What do you use to start seeds in?

I need some advice here!!! I have flats that I normally start my seeds in, but this year I'd rather start them individually to avoid transferring them from the flats into larger pots before I do the final transplant into my garden. I'm planning on starting almost 400 veggie plants from seed this year, (mostly tomatoes & different peppers) and I'll be going back to work and won't have as much time to do so much transferring. I've been checking out different ways to do this, but am not sure which ways are good.
Has anyone ever tried those "Jiffy pellets"? Or how about those Jiffy pots that you put your own soil in? And if I DO plant them individually, how many seeds do I plant in each pot? Or...am I just better off planting all these seeds in flats and then transplanting the started plants into larger pots before putting them into the garden? As you can see...I'm confused. Help!!!

Call me a gardening failure, but the peat pots and jiffy pellets have never worked right for me--I end up with a moldy mess and damped off seedlings, or pots that are hard as rocks....I tell myself "it's the watering, stupid!!!" but I can't seem to get the hang of them.

I'm using cell packs - some small, some larger - for most of my perennial plants, but I thought this year I'd try my hand at paper pots for my annuals and veggies. I honestly don't know why I think I'll have more luck with them than my past experience with the peat and pellets, but I think gardening's a lot like childbirth...somehow each spring I forget how bad it was "the last time"!!!!

How much seed to put in each cell/pellet depends on:
1. the amount of seed I have,
2. the number of plants I need,
3. the type of seed it is (some seeds are just more reliable germinators), and
4. whether the seed is from this year or not.

Based on these variables, I put one, two or three seeds per cell, and thin out the extras.

AuntyB: Please don't use Jiffy pots! I hate them - I wouldn't want anyone to go thru what I have. They have been a complete nightmare for me.

Like you, I wanted to stop the transfer, and I had lots of styrofoam cups - started using them. Punched holes in bottom for drainage and on sides. Sit them in pan to water from the bottom. They're working great. They also fit nicely into plastic bags.

Good luck in your quest,
Grits

Some of my first really great successes were with the peat pellets and the little greenhouse flats. I had all our southern esposure windows full of tables full of flats. They did very well. However, there are some problems with them and I am switching most of my seed planting to the cell flat greenhouses. I use my own seed starting mix which is about 2/3 spaghnum peat moss, seived through 1/4 in wire mesh. The remainder 1/3 is a mix of 1/2 coarse (not fine) vermiculite and 1/2 perlite. I mix and wet at the same time...I use lots of hot water and really mix well. I do this in a plastic storage container (large) and put the lid on it overnight to soak. When I fill my cell packs, I leave about a quarter of an inch space to the top. Do not overfill or you will wash away seeds. However, do not underfill either because your seedling will not get enough circulation. The large seeds I plant either 1 or 2 to the cell. Medium to small 3. Very small and fine I mix with play sand and just sprinkle a pinch on each cell. Don't be too generous though or they will be too thick. I water after I have planted the seed with a plastic syrup bottle with the pop lid. It delivers just the right amount of water in a gentle way. I put the clear plastic lid over the flats in a warm, sunny place if I want them to sprout right away. If I'm doing them in the coldframe, I leave the lids on until they sprout. This is also true of those in the house and greenhouse. Watch the condensation on the lid. If it looks like a fine mist it is good. If it looks more like heavy rain, take the lid off for a few hours, then replace it. It is important not to leave the lids on after the seeds have sprouted. They need lots of air and sun at this time. If they begin to look leggy, give them more light. One of the reasons I prefer the cell packs to the peat pellets is because you can leave the plants to grow to a good transplanting size. The pellets require an intermediate transplanting. If I am going to continue to grow the plant in a pot until it is bigger, I first transplant from the cell to a 2 1/4" plastic pot. I don't like clay except for geraniums. I continue to enlarge the pot as the plant grows, but only to the next size up. Too large a pot will hold too much water and your plant will not have a healthy root system. My garden guru tells me plant roots like to be stressed for space. When I transplant out of the cell pack, I use a growing soil that I also mix myself. These recipes vary, but usually contain sterile earth (yes, I bake dirt in the oven in an old metel refrigerator drawer. I bake it until it reads 165 on a meat thermometer placed deep in the center of the soil. About an hour.) I mix this with the peat/vermiculite/perlite mix, blood meal, bone meal, greensand, cotton burr compost, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I should test for PH but I haven't bothered with this yet. My soil is alkaline, the peat is acid, and I have good luck with it. However, others may need to watch this more closely. Too acid or too alkaline will lock up your nutrients and they will not be available to your
plants. The vermiculite and perlite will help hold the moisture in your soil so watch watering carefully. You can judge many times by the weight of the container whether they need watering or not. Do not overwater, and be very careful not to let seeds and seedlings go dry. The larger the plant, the more it can stand dryness. I water about once a week with liquid seaweed or fish emulsion. This has all proven successful with me. Hope it helps you. ITS FINALLY FEBRUARY!!!!!!!

I wish I had the patience of Lantana! Anyway, I use the following, which has given me good results over the years.

