2015 Seed Starting, Part 5

valal egg cartons make good seed starting containers, plus they come with their own watering tray! LOL Whether styrofoam-like or cardboard / paper-like, you can use a pencil to punch a few holes in the bottom of each "egg cradle" for under-neath watering!!!

ps.having to eat the cookies to have their containers to use?? so NOT a problem!! ROFL

Got a new frost blanket to cover the plants I just moved out there. Several of my older ones are beginning to look like they they should be recycled soon... (rips, holes, you get the idea)

I had to read that "frost blanket" twice, just to get it to make4 sense toi my sleep-muddled brain! LOL

I've just started on my first cup o' nectar of the god and I, too, have a frost blanket . . though not the kin you're speaking of! It started lightlky snowing yesterday, alternating with rain / sleet, so everything's covered with 1-2 inches of sparkly, glittering, snow / ice.

There's a special place for the sadistic caracters who plowed the street, piling up that white stuff in front of my truck so I can't drive out! Management hasn't sent someone to uncover the sidewalks, so I guess that doesn't matter much: I can't even leave my home, much less GET to my truck!! And although the street is clear of snow, the car that just went by was crunching the ice covering!!

oh, well! I guess I won't be going out today: at least I'm warm, dry and comfy. . . and have lots of inside things to do to occupy myself with. Hey! I can use this time for one of my fav activities:SHOPPING!!

Sorry, my message wasn't clearer. LOL, I typed the message then clicked on a pix when I came back to the page I had to rewrite it over again but forgot to add that the blanket will be used on plants that just went to the greenhouse (dug babies from the garden for sale this spring) Duh... (I believe this will make sense now.)

More goodies are germinating, will get the names after I get them into my book, am up to 156 pots seeded now.

Just wanted to let you all know there's a great article for all to read!!!!!!

"What to do with 10,000 Spring Sprouts in Your Winter Sowing Container's" on your home page, to the right of your rooms that you follow. See, you don't have to needlessly kill your extra babies!!!!

I had a question of which snaps I'm growing: Black Prince, Plum Crazy or appleblossom, tall ? unk which, Red 24-36", Royal Bride 48" fragrant), tall rose, Rocket Pink,

Aquilegias: vulgaris Christa Barlow, a mix from my neighbors garden with a great mix of dbls, singles and colors; vulgaris W
inky Dbl Rose/white; Maggie May; Solid blue short spur,; Solid pink short spur; McKennas hyb or Chrysantha yellow which is fragrant (when they bloom I should be able to tell which as the Chrysantha is taller than the McKenna series; mix from my daughter;

Oenothera : hookeri; eve primrose (which not sure); eve primrose Blood Orange; versicolor Sunset Boulevard, anther labeled as eve primrose. I'm, trying to get macrocarpa (missouriensis) from one of these unlabled packages.....hope, hope. and I'm suprised that I haven't come across speciosa in the trades yet, thought everyone grew those.....lol. I guess people don't realize that all Oenothera are Evening Primrose and contains atleast 10 different varieties (probably much more tho).

Hey Pam, question for ya.....did you grow the lav/pinkish Ceratotheca or just the white? I seeded the white but thought I had seen both some where, do I need to keep looking through my stash? LOL......

Some other things that have sprouted:Digitalis: p. Foxy; alba; Sutton's Apricot; Primrose Carousel; grandiflora; pink or purple; Silvery Lavender shades; ferruginea; p. Pam's Choice. Gypsophila repens pink (forgot to collect seeds from my new white last year...darn.)
Lily: phillipiensis; formosanum; formosaum var. Pricei
Papaver orientalis: Coral Reef; Marlene; Dbl Orange;
Valariana officinalis, yummmm soo fragrant
Lupine polyphyllus : Minarette (18-24" new to me); Russell's Prize mix
Rattibida yellow
Sisyrinchium Pole Star in both white and blue;
Delphinium: Butterfly blue; Dk Blue/blk bee; grandiflora mix
Fillependula ulmaria
Lobelia cardinalis
Monarda Lambada

Will be working on seeding more today....

Kathy ~ I have a question for you...how do you get the snapdragons to have buds all along their stems instead of just 3 or 4 at the very top of the stem? They have been a great disappointment for me.

This message was edited Mar 4, 2015 8:38 PM

Kathy, my Ceratotheca triloba is the white one. I've seen pictures of the pink, but have never grown it.

Gosh, Blomma, that O macrocarpa (missouriensis) in pic #5 is soooo pretty... Is it easily grown from seed?

Mmmmm...cookies... I could manage that, lol!

Five great reasons to start gardening Blomma, really like #1!

