How do you all manage your seeds and seed-starting? I'm always looking for new ideas and ways.
I've cobbled together a picture of what I'm doing at this moment in time (you people going to the RU, save those shower caps! Good for more than leftovers). Once things are big enough to transplant, I'm into soilblocks, 6-paks, and the like but that is another story.
Leftovers in a shower cap? Just curious...
All I can say is you are toooooooo organized.
:) Donna
Gee Donna, not exactly IN the cap--but they make great refrigerator dish covers. And good for bowls of rising bread, too! But best for seedlings, because they puff up so nicely.
Organized...hah. That's me now, with only a few things started. I will NOT send any pictures of the mass confusion that will be the norm by mid March!
Ok, when I turn the dang thing over, now it makes sense. I have never even thought of using shower caps for covers, but I see the merit in them now that I think about it. Like I said yesterday, I must be living under a rock...actually some bigs ones , named the Selkirk Range. :D
My rocks are bigger than YOUR rocks, nya nya nya
(Called the Coast Mountains...)
At least, I *think* they are--we have Mt. Waddington, after all!
I'm using a craft organizer box to store my seeds in.
It looks like you are off to a good start, Chilko! I organize my seeds by the date I plant them. I count backward from the date I can set plants outdoors without danger of frost. I've come to this method because I hav so many seeds to deal with. I use domed 'flats' to start seeds, and I have light racks down in my basement. Like you, I keep some under darkness, should they require it, but they are still under the lights... just covered.
Well Chiko, your mountains might be a "little" bigger than mine, but I wouldn't trade their location. And , we have Red Mountain and Sentinal Mountain, so there! :D
Here's another shot of Red Mountain.
Oh my, that's a beautiful shot. I once lived in Castlegar, hiked a lot around that area, so I was just ragging you--I know how beautiful they are.
Yes they are. I love 'em. Wish I could tell you I 've even been to your area, but I haven't. I have seen the Coastal mountains on the west coast though, but haven't been any further north than Kamloops in the interior. Maybe someday. So many cool places, so little time.
Here's a shot of the City of Castlegar, coming in from the east. Remember Rosemary?
i notice everybody loves sharpies
Donna--I moved there when I was married in 1960! So the memories have faded...
Those pics are breathtaking.
Ok I'm lost.......are the sharpies (pencils I'm guessing) for labelling?
Lilypon, Sharpies are, in fact, fine-point felt pens, or permanent markers. They are also referred to as laundry markers.
Thanks Carol. I find sharpies tend to fade quickly........ does HB or grease pencils last longer? If not I should remember to refresh my labels more often.
Grease pencil seems to hold up well, as does a regular graphite pencil. Our sunlight is not so intense as to fade the tags too fast, but I've found putting the end with the writing into the ground seems to help.
I'll make a point of doing that.....I know some were *planted* that way but not deliberately.
I like to use a graphite pencil. Ya, you sure are organised Rosemary. You certainly don't need any tips from me but I'm glad you started this thread so I can learn a few things. I've never had so many seeds in the cupboard that I'm going to have to start this spring. I must admit I'm feeling rather anxious about the whole business. I've made a database to try to sort out what needs to be started first. I like the way you've got the packages in order. That'll work for the bought seeds but I'm afraid all the seeds I collected are in film canisters, pill bottles and any other small containers I've been able to get my little paws on. When I go to look for something I end up having to rifle through every single shoe box and rubbermaid container that I keep them all in.
Nightowl, you might try my ziplock bag method. I have a tote full of large ziplocks. Each ziplock as a date on it. Inside are smaller ziplocks with each type of seed in it... such as petunia, etc. I start with a target date for setting out plants... usually June 1. I count back from that date and make a planting schedule from that. (Since I start most all seeds indoors, and because I live in such a short seasoned climate, I start my seeds much earlier than suggested on packages.)
