2015 seed starting thread!

[applestar]

Looks great! I'm loving how -- although some of the weeds are familiar - I don't recognize many of the weeds and exotic plants are casually growing right there in the ground.

[imafan26]

What would be exotic plants are common ones here. The aloe was moved because it was easier to move it than to weed it where it was, now it tries to take over the veggie garden and I have to cut it back a couple of times a year. The bushy shrub is the Spanish thyme, Lippia micromera, it has a lot of common names, I use it as an oregano substitute. It escaped its pot. The three trees in the background are my plumeria, Frangipani plumeria lose their leaves in the winter months (my winter sign) and will start blooming on the bare branches before the canopy will fill in. Besides the weeds, the orchids hang from the tree fed by the drip irrigation emitters.

The pots stacked in front of the tile bed and wall are weeds and potted ginger, taro, pineapple, mioga, lilies, marigolds, mini bozo, rosemary, bay leaves, curry, strawberries and probably a lot of empty pots. In front of the tile wall are pots with mostly citrus trees, some roses, orchids, and a whole lot of weeds, some of the weeds are taller than the citrus trees. My weed whacker broke and I don't relish the thought of fighting with the new one. This is just the back yard. The front and side yards have more weeds.

I made a little more room today to pot up the tomatoes and beets, hopefully the slug bait will hold off the snails long enough for me to plant them out. I might even have a little space left to plant out a few more pots of seeds for succession planting into my community garden.

[applestar]

<<< my response to weeds that take over the garden

I brought the alpine strawberries and echinacea seeds that had been sown and been cold stratified out in the garage to the inside plastic covered shelves seed starting area "Winter Paradise." Put the strawberries on the wire rack above the heat mat, replacing the onion seedlings that have straightened up and have been moved OUT to the garage "V8 Nursery".

Also brought inside cranberry seeds that had also been cold stratified. This one is an experiment with seeds collected from the store bought organic Wisconsin cranberries with unusual shape.

[rainbowgardener]

Beautiful pictures, imafan!

OK Susan, when the heat mat real estate gets too tight, I will take the parsley off it.

The lobelia is not the cardinal flower. It is lobelia erinus, the small spreading one with little blue flowers. In the warm season, I have a ton of containers and hanging baskets on my deck, so I grow flowers for them.

I only started the chili peppers. In my (rather limited) experience with them, they are slower than the bell peppers. I may wait another couple weeks for bell pepper seeds.

[Susan W]

Thanks for clarification RBG on the Lobelia. I should have recognized it as a pretty annual from my garden center days.

My seed start for today was winter savory and sage. I have a few 4" pots going of the savory but need more, especially as a squirrel messed with some. Sage from seed new for me.

[rainbowgardener]

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Here's one more of the seed starting operation. Still need to get a better picture, but this shows all my hundreds of little black pots all lined up underneath. The countertop sits on top of some old kitchen cabinets, so there's plenty of storage.

It is just getting started. Eventually both shelves (the wood one and the white wire one you can just see at the top ) will be full.

Picture enlarges if you click on it.

[Rairdog]

RGB, do you up pot on the table? I can't see the pots in the cabinet...too dark. Do they fit in 1020 trays? I tried solo cups but they are like dominoes and fall over too easily.

[rainbowgardener]

Yes I up pot on the table. Sorry about the pix, try again, but it is just stacks of black plastic pots, mostly the 3.5 inch variety. Yes they fit very nicely in the 1020 trays and since the trays are full, the pots can't fall over.

Here's an older picture of the operation that I posted last year, with more trays in operation and some of them with pots

[applestar]

I just "started" -- prepping by soaking in labeled little paper packets -- some eggplants:
Eggplant, Diamond
Eggplant, White Comet F1
Eggplant, Rosita
Eggplant, Rosa Bianca (saved)
Eggplant, Orient Express F2 (saved)
Eggplant, Thai Green F2? (saved)

I have no idea if the last thee saved seeds will be viable, but I did want to try. Orient Express is a hybrid so these will be F2 -- another mystery as to what will grow. If pepperhead drops by this thread, he can tell us whether the Thai eggplant was a hybrid or an OP (this one I'm REALLY not sure if the seeds are mature enough. I saved some because a few of them did look as though they could be.

[applestar]

Pepper, Habanero White Bullet germinated after 10 days
... still waiting for the others.