^^nudge nudge** kathy...she said O.macrocarpa (missouriensis)!

blooms all summer . . . check
drought resistant. . . . .double check
and it's YELLOW!!. . . . .a true trifectA!!!

blooma, its so PURTY!! What a welcoming sight for your visitors!!

LOL, But I dooo want O. speciosa...lol I have a lot of room to grow it here........only another 4 acres that hasn't been touched yet. LOL>

And your pix of the Gypsos are wonderful. I just picked up the white variety last August so is new, I hope it act like the pink and does some reseeding for me!

Which Oenothera does better for you or like the best? And fragrance?

Evelyn...not sure how I get more blooms than you. Seem like all the snaps I've ever grown have stems filled with buds. I even remember one year the tall rocket types began leaning over. Tried straitening them up a bit to no avail. I ended up with sooooooooo many more blooms even though the branch was touching the ground, they still ended up 30-36" stems from the side buds.

Been playing hooky the past few days, just goofing off. I'm suppose to be getting almost 14" of snow over the weekend, sure hope so. The previous snow just finished melting in our 60* temps. Guess it's back to winter now. Only another week of Feb. and I'll be glad when March arrives, means warmer temps..... Maybe I can get a few things done outside.

This message was edited Mar 4, 2015 8:40 PM

Now why does the song "I'm so excited!" keep running thru my head?? LOL

Snow & ice: gone
kathy's available plant spreadsheet (goodies): done
blank templates of my gardens: done
assembly and testing gro station: in progress

Lights? check
Camera? check
Action! this Thursday. . . .just a LEETLE bit more patience!

and in between assembling and testing components of my gro station (can I post a pic tonight??), I'm designing my gardens, selecting goodies from kathy (she's so kind to share!) to add.

Good thing I'm testing components: this morning I discovered why my gro lights didn't come on at the time I set my timer to. . .the wall switch that I turn off at bedtime (it controls power to my PC) ALSO controls the electrical plug that I had my light timer plugged into!! And I've over-looked a possible problem: water leaks ruining my carpet! While I have the seedling inserts in their solid trays., this sets directly on my carpet. . .so I need to get/put a water-proof thingie on top of my carpet / underneath the trays: to Lowe's I go today, for a length of plastic carpet protecting walkway!! (Second problem averted!)

that dang song keeps running thru my head: "I'm so excited!!. . .I just can't hide it!. . . "

Yes. DO post a pic tonight!

Bet, you go girl! Can't wait to see the pics of your set up!

Kathy, don't you snip off the tops if they get too tall as seedlings? That would make them bushier, And definitely if they fall over they send up more stalks along the length.

ra ds! here's my DIY gro station. . . it's in my kliving room, on the colkdfloor

this new project was SUPPOSED to ber low budget....so spent little money on initial set=up. Good thing, that, for I soon started racking up my "low cost"!

first, I had to have containers to grow the seedlings in, then trays to water them and catch any excess water, then special starting medium (plain okl' dirt wasn't GOOD enough for them!!). . and fertilizer. . .. and transplant cups, with a DIFFERENT soil-less mix...not to mention all the little things: markers for the seedflings (and indelible markers), survival blankets, aluminum roaster pans to transport the seedling / transplant cups in- and out-doors. . .
. . .
and don't EVEN get me started on the final containers etc!

low cost my left hind foot!!!

at leAst when I ramp up, I'll know what I'm doing and have a lot of the basic supplies already.

Why dop I feel I've overlooked something really important??w what I'm doing. . and have a lot of the" little extras" that wasn't immediately apparent!!

The low cost is next year, when you have everything already. The only problem then is you will be tempted to buy too many seeds. Also your medical costs will be lower because of your healthy new hobby!

This message was edited Mar 4, 2015 8:32 PM

Pistil,
A great thought---and excuse. LOL!

LOL pistil at least my blood pressure etc will go down next year: stress level will certainly go down markedly!

I've already thought of using wall space / getting up off the floor (bending over regularly is NOT reccomended). What I need ASAP is a table/shelf that stands about waist-high and is a bit more than 56 inches long x 2 foot wide. I've found MANY shelves/tables that are waist-high (or taller) but the LENGTH is the problem: most are ~ half as long as needed, with one being ~ 4'!

I've decided to take a page from college dorm room's functional and cheap: legs of big concrete blocks (from the place-that-makes-them -what are they called?- down the street) and for the shelf, a plank (from the lumberyard down the street the other way). Those and that protective plastic (for my carpet) will have to wait: I awoke to ~4-6 in of snow (the weather forecast was for a scant 1 inch. . humph!) and half an inch is forecast for today. Fact, continueing bad weather (rain, sleet, snow) is forecast for the next few days! Until somebody comes and shovels my sidewalk, I ain't going ANYWHERE!!!

