over the seedlings, but haven't turned it on. I have three air conditioning/heating ducts into my shop. I think that should be enough air circulation.

Ted

[gixxerific]

The eggplant are medium germination where peppers will be a later germination but I'm sure you will be okay.

Like I said I just started mass seed starting this year and you wouldn't believe all the stuff I have started with little to no fatalities. Even with trnsplating and a frost to upper 20's last night everything I have started is still kicking.

Don't get overly freaked out like I was at first it will come to you just stick your thumb in every once in a while, the green one that is.