Think Spring! Seed Swaps and more for Feb 23 Tea Party

Chantell we can split a half of a half since we are both clueless.

there are cell trays on the ebay link that i posted above along with numerous other seed starting items

If she sends shoots up or you'd like to try and root some cuttings (God knows I'm NOT the one to ask about rooting hardwood cuttings...grrr) I'm more then happy to share. Was thrilled 2 springs ago to find 3 gal pots of these at Walmart for $9.97!!!!!!!!!!! Bet your french lilac has an amazing scent!!! Hart and Gita (I think) shared lilacs with me at the swap last year.
LOL 1/2 of a 1/2...that'll leave me with a zillion seeds though....ugh!

This message was edited Jan 19, 2008 11:09 PM

Click on the sheet pot link on this page: http://www.growersupply.com/plancon.html

I'll have to see how many of the 606 jumbo sheet pots I've still got downstairs... it may be time to order more, depending on how many people need. I like them for tomato and pepper seedlings, and for any annuals that I'm giving a longer head start... if I want to set out little budding/blooming size plants, I figure they need at least a 2 inch pot, and that's basically what the 606 sheet pots are.

I'm also considering ordering a case of the 1801 deep sheet pots. They're 18 to a standard nursery flat. I have lots of little pots that I save from buying plants, and I'm always jigsawing them into flats when I transplant seedlings... it might be nice to have a bunch of new pots that actually fit together nicely into the flat! (I know Shirley plants out most of her winter sown seedlings by the "hunk of seedlings" method... just plunking them into the garden... but I have better luck coddling them in pots for a while until they're bigger.) I might also just look at ordering sturdier nursery pots from them. I got some trade gallon pots last year and really liked them.

With shipping, either of the above sizes works out to just 68 cents per insert. A bargain!

Unfortunately, I don't see 48 cell sheet pots on that site... I may have to look elsewhere, or just buy them locally (for 99 cents each).

Those would be great!!

OK, anybody who wants the 606 pots, please give me an idea of how many you'd like... 10... 20... ?

This doesn't have to be a firm commitment (I'll use any extras eventually), but I need to get an idea so I know if I need another box this year or not.

I might go ahead and order some more trade gallon pots, while I'm at it. I really liked the sturdy, injection molded ones (100 for $60, incl. shipping) I got last summer, but I'm feeling the lure of the cheaper ones (200 for $67).

Jill can these be used alone or do that have to go into a tray?

They need something under them because they have drainage holes. If you split them up into 6-packs, you could move them around on their own, but you can't pick up a full sheet of pots without something under them. They're like the cell packs you get at the nursery in terms of sturdiness. You can get black plastic flats at lots of places, should be less than $1.50. Most of the old ones that I have broke down with use and have little holes in the corners, so I use them to hold winter sowing containers outside (where slow drainage is exactly what I want).

You could improvise with deli trays or something, but the high sides of a standard 1020 nursery flat are helpful with the sheet pot inserts.

I did discover last year that 1 6-pack of the 660 pots fit nicely into a tofu container... so you can experiment with stuff like that.

Critter, DON'T ORDER ANYTHING!!!! OMG, I've been trying to figure out what I could bring since I didn't collect any seeds this year, but I know I can muster up some pots! Just got back from a trip to Greensboro and it will take a few days to catch up, but let me check to see what sizes we have kicking around and I'll let you know. I know for a fact I have TONS of quart pots (4"x4"), can probably find some gallon pots (trade gallons - 3 qt, not true gallons - 4 qt) and even some of the plug trays in different sizes (60s, 72s, 128s, etc) - would LOVE to be able to recycle some of these for all of you!

I'm so excited that I can help - I'll be traveling in my van and there are no seats in the back so I can fill it up :)

Debbie

You can pick up some large roasting tins (disposable tin foil type) from the dollar store, then set your cell packs inside of those tins then place the entire thing under your growing lights. That way you can water the plants from below and can move them around easily. I find that the foil holds up better than the plastic trays in regard to springing leaks; that's important since I've got them under lights inside the house. I fit five ten packs (for total of 60 plugs) into one roasting tin and four tins per light shelf ...

OH I think I love you all!

:)

I am going to call Jason and see if he can get anything whole sale... Stay tuned!

Debbie, you're my hero!!