TWO Questions:
1) With a 4-bulb fixture, how many 1020 flats can be started/grown successfully (without the seedlings on the edges suffering significantly)? Are those 1020 trays placed parellel or perpendicular to the lights??
2) Should zinnia seeds be started/grown in 3" sqaure , deep, bio-degradable peat pots (I read that zinnias dislike being transplanted, so these are recomended) OR plastic cell inserts (then transplanted into the outdoor garden) - if the latter, then I can start my tomato seedlings in the bigger peat pots and buy a couple of 1020 sets for the zinnias.

I personally have a hard time growing Zinnias inside...They come up but don't always make it, or not as good as I get from direct sowing them in the garden. Besides they grow soo fast.

I also have a suggestion for your table. Check with Home Depot and see if they have a sheet of particle board or ...... on the cheap. Have them cut it to the size you need (usually less than $1 or maybe free if you smile..lol). Can use the cement bricks for legs or boxes.... And to protect the floor I use plastic tarps which are $5-10, depending on the size. I think there's one that's 5x9 for about $5. It's sturdy enough not to tear and can handle being walked on, also easy to clean (either vacuum or sponge wash up spills). Just some more ideas on the cheap....lol.

That example on my snaps was from years ago before I started growing things from seed. Yes, they can be snipped or pinched early in the growth stage for extra branching, they are just getting their first set of true leaves so it will be weeks before I give them a trim.

More goodies that have germinated: Aquilegia McKenna Hyb.; Papaver o. Dbl orange; Fillependula ulmaria Meadow Sweet; Gypsophila paniculata and repens; Salvia farenacea; Scabiosa caucasica and a new short blue one from my daughter's garden (12"); Heliotrope arborescens Dwarf Marine; Dracocephalum iberbe or moldavicum (I should do a better job marking packets when I collect things from my garden....lol, slap my hand); Nicotiana: tobacum, glatinosa, sylvestris, sandersae and Eau De Cologne. (thanks Pam and Susie for seed donations to the nicotianas and a couple are collected from my garden).

Am sitting here with 14" of new snow and more coming tomorrow (6-8"), then more this weekend and more again next week Looks as if March will be arriving like a lion this year. Every few days we will be getting another round.....ya, now we're paying for all that nice stuff earlier this month.

Some of my Seed stating efforts
1 is a mixed pot of Petunia and goji Barbarum Chinensis on the right
2 is outside
3 is a Hibiscus , one got hit by a cold draft ,, goodbye it said ,,
4 Mostly mixed Variety of Snapdragon ,, Yes I know , a little stringy . closer to the light shortly ,,
5 From seed a bamboo two weeks old (Fargesia Sp Jiuzhaigou 4)
There are a few more , but no more room for me to start anymore ,,
spring is coming ,, Big Sigh for someday.

Nice to have some green things popping up inside when all the snow is outside:-)
Kathy,sounds like you r seeds are going gangbusters!
Bet, like your light set up and all the ideas to build upon as you can!

I just cannot help myself to say, my son mowed my nice green lawn here in oregon the other day.. feel for yall that have all that nasty weather. You watch though..yours will be gone and we'll get a hit of cold before spring.. lol

BetNC - wanted to let you know I hear ya on setup costs. I am putting together some hanging baskets to sell - 100 is my goal. And at a min 6-8 plants a 12" basket thats about 600-800 plants. #yikes what was I thinking! I have them all growing on a metal rack in my garage, 4 shelf, 2 shop lights on each shelf. I have 4 1020 trays on each shelf for a total of 16 flats, about 35 varieties of flowers. I put them in perpendicular to the lights. I have 72 cell trays in them, but only plant 60 cells because 2 rows stick out and dont get enough light so that is the only issue I ran across doing it that way. If I didnt need so many, I would set them in parallel for full light coverage. I have socked more than I thought I would need to into my setup, just praying it all works out. I trust it will. Truly love watching the little seedlings grow. And, they are so quiet, compared to my 2 grandkids, ha!