Spinach and Broccoli --

[pepperhead212]

Only one thing started now (because it was still a little late when started on about 2-15-14), and I have some seeds in my sprouter, to speed it up: the pea eggplant. Next weekend, some early peppers go in; 2-7 worked perfectly for some long season varieties I started early last season, but starting many more than I did would result in way too many in large pots, and not enough areas under the lights.

[rainbowgardener]

applestar, how did you get your spreadsheet to post? I have one, but I never figured out how to post it.

[applestar]

It's just a screenshot. Do you know how to take one on the iPad?

[applestar]

Only one thing started now (because it was still a little late when started on about 2-15-14), and I have some seeds in my sprouter, to speed it up: the pea eggplant. Next weekend, some early peppers go in; 2-7 worked perfectly for some long season varieties I started early last season, but starting many more than I did would result in way too many in large pots, and not enough areas under the lights.

PEA EGGPLANTS! That reminded me!
...OK I found them. I kept the biggest most mature looking pea eggplants from the bagful you gave me on the counter like we would for tomatoes and peppers after they blush, and left them to dry. I actually forgot where I'd put them

They had completely dried, brittle enough to crush, and when I crushed them and removed the dried fruit skin and pulp and sifted the powdery stuff and tiny immature seeds, these are what remained.

-- So do they look mature enough to be viable? I see a good many that look plump and might grow. Time for a New Experiment!

[rainbowgardener]

Planted basil purple ruffles on the heat mat today (it's considerably slower than green basil) and calendula and fennel with no heat. Heat mat is now full, but per Susan I can take the parsley off it. The parsley has started sprouting anyway, in a week, not the 2-4 weeks they usually say. And the broccoli and cabbage are showing the first tiny beginnings of true leaves.

So I will be able to free up more space on the heat mat soon. The first tray of non heat stuff is now full also, but there's room for one more tray before I have to turn on any more lights.

I am about 10 weeks away from average last frost date! (Even though it is about 20 degrees today.) Starting to feel like the season is rushing towards me!

[rainbowgardener]

Read back through last year's seed starting thread. https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... d&start=48 I'm very good about writing stuff down this time of year, because I'm not doing outdoor gardening. Once that starts, I have trouble paying attention to recording things.

I need to start making some notes about results in terms of what was started too early and what could have been started earlier. It's hard to refine my start dates without that. But of course last year it stayed cold so long, that wasn't typical any way.

And deliberately or not, I have slowed down a bit this year. I posted this picture 2/15 last year




That was my California Wonder bell peppers. I haven't even planted them yet this year. They will definitely not be looking like that on 2/15. With the winter we had last year, the peppers did suffer from being ready too soon. But with me being a bit slower and a much milder winter, I may wish I had started sooner this year.... It's always a bit of a guessing game!

[rainbowgardener]

Even when I'm trying hard, I'm so bad at record keeping! Managed not to write it down on my spreadsheet or here when I planted caraway seed. I think it was right about 2/1. Planted salvia St. John's fire yesterday.

Planted the purple ruffles basil 2/2 and it has sprouted already! And calendula planted the same day but not on the heat mat has also sprouted. Spinach and impatiens have sprouted, but both with low germination rates. I didn't soak the spinach seed, so I may go back and soak some and plant more. Celery just showed itself today on the 10th day, no heat. And it looks like millions of teeny tiny celery babies. Every single one of those must have sprouted!* Broccoli and cabbage have first true leaves opened up. As soon as I get time I will start moving them to one per cell off the heat, so I can plant more things on the mat.

So most things are going well so far. Only one I'm worried about is ageratum. It was one of the first things planted on 1/24 and has yet to show itself. It should have by now. Those were seeds I collected from my plants last year, so maybe something didn't work in there. A few other things like the lavender haven't sprouted yet, but none that are past the expected days to germination.

*For some reason most people I talk to seem to think that celery is hard to grow. In my experience it is remarkably easy, not only easy to sprout and grow indoors, but very easy and low maintenance in the garden and very productive. I just keep picking celery stalks all season. My only complaint is that my celery produces very skinny little stalks, not like the grocery store ones.

[Rairdog]

I just post pics in various forums like a blog so I have something to refer to and maybe help someone. The only thing about celery is trying for individual plants. It's hard to separate. It is stong flavored and skinny like you mentioned. I really haven't noticed much difference between individual plants and those grown in clumps. Great to cut up for freezer to add to soups and sauces. My girl still needs her store bought for peanut butter filled. It's cheap and I can bend a little.