I do scrounge around for recycled pots from everywhere, but then I give plants away, and somehow I never have enough pots! That's especially true since I've discovered I have so much more success "growing on" perennials for a while in pots before planting them out... I wasn't sure if I'd manage to do enough planting out in early spring to free up pots for transplanting!

I've been using pint and quart deli containers (also yogurt and cottage cheese containers, punching drainage holes in them of course), and they just never fit into flats as nicely as the square 4x4 pots...

I have 30 of the 606 sheet pots left downstairs, which will about cover me this season. If anybody else wants some of that size, let me know (they're the bigger ones, about the same as 2 inch nursery pots), and we can order some more... B&T is usually pretty quick to ship.

I wish the plastic insert pots weren't plastic. I hate that we are all doing something that is enviromentally ok (and I really do try to avoid herbicides, insecticides, etc.) and then we have to use plastic to accomplish it. But peat is a problem too -- at least some of it is taken from bogs that are not adequately managed. See http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1525/is_n3_v78/ai_13695256 Sigh. I solve that problem by being so behind in my gardening projects that I can't even begin to think what to grow seeds in this season. I think I'm just going to winter sow.

Critter, just let me know how many quart pots you want - we've got hundreds! Some of the older ones don't fit into the carrying trays we have now so they're useless to us. How about the gallon pots? Pretty much the same thing, a lot of them just waiting to be recycled.

Also, the plug trays I can bring for anyone who's interested are like these http://www.growersupply.com/plugtrays.html. The nice thing about them versus the 606 sheet pots is they're not as flimsy and you can pick up a whole tray with just one hand without dumping the contents. I can easily bring an assortment and may be able to find some of the older carrying trays that we no longer use as well.

Happy, I hear you - which is one of the reasons why we try to recycle as much as possible. I have read somewhere in my magazines where the growers are trying to find new uses for the recycled plastics - mulch, etc. I think with more and more people "going green", they'll discover a lot of new uses for the plastic.

I'm struggling with the plastic / recycling / peat thing as well! I re-use more and more household/gardening items all the time, but there is always room to do better, imo.

Well, another one of those cases where I sat here and wrote what was on my mind after reading all of the posts. Guess what? poof and gone Oh well, jist of the post was that you folks are really raring to go. I haven't yet had the spare time to even think of winter sowing, but you all have stirred the bug in me up a bit now.

I have everything to do with, just need to allot a certain time and date and Just Do It. ha-ha This would be my first attempt, so I might have to ask some questions as I get in to it.

i hope that every one will have a good week coming up. Take care.

Ruby

I'm definitely interested in the plug trays also, but the 606 sheet pots are the larger size I need for about half the stuff I put under lights... the 60 cell plugs are good for about 4 to 6 week starts before most things start running out of room, right? You probably pot up into 4 inch pots for sale, but I don't have room for that many 4 inch pots under the lights... so I compromise by making most of my plants struggle along in the 606 pots (2 inch size) until planting them out. That generally works out all right! I do have a couple of things I want to start this year (ivy leaf geraniums and trailing "fairy snapdragons") that I'll pot into 4 inch pots if I can get them going soon... I might end up needing more lights!

If you've got pots destined for the recycling bin, then I feel better about being greedy, LOL. I could literally use hundreds of both the 4 inch and the trade gallon size. I went through that case of 100 trade gallons faster than I could believe last year! The 4 inch pots might be really nice for winter sowing, too... I think they would fit into some clear plastic storage container I picked up (planning to drill holes in top and bottom). I ususally keep "winter sowing" through March. :-)(

I've seen 4 inch pots that are short (3-4 inches tall) as well as ones that are taller (maybe 6 inches or so)... I can put either size to good use! I know some folks really like round pots for air circulation and spacing between plants, but square ones always seem to much easier to deal with to me -- and they don't scoot around so much when you fill a flat with them!

I'd be happy to take any carrying trays that have a chance of fitting the pots you're bringing... but I've already got a random assortment of ones that don't quite fit... Hmm, maybe it'll turn out there's something down in the basement that you can use!

Critter: I got probably thousands of pots of all sizes last year using Freecycle, including some very large containers. It worked like a charm.

I love freecycle!!!

I'll just load the van with an assortment of everything anyone might be able to use. We have more than enough so don't feel greedy - I can probably easily replace the 100 gallons you used up last year :) I'd much rather have my fellow gardeners using them than having to cart them off to the local recycling center.

Wonderful! Everybody can take what they can use, and I'll pack any leftovers into my potting corner in the basement... somebody local will be able to use them; they won't end up at the recycling center!