Have fun, Enjoy!
lilmiss44

valal we have a blanket of snow (lasts for 2-3 days, then melts, then snows again, etc). . . you should see my spring flowering bulbs?!! poking up their brave lil sprouty selves , surrounded by a snowy blanket!! Daffodils, hyacinth, crocus, tulips, muscari, allium...and snow!! Green and white. bbbbbrrrrrrrrr

lilmiss thanks: 4 trays perpindicular Question about those 2 unplanted rows: what do yiou do when you have to put all those seedlings into transfer cups (MUCH more room-consuming) Can't you use the survival blanket to capture / reflect the light back for those 2 rows??

kathy the zinnias are to help me learn as they're supposedly easy to grow indoors. I've seen (and plan to use) the wet paper towel germination method. . . then put one germinated seed in a peat pot or cell. I have 2 types of zinnias and I WAS going to do a comparison test: indoor seed starting vs direct sow. But then #@$% management decided (after I had planted there for 3 years and ordered the seed for this, the 4th year) to eliminate/reduce my back garden: mine went from a bit over 17 sq feet to only 7.0 sq feet!! (I'm consulting a tenant's rights lawyer.)

BetNC I would love to see a pic of that snow with those bulbs!

I have tried to plant my seeds so I can avoid that and transfer straight to the hanging basket. I have mostly 1 plant per cell, and will thin others to be that way. So far so good with everything, except for the Nasturtiums. I planted those way to early, they are ready to go into a basket now. I am working on a solution for that.

My son is building an outdoor watering/greenhouse stand for me so I can move my baskets outside in April as I transplant those plugs and harden them off/store them. I think that should be ok here in oregon. And, then hopefully they will be ready by May.

Now if something starts growing faster than they are right now, I could run into some intermediate transplanting, but everything is still pretty little, and over a month to go. But I have started some of them on some diluted nutrients, so they may start getting bigger. What to do with all those baskets is my biggest worry! LOL.

About the empty cells. I am using an emergency blanket on the backside of the shelves, and I have a removable front plastic that has one on it also, but i only use it for nights when the lights are not on and it gets cold. It gets too hot with it on, and the lights on too. So, I just decided to fill them with soil but not plant those cells. :)

March will be very interesting!

One question I would have is I see all the lovely pics on here and the soil looks so good. I have some algae on some of my trays. mostly likely i am sure from misting, and watering. I scrape it when I can, but some is on cells that have not germinated. Any tricks for getting rid of that?

Thanks,
lilmiss44

lilmiss44,
Hi, I get green algae on the surface of my daylily seedling while in 6-packs. It doesn't hurt the plants. I think algae grows when plants get too much light for too long coupled with heat. Mine are under fluorescent light for 16 hours/day. I am going to lower the time and give them 15 hours and see if that will help.

If the algae is only on your trays, try to remove it with bleach and SOS pad. .

Here we have very little snow (thank goodness) and so I haven't used my snow blower in over two weeks. And because we have a horrible climate (30 degrees actually feels warm) w have all the infrastructure to handle cold. Schools close because of -30 wind chills, not snow. So I just bundle up, run to the garage, jump in the car, and do what I need to do.

Finally got germination on blue cynoglossum! I've been trying for a couple of years. It's one of those sticky seeds that grabs onto you and critters and tends to spread itself around the yard, which is just what I want. One of the few true blues, and it goes with everything.

Thanks blomma, I dont have any on the tray itself, just on the soil. I just dont want the stem of the seedling to get rotted. so i am trying to keep it cleaned up when they sprout and get big enough so I dont knock them over or pull the poor things out. i also have mine under lights for 16 hrs. Funny that some get it and others dont have any.

;)

just a short "Hi!" from me, today: I've been moving furniture, to get set to FINALLY start my seeds tomorrow.

I got my gro station of the floor, thankfully (that's why I was moving furniture! Oh! My aching back!!)

blomma I got those clothespins handy!! thanks for the tip!! (aktho your post was for someone else, it was among many that I regularly watch!)

See if you can help me with this....

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1387330/

Debs, I clicked on the link and there I gave you some suggerstions.

BetNC,
You are welcome. Those clothespin comes in handy in several ways.

lilmiss44,
What I do is lightly rake the top of the soil and sometimes I will remove some and replace it with more potting soil. The algae won't hurt the plants.



This message was edited Mar 4, 2015 8:46 PM

BetNC- I read posts on your link, thought I'd reply here since it might help others on this thread as well.

Blomma, I heartily agree about Miracle Grow. It's a terrible consistency- and it attracts fungus gnats, really annoying. I kept them under control by sprinkling cinnamon on the surface. But when I switched to other brands, no more gnats.

I start most seeds with the Deno method, then I plant 1 per cell. Sometimes I cluster sow in a 2" or 3" pot, then separate into cells. Then I don't pot up until the seedlings have a good root system filling the cell. I would think that in your zone you would be able to plant out by then. My planting date for hardy herbs would be some time in May, June 1 for the tender ones, but you are much warmer.

Happy belated Birthday PAM!!!!!!!

I've been following this thread, but don't remember reading anything about clothes pins. Could someone enllighten me?