So, I have a bag that says, 'Week 15'... that would be mid February. On that date, I'd begin planting all the types of seeds I have inside that bag... petunias, violas, etc. I have the 'Week' bags in a big tote, the earliest dates to the front, the later dates to the back. As I finish planting from a bag, it goes to the back of the tote until next year! The bags allow for all kinds of packaging.
the organizational skills are top notch - we should be running our respective countries (gardeners for government!! LOL)
How do I fit all those governmental agencies in those little zip locks?
Just get rid of the hot air and they'll flatten up nicely.
I'm absorbing your system, Weezi; I can see advantages. For sure will transfer all my collected seeds (like NightOwl's) into baggies--was always afraid to in case they weren't completely dry. I start things here much earlier than recommended also since my garden effectively is done by mid-August, if not before.
LOL, good one Rosemary!
LOL! Chilko, that's a hoot! Getting rid of the hot air would do the job, but it might take a while! If you think of the seeds as being in a file cabinet, the little individual baggies are the documents are in folders (gallon bags), and those folders are in bigger folders (2.5 gal. bags). As you can see, I have lots of seeds. It goes like this:
Week 15 (Feb 12, 2005) 2.5 gal ziplock Bag
Inside is a gallon bag marked Petunia
Inside the gallon Petunia bag are:
Celebrity Blue Petunia
Old Fashioned Vining Petunia, Etc.
To save time, I've also copied info off the Tom Clothier site relating to germination requirements such as how deep to plant, light needs, temp needs, stratification, etc. Since most all petunias would be the same, a slip of paper in the bag would suffice. This is especially helpful when you are getting seeds in trade and no germination info is available on the packages.
Carol--I like it. I don't start all my seeds each year though so I'd still have to break out (and make those hard decisions) of what I'm using this year.
What is the Tom Clothier site? Sounds useful.
Yes, it is! http://tomclothier.hort.net/
Very nice quilt, did you make it yourself?
Excellent link, Weezi. So much good information. Bookmarked ole Tom for future use. :Donna
MG, no, I wish I were that talented or that patient! I got this at Costco. Some industrious underpaid soul in a third world country probably made it. It's held up pretty well for the last three years.
OFG, yes, Clothier's site is so helpful when you need info on germinating just about anything. I just copy and paste the info for a certain type of plant to a word doc, then I cut it out and put it in the bag.
Gee, thanks for all the great tips Carol. I'm going to organize all my seeds just like you have yours. I'm not sure what little bags to put the seeds I've collected in though. I've been making little paper envelopes for trading but they're pretty small. Jeanne uses little wee ziplocs. I'll have to find out where she gets them. I've always been afraid to use plastic bags but I guess they're not so different than plastic containers. I'll have to check out the tomclothier site as I have lots of seeds that I collected that I don't know how or when to start.
We're usually safe here re: frosts after the full moon in April. So should I count my weeks back from then?
Hot air!! I love it. You guys are all so great...I can't thank you enough.
Nightowl, You can keep the seeds in whatever you like. If you don't have many, and if you have them all in envelopes, Chilko's box with tabs would work fine too. I figured your film containers, etc. would fit in the big ziplocks. I use those little ziplocks, too, but I have to say, they aren't the easiest to sprinkle seed out of. My favorites are the glacine bags for that. You can find those little bags in craft shops, I think, or order them online. If you want to try my Planting Week method, I'd get a year on a page calendar for 2005 and see when your full moon is in April, then count your weeks back from that. The suggestion for the number of weeks to start indoors before last frost is usually listed on th back of commercial seed. If your seeds don't have that, email me with a list and I'll see if I have the info.
Okay, thanks.
that link is a hoot - his pumpkin vs squash had me rolling. won't be trying pumpkins again
I zoomed right to the debate...he sure convince ME! I have been growing small pumpkins outside, under protection, because they're quite hardy but perhaps butternuts would resist a bit of frost also? Anyone know?