Nearly all my spinach, chard and lettuce has come up with one seed per cell in the DE. If a cell doesn't sprout I put in another seed and get a staggered crop.


Kohlrabi and Tomatoes. The 2 -9 cells on the right are Pepperoncini germinating on the edge of heat mat which gives a little heat to the toms.


Baby pak choi and Mulichi cabbage


China Giant and CA wonder peppers on heat mat. My nemesis...but better than previous years. The peppers are the only starts I used the heat mat for. Everything else was germinated in the house around 68.

[Rairdog]

Oh...and Walla onions. Much faster and better germination than previous years in soiless mixes.

[rainbowgardener]

OK a few more pics of how it is looking now...

top is my little broccoli babies all freshly moved to one per cell off the heat mats. That's 36 of them, half of a 72 cell tray insert. Middle is the cabbage seedlings awaiting that treatment. They will be the other half of the tray. I have culled a few of those along the way, ones that were late sprouting or got out competed in the crowded cells. Culled a few more now to get it down to 36. Given that it is only a few, it is useful to have a few extra, so that you are only planting the strongest, healthiest ones.

[applestar]

Here are my Solstice and Limba broccoli, Late Flat Dutch and Early Jersey Wakefield cabbages, and Tatsoi and Red Pakchoi, along with Viroflay, Gigante Inverno, and Bloomsdale Longstanding spinach. You can see some of the Walla Walla onions too.

I'm really excited about these Purple Coneflowers as well since this is my first time growing them from seeds:

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[skiingjeff]

@Rairdog, what are you using to start your seeds in? It looks very chunky. I looked in the potting soil thread but didn't see a post from you so I figured to ask you here.

Thanks!

[Rairdog]

@Rairdog, what are you using to start your seeds in? It looks very chunky. I looked in the potting soil thread but didn't see a post from you so I figured to ask you here.

Thanks!

I'm using DE. I got a 25# bag from Fasenal for 15 bucks. It has filled 4- 72 cell 1020 trays and there is enough left to fill 4 or 5 more. Here is some info in my seed starting chamber thread.

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... 4&start=12

[skiingjeff]

Thanks, I'll check out the thread!

[rainbowgardener]

pix update:

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the broccoli babies 5 days later and showing the set up with 5 trays under the lights now. In the picture with all the trays, you can see at the front of one, my mistake with the teeny celery seeds. That's after I pulled and composted several clumps equalling more than 100 tiny seedlings! Oh oops! seeds like dust...

[Lindsaylew82]

The new setup! Supah Stoked!

I think I need at least 1 more set of lights.

[rainbowgardener]

It's a little hard to tell from the pix, but I have two shop light fixtures (=4 fluorescent tubes) running crossways across four 1020 trays. It's actually barely enough-- when the fixtures are down close to the plants, the plants at the front and back edges tend to lean in towards the light, so I have to keep rotating the little blocks of cells.

[applestar]

Another update on some of the started seeds

I posted update photos of Alpine strawberries and Cranberries in their respective threads, but I can't resist mentioning them here...

Also here are some others that are newly sprouted or recently uppotted:


Here's my log -- couldn't fit all of it but you get the idea

[Lindsaylew82]

WOOHOO!

[applestar]

Nice!

Now get them closer to the light -- lower the lights or put risers under the container.

[Lindsaylew82]

The light is about 1-2 inches above. Closer? They are T8's.

[applestar]

No, thats about as close as you want for T-8, but the seedlings looked pale -- I guess they _had_ been somewhere else then?

[Rairdog]

Burrrr....my babies are chilled and the forecast is not what they need. Just a few shots to brighten the winter doldrums.

I put this rosemary behind the tv with indirect light to overwinter. I guess it likes the warm dry air and neglected because it took off.


I thought this begonia was done for. 2 of the 3 plants died off. Next thing ya know (ole Jed's a millionaire) it started flowering. I cut off a couple stems and stuck them in the pot and they are growing.


My aloe also liked being neglected and overwintered.


The babies... the peppers are on a heat mat. Everything else has been exposed to mid 50's to mid 70's.


The toms are an amazing shade of purple...wait that's not good. Or...maybe I made them tough when they venture out on their own.


Walla's begging for light.


Lettuce and spinach. They like this crappy weather.


Kohlrabi and pak choi....they are leggy but refuse to fold.


I think the babies take me for granted. IDK if they appreciate what I do for them. Step outside the GH and get a taste of this.

