Mid-Atl - Mar 2016 - How do YOU start seeds?

Curious how y'all start seeds indoors.

I'm working with a non-profit on ideas for indoor gardens for their clients and I came up with THIS. It's a shoe tower. It would normally have double the amount of "shelves" but it shades out the lower seed trays.

It's on wheels so it can be easily moved. You need to either remove the trays and take them to the sink to water them or place an absorbent towel below. I also got one with "rough" rails as I feel they hold the trays better.

Very ingenious, Kim, I love it! And must admit am jealous of your south? Facing Windows...

That is a great solution, very flexible and practical!

@Scorpio Rising wrote:Very ingenious, Kim, I love it!  And must admit am jealous of your south? Facing Windows...

That is a great solution, very flexible and practical!

And I'm happy for the South(ish) facing roof. We recently had solar panels installed. LOL hubby goes out several times a day to watch the meter run backward.

How NICE - both the shoe rack AND being able to see tangible proof that your solar panels work!

I made these last night since I don't seem to get enough sun. Not as fancy as sfg4uKim's, but it works and it was cheap


 

I start my seeds in used MM that I collect in a 5 gal bucket and put in the garage the beginning of winter.
 
The moistened MM goes into cell packs, then the seeds are planted & watered in, then I spritz with hydrogen peroxide/water mist to prevent damping off, then place the cell packs into a 1 lb lettuce clam pack, close the lid, snap a photo and then the clam pack goes on to a heating pad on a dining room chair.


As soon as they sprout, they go into the SW facing bay window, clampack and all for bottom watering.


CC

@zackshea