I only use the Jiffy peat pots for seeds which require a peaty soil. Most of the time I use 2/3 vermiculite with 1/3 seed starter soil..mixed together. I only water from the bottom and I only use the plastic cells, not the big ones but the 9-hole pack ones. I reuse them each year, if they're not torn up, but I bleach them before reusing. You can bake soil in the oven at 250 degrees for an hour, I believe, to sterilize it..I've only done this a few times. I only mix special soil, ie..with sand or compost, if it's a truly needed seed. Sometimes I use a heating pad with cusioning, too, only if a seed needs bottom heat or is native to an arid place. I also keep a small cheapo fan (you know, the clip-on type) on to provide a light breeze over my seedlings, with the interest in outsmarting that dampoff..lol. My experience is that my "soil salad" works for me. Best wishes for your seed starting :)
Trish

Styrofoam or plastic ; I will never use peat pots due to mold and or drying out problems . My neighbour who operates a horticultural business , also avoids peat based containers like the bubonic plague . Sprout On 2001 !!

AuntyB
We germinate tomatoes, peppers and eggplant in sterile
perlite and transfer them to 72 cell trays just as true leaves start to show. The cell trays are filled with a potting mix consisting of 60% peat, 30% coir, and 10%perlite.
Most of our cut flowers are started in 288 cell trays.
Some are grown out in these trays and others are transferred to 72 cell trays or even 3 inch pots before finally being
transferred to the field.
With the soilless mix, we seldom have seedling disease problems.
Bud

AuntyB,
For the first time ever I am using peat disks. So far I can see some benefit and some problems with them. To me the best part part of the disks is you can very easily move them around. I have over 35 flats started right now. I don't want to run all of the lights need for 35 flats until I have to. So what I do is as each seedling comes up I move just that disk to another flat under the lights. I check the flats at least twice a day (just for fun!) The disk also makes it easier to transplant to a large pot, I have already done that once with some tree seedlings. I have noticed that the pots do dry out quicker than usual and one of the trays did get a little mold.
If was starting fewer flats or using a coldframe or greenhouse I would probably never use peat disk. But for me this year it is working just fine. BTW I have tried peat pots and would never use them again.
Sari

WOW!!!! So much information in such great detail!!!! Thanks everyone! I really appreciate it! Now I need to sit back and soak all of this in and make my seed starting plans here. I know one thing for sure, I won't try the peat pots! Doesn't sound like the majority of you like them, and I don't want to take too many chances with my seeds this year. Thanks again, folks! :-)

I use 3 oz paper "Dixie"cups for most seed.For larger stuff the 5 oz size works well.I fill these with a mix of compost and commercial potting mix.
The paper begins to rot within 3 or 4 weeks yet will hold the seedling longer if necessary.I ease the plant out of the cup,by tearing the paper down the side,and into the garden row then just bury the cup beside the row.
A standard flat will hold 40-42 of the 3 oz size.Do I need to mention cutting a hole in the bottom for drainage?
Cheap and easy!

Does anyone use newspaper to start their seeds in? I just saw in a seed catalog (can't remember which one..lol) some salt shaker type of wooden thing in which you just wrap around newspaper and tuck in the bottoms to make biodegradable pots. It seemed easy enough to make..just wondering if anyone ever used this type of "container".
Trish

Trish, your posting was like deja vu all over again. I posted the same question, almost verbatim, on that "other forum", but I never got any replies. I'm wondering if I really need to fork over $15 for the mold, or if I could use something (like an old salt shaker.....you hit it on the head - that's exactly what they look like!)to make my own. Or is the $15 money well spent? Anyone had experience with the newspaper pots? Please, speak up and share the good, bad and ugly.......

No experience with the newspaper pot maker but... I am a woodworker and it looks to me like you could go to your local Home Depot and buy a piece of dowel rod or closet rod. I would wax the dowel rod so that it would slide off easier. The one reason I never did the newspaper thing was newspaper breaks down so quick. I'd be worried that the paper would just fall apart when I watered or when I picked it up to plant.

Lots of people have used the newspaper pots. We had a discussion about this, in fact, on another thread.

The wooden pot makers have suddenly appeared in numerous catalogs. If you want the aesthetics of that one, go spend 15 bucks. But if you're just interested in the final product, there's a no-cost way.

Use a 15 oz can of anything. That's all it takes.

Here's how I was taught to make them:

Take a full sheet of paper, folded normally. Fold it again the long way. Lay it out flat and put the can on it, lined up with the folded edge of the paper. Keep the can crimp outside the paper. Now roll it around the can, but not real tight.

Stand the can on edge so the excess paper stands upright. Fold and crimp it down against the can. Turn it over and give the folds a solid wack against a hard surface.

Most people say that's all it takes. And it would be if you immediately filled them with soil or potting mix. But I like to make them over the winter, stockpiling them against need. The crimps and the side opening tend to open when you do that. So I use small pieces of masking tape to keep them sealed.

When transplanting the paper pots it is important that you either bury the pot completely, or tear off the top inch or so. If the paper is exposed it will wick moisture to the surface, and your seedlings could dry out.