[Lindsaylew82]

They germinated VEEEEEERY quickly. Like 2 days!!! I didn't realize they'd germinate that quickly so, today is their first day with lights.

How long should the lights be on? I have them on a timer now for 12 hours.

[rainbowgardener]

I'm still always learning or re-learning! So lessons from this year: Soak those seeds. Most anything probably benefits from being soaked at least a few hours. Since I bought a lot of stuff in bulk, I now have a bunch of seeds from 2012/ 2013. And I have to confess they haven't been stored perfectly all that time, spent a number of months just sitting around at room temp. So when I tried planting them straight from the envelope, I got very disappointing results for some, like peppers. So I started over soaking them for about 8 hrs or over night. Yay!! Much better results the second time.

Don't try transplanting too soon. As noted I managed to I don't know spill celery seed or something. Anyway I got literally thousands of little celery seedlings. I was really worried about them just choking each other out. So I started transplanting some out to two per cell, almost as soon as they were sprouted. But since that was a long process, I had one block of cells that was left untouched for more than a week longer. Even though they were so much more crowded, a lot of the untouched ones were significantly ahead in development compared to the early transplanted ones, with true leaves sooner, better root systems, etc.

Leave warm weather crops on the heat mat longer. I started purple basil, but again was worried some about crowding (though way less than the celery!!) and needed space on the heat mat. So I moved them to one per cell off heat mat when they just had tiny bud of true leaf showing. In this case I don't have a control group, but I know from previous years' experiences that since then they aren't doing real well, very slow progress. I think they would really have benefitted from staying on the heat until they had the second set of true leaves.

In the meantime, the past week I have planted petunias, bell pepper, chamomile, and yesterday green basil. most everything except yesterday's basil has sprouted.

[Lindsaylew82]

I would imagine soaking them would make them a little more manageable to handle. It was tedious work picking up 2 tiny seeds and putting them in each cell with tweezers. Several shot across the room! I had a few just explode too...I guess from being so dry. All of my seed have been in the pantry since fall. They came up quick though!

[applestar]

Almost all available nook and cranny have been used up and we're reaching that point of critical mass when a thorough re-org is the only way to add more growing seedlings under the lights.....

[rainbowgardener]

Looking good applestar!

Lindsay - 16 hrs would be better for the lights to be on. The light we can provide is so much less intense than sunlight that we need
to make up for it.

I've been itching to start tomatoes, but knowing that it is still a bit too early, especially if spring comes later this year.
But I looked at the tomato varieties I have on hand (11) and realized that they have a days to maturity range
from Stupice Ultra Early (55-60 days) to Virginia Sweets (90 days). So I figured it would be ok to give the Va Sweets
a little more head start. They are soaking now.

A lot of these are left overs from previous year's tomato giveaway or things people here have sent me
(thanks, everyone!) that I only have a few seeds of. But I thought especially since some are from 2012,
I might as well use them all up, see what sprouts.

My list: Red Boar saladette, Chianti Rose beefsteak, Rebel Yell beefsteak, Amos Coli paste, New Hampshire
sure crop medium size, high acid, Stupice Ultra Early saladette, Better Boy beefsteak, Virginia Sweets
yellow-red beefsteak, AAA Sweet Solano bicolor saladette, Coyote yellow cherry, Zuckertraube
cherry/grape.

You can see how you all have influenced me ! When I came here I grew Early Girl and Big Boy only - round red
hybrid tomatoes. The only reason for two varieties was to have some earlier ripening to have ripe tomatoes in
June. Gradually people here have been pulling me into the world of heirloom tomatoes. I was really afraid of it
at first, because the hybrids have all that disease resistance bred in. I thought I would have a terrible problem with diseases with heirlooms, but that has not turned out to be true. The heirlooms have had no more diseases than the hybrids, maybe less.

If the tomato giveaway happens this year, I would love to see Berkeley tie die. I got those from a previous year's giveaway and they were terrific! My customers still ask about them!

[applestar]

I couldn't stand it anymore so I planted some Baloon Ice Globes outside this morning

...6 hours later, they grew offshoots/pups!

[Rairdog]

Speaking of ice. I set all my cool weather crops out in the GH yesterday and forgot them. I lost all my spinach, kolrabi, pak choi, celery, lettuce and onions. They were looking so good in the DE. Hopefully some will recover but they spent the night at 8 deg. I brought them inside to get them out of direct light. The peppers and a few toms I started early were in the chamber and are fine so not all is lost.