(BTW -- hot tip -- I've found that silver Sharpie markers or metallic paint pens work really well for writing on any of the black plastic containers.)

Debbie!!!!! OMG - plug trays would be wonderful - if you have enough to share please keep me in mind...and IF you have a couple extra trade gallons (use them for Plumie cuttings) I'd be happy to take them. Don't NEED them as much as I could use the plug trays though - Meadows Farms has been pretty good at sharing their 1 & 3 gal nursery pots...free, no less.

LOL Chantell :) I'll be bringing a good assortment of plug trays, as many as I can fit in the van. If there's a size you'll need in the future, just let me know and I'll save them for you. When we get into a heavy planting cycle, you wouldn't believe how many we have to recycle!

Debbie - thank you SO much!!! Hopefully at some point I'll need 5 gal if you ever get that size....my plumies put on quite a bit a growth...moved a couple of them to 5 gal last year and put me EE's in 3 gal...love those pots!! So I'm open to whatever is avail. Let's see what Jill needs first though.

LOL, it sounds like Debbie will have plenty to go around... everybody else can take what they need, and I'll take what's left. As I said, any that I can't use, I know I can pass along to Theresa (a friend some of you met at the fall swap) and other gardening buddies.

I didn't go to the nursery today to check - it's too darned COLD! I think there might even be some of the larger 5 Gal pots hanging around I can throw in :) Looks like tomorrow will be another good day to stay inside and catch up on some of those things I avoid like the plague - like cleaning :(

ooh, 5 gallon pots are big enough for lots of things... patio veggies, brugs, scented geraniums (I grow mine big)...

We're catching up around here, too. I'm still under the weather but have recruited Jim's help... the big tank needs a water change. We've got about 100 gallons of salt water mixed and up to temperature, just need to check the salinity once more... I keep tough fish, because I'm not conscientious about doing partial water changes. The tank gets total changes instead, much less frequently than it should.

OK, back on topic...

Has anybody else looked at Park's to see if they want something from their catalog? You'll save on shipping by ordering with me... I'll just charge you the extra buck if the order goes into the next bracket for shipping charges. Let me know, because I want to place the order soon. http://www.parkseed.com

Critter: You're definitely enabling all of us! :~0

I have LOTS of plastic pots of various sizes. I'll be more than happy to bring them to Jill's house on 2/23. Just d-mail if you want some, size, and number wanted. I'll do my best to fill your requests.

I think we'd better have a pot swap in the garage... LOL! (But no fair eyeballing the big mess in there... we'll just pull one or both cars out to make room. I'm not counting on it being warm enough to use the back deck!)

I called and left a message for Jason, who owns the fruit stand, to see if he has any leftover pots. If anyone has any extras I would be happy to start a collection....

Jill are you placing an order for seed or plants or both...just curious.

I'm just thinking seeds, at present... I want to get the seeds right away, and I think they'd wait to ship a combined order with plants. When I order plants from them, though, I inevitably find a pack or two of seeds to put in my cart, "as long as I'm ordering..." LOL

Jill, is there website usually slow? I cannot get it to move...

It usually zips right along... I've been flipping through the catalog this morning, so lemmee check...

It seems a little sluggish, but not too bad (DG is often worse). Maybe it's just a high traffic day, with lots of folks browsing because of the holiday. Should I wait to hear from you before placing my order? You can just Dmail me with a list when you know what you want...

I'm peeking (in between patients) Jill...can I let you know by tonight?

Yep, I can hold off ordering until then!

Jill I am trying to look.. I cannot seem to get any of the pages to load...

Yeah, looks like their site is really bogged down right now. Know anybody who might have a paper catalog? Just wait -- next year, your mailbox will be stuffed with them! Meanwhile, if you want you can "shop by phone" with me this evening if their site is still so slow... but I'm guessing it'll get better. I need to check their $1 seed selection, too.

I'm not usually so "gotta do it now!" about placing an order, but I have to get Mom's polka dot plants started pretty soon, or they'll be puny. Ditto if she decides she'd like something like impatiens.

Don't anybody order those pricey Torenia seeds (unless you've got to have some specific color), because I've got them saved -- pink, blue, hopefully some purples too. They need an early start under lights (the 12 weeks between the swap and planting is just barely enough, if you want them sooner I can send them), but they are so cool, they're worth it. They're like pansies for the shade!