That sounds easy enough even I can do it. And no, I don't care about the aesthetics of the paper pot maker, I just want it to work. I'd rather save the fifteen bucks and use it somewhere else, like on more plants and seeds! :0)
Thanks!!!!

I have instructions for an origami newspaper pot on my site: http://www.fcl.addr.com/mybackyard/

It takes a long time to make just one pot, so try this only if you have some time on your hands and like folding paper. The pots do work pretty good though; some people say they like the fact that it has a flat bottom, and it sits upright without falling over.

Bud and all: Thanks for all the good info. Bud, I'm going to do my vegetables as you suggested! Haven't gotten started yet with vegetables because I didn't want to go thru the trial and error I've had with fowers - wow, learning the hard way is not much fun. But thanks to all of you, our seed sowing gets easier.
Thanks so much,
Grits

Newspaper pots, I use a 16 oz pickle jar, with the lablel
removed, for a form , Martha Stewart uses a tomato soup can. I can fit 18 in a standard plant tray.


Seed start, I used speed trays, These are tray's with 1"w 1 1/2 in deep slots. Use as little as 1 slot at a time or all of them. Uses about 1/2 cup of seed starting medium per slot.

At about 3/4" seed spacing I can start 400 seeds per tray
at one time on a single heat mat.

As soon a seeds emerge I transplant to pots.

Actually I cut my speed trays in 1/2, purchased some extra
1/2 size water proof trays. This allows me to bottom water in the kitchen sink...

Byron

Have any of you tried these Root Cubes??? And if so, what do you think about them? Ever heard of them? Think these would be okay to use or just as bad as using the Jiffy pots?http://www.homeharvest.com/seedstartingrootingmedium.htm

One of the members of my garden club got the apparatus to make the root cubes, and swears by them, he has them in 3 or 4 different sizes. The idea is that he starts the seeds in the smallest one, then transplants to one size larger then the next size. Me, I'm not that organized, would kill them all while moving them, also, I like to get away with either not transplanting or transplanting in the most painless way. I was thinking along the lines of the dixie cups. The newspaper method sounds good, but I too believe that they might disintegrate too soon, and I would lose everything the minute I tried to pick it up to transplant.

Supposedly the newspaper doesn't disintigrate as fast as you'd think because you're folding it so it's several thicknesses. But....I practiced making some with a can, and although it was pretty easy to do, I can't see myself making 400 little paper pots! *lol* I'm too lazy. I need time savers!
What IS the apparatus for making those root cubes? Is it something you make or buy?

I use straight moistened vermiculite in zip lock bags for most cold treatment applications . This takes up way less space than conventional pots and trays UNTIL you know there is germination .

This is what I use for planting most of my seeds, I just take one liter milk carton, they are already waterprof inside. I just pick holes at the buttom, they work good for me and you have no work to do like folding paper

Through the years I've probably used every conceivable commercial and homemade product for starting seeds. One of my favorities is the styrene boxes that mushrooms come in. Two of them make a perfect mini-greenhouse.

Only things I've tried that I'm not happy with are milk cartons (I don't care how many people say they make sense; they don't hold enough starting mix, and they dry out way to rapidly), and the peat pellets.

Other than that, if it holds the potting mix, can be watered, and provide adequate drainage, I don't think you can go too far wrong with any container.

I try everything-lemonice,butter tubs anything. I was looking at the egg cartons this a.m.-twelve cells --there has to be a way to make it work! I save piepans, clear plastic containers, sunnyD 12 packs with the tops cut off-My hubby is always unloading the dishwasher and asking-Is this for frowers? "YES" I do have the seed starting domes too! =] I went to GFS and got tinfoil serving dishes and lids they work great. I use the lids for underneath plants to hold the water for bottom watering! You can plant alot of seedlings in a tray. Hospital trays are good too.
dori

I used the vermiculite suggestion from chooch they year and it has worked really good. Thanks Chooch.
BTW I am noticing some mold on my peat disk...working on getting rid of it.

Sari,

Make sure when you transplant the peat-disk grown seedlings that you either remove, or at least slit, the nylon netting holding it all together. A lot of plants do not have strong enough roots to penetrate it, and you wind up with root-bound, stunted plants.

There are also peat disk without netting, They are called Jiffy 9's, Smaller, no netting.

Byron

I use soil Blocks (aka root cubes) and make my own with soil block makers. You need 2 sizes the 1" and the 2" (which has 4x the soil as the 1").
Because we are certified organic we make our own sopiless mix out of peat moss, compost, sand, perlite and small amounts of a few other items. if any one would like I have a booklet with several soil recipes that I can type onto the web. Eliot Coleman usually has recipes in his books too. I know there are 3 in his book The New Organic Grower.

I love the blocks. They almost do away with transplanting stress. They do tend to dry out so one has to watch that but they work well .
To make them is a bit like making mud pies.

Ohiorganic, please post your recipes. I am also curious how your handle your soil's PH. Can you give more details on making the soil blocks? Where did you get the "soil block makers"?