So ... I decided to give seed starting a try. And, as I'm apt to do, I dove in head first. No dipping the toes in for this girl. Lol. Armed with a gazillion seeds from two seed swaps and a whole lot of enthusiasm, I started planting seeds in January and haven't looked back
I've winter sowed seeds, started seeds under lights, and put up a little green house, where there are more trays of seedlings. There are even some seed trays in the vegetable compartment of my refrigerator!
All methods have resulted in happy looking seedlings. But now I'm getting worried about the next step. Most were started in soil less seed starting mix, so I know they'll need potting up to something else fairly soon. That's where I could use some advice. Any tips on soil mixtures for these baby plants? Or on inexpensive containers to house LOTS of seedlings? Or any tips in general on how to help all these lovely little seedlings transtion to healthy plants capable of fending for themselves in the garden?
"People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us." ~ Iris Murdoch
You will need to find a good potting soil for them as you carry them on in containers. Anything like cottage cheese cartons, or plastic cups work as containers. Make drain holes in the bottom. The seedlings from indoors will need to be hardened off. The winter sowed ones will be fine. Some of us leave the winter sown seedlings in the jugs until we transplant them to the garden.
Do peruse the Seed Forum and also the Vegetable forum.
There are lots of people who can give you more specific advice.
Good luck !
Thank you for the reply. I think I'll get a pack or two of plastic cups to use as pots.
Do you know if it would be okay to start shifting some of the seedlings started inside my house out to the greenhouse? I won't have enough room under the indoor grow lights once I shift things from trays to pots. The greenhouse is warmer (70 to 80) than the interior of my house during the day, but the greenhouse temp has dropped as low as 40 at night. I keep the indoor seedling room at 60 at night. I think I understand about hardening off plants to get them used to the heat and sunlight of outdoors, but does the reverse work for colder conditions? And how would you do that? Put them out at night for a little bit at a time?
The seedlings started in the greenhouse have held up to the cold nights fine, so maybe I'm overthinking it?
"People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us." ~ Iris Murdoch
The warm season plants won't take the cold-peppers, egg plant, squashes and cucumbers. Some tomato varieties won't like it either. Cool season veges should be okay with it.
Everything I have started is ornamentals. Lots of perennials, some annuals. I've decided to slowly start moving the perennials out to the greenhouse and leave the grow light space for the annuals. If we get some really cold, below freezing night, I'll bring the perennials back in.
"People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us." ~ Iris Murdoch
CarolineScott said:The warm season plants won't take the cold-peppers, egg plant, squashes and cucumbers. Some tomato varieties won't like it either. Cool season veges should be okay with it.
All of my pepper, tomato, eggplant, squash, cabbage seedlings have grown to the top of my cold frame and I was hoping to get them into the garden this coming week but the weather here in CT has not been cooperating. The coldframe is covered with a light blanket at night with a 100w lightbulb on but how long can this continue I wonder. The garden soil is saturated, the temp right now is upper 40's . . . . anybody else going through this???
