Initial seedling container size and transplanting

I'm confused about starting veggie seeds in very small containers/cell packs and then transplanting to successively larger containers. Is it necessary to start with a small container and transplant once or twice into larger containers? Can I start them in, say, the Gardener's Supply Deep Root system (15 cell tray with each cell measuring 2-3/4 x 2-3/4 x 3-1/2), and then harden off and transplant once directly into the garden? I have a very tiny garden so I don't need to worry about starting dozens of seeds and having space for all of them.

Thanks :)
barb

What kind of veggies are you growing? If it's tomatoes or peppers I can help. How many plants do you need?

You can start simple with just a few Jiffy-7 pellets and a McDonald's salad tray or Cool-whip container on a nice sunny windowsill.

Your cell tray should work fine,too. You might want to start seeds in a small container, then transplant into your tray later.

Al

This message was edited Mar 28, 2009 11:23 PM

Thanks, Al. That sort of highlights my question, though. Why do I need to start with a small container first? Why not start with the bigger (final before transplanting outside) container? Here's my setup:

I have the large 15 cell tray, as I said, and I will start my seeds under lights as I have no appropriate window space. I'm planning to start cherry and grape tomatoes (maybe 3 of each) and broccoli (6 or 7), and maybe some sweet peppers (1 or 2).

Last year I started with a smaller cell tray and needed to transplant into bigger containers because, of course, the plants outgrew the tray before it was time to put them outside. This worked out fine, but I was hoping to avoid that intermediate transplant this year by starting them in something bigger from the get-go.

Thanks for your help :)
barb

You absolutely can use your cell packs to start seeds, the main consideration is available space. The reason I use smaller containers is that I can start far more seeds in them for the first three weeks or so, then I transfer them into my flats later. Just about any plastic container can be used with a quality potting soil to start (cottage cheese, yogurt, cool-whip, pudding cups, etc., anything 2 - 3" depth or so). I can plant 40 - 50 seeds in a cool-whip container for the first 3 weeks. This works well with tomatoes and peppers, I'm not sure about brocs because I don't grow them.

If you are using your cell pack just plant two or three seeds in each cell and go from there. You really don't need much light to germinate, but you do need warmth. I put mine on top of my kitchen refrigerator for about the first week, watching carefully for signs of life. Once I see the tiny green sprouts appear I immediately put them on my window shelf or under the light stand (don't wait a minute too long or they will be very leggy and weak!). Try to keep the temperature a cool 60 degrees.

At the three week stage they should be thinned and "stemmed" into flats. I uproot my tomatoes simply by lifting them straight up, then push an old wooden pencil all the way to the bottom of my flat. The seedling is then inserted all the way down in the hole covering as much of the stem as possible. You only need one seedling per cell. This "transplant" should last you another 3-4 weeks until planting time in your garden. Make sure to move them inside/outside to enjoy "real" sunshine on nicer days.

Also check out Dr. Carolyns tips in Tomato Forum, it's a good article.

Al

Interesting question. Even though I've been starting seeds quite a few years, I didn't really have a ready answer.

It made me think of the old story about a woman who was baking a ham, and she cut the small end off first. Her husband asked her why, and she said because her mother always did. A call to the mother got the same answer... because HER mother always did. The grandmother was still alive so they called her. The grandmother's answer was that they cut the end off because their oven was too small for a big whole ham.

Some research online indicates most seedlings are started in small cells or flats so they can get more seeds under the lights. That, then, requires potting up to a larger size pot. So, I see no reason you couldn't start seeds in larger cells...

LOL I like the ham story! Thank you both for clearing up the container size question, and for reminding me to keep the seeds warm for germinating. Now I'm off to start me seeds!
barb

Hi, Cotton213, you can start your seeds in just about any container as long as it is small. Too large a container and your seedlings are likely to die from "Damping Off" because large pots hold too much water - you need to let the soil mix to almost dry out between waterings. I used to use 3 oz plastic bathroom cups, but they have become almost impossible to find. Once a good root system has formed, but before the roots start wrapping around the inside of the pot - move your seedlings up to a something like a 3 inch pot, then wait again for the roots to grow larger, then move them up to a gallon pot. After the roots are again well grown, move them into the garden or 5 gallon or larger pots. I grow tomatoes this way and two plants end up in 10 gallon pots, or five plants in a 25 gallon pot. I used to put one tomato plant in each 5 gallon pot, but got fed up having to water them twice a day or more! So I purchased 10 gallon pots and water them once a day.

I plant tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers in Jiffy pellets about April 1, and plant the jiffy pellets into their final big pots in early to mid May (depending on weather). The transplants are puny compared to nursery flats but by mid June, you can't tell the difference. Save the fancy transplanting for plants that care. These three are just edible weeds.

I also use jiffy pellets. I started my peppers around the last week of March. About 2 weeks ago I transplanted some of them into cheap 16oz cups and while the ones I transplanted are larger it won't matter much after they've been in the garden for a month. I've never started cucumbers indoors so I can't vouch for them but peppers and especially tomatoes are very much like weeds. Tasty tasty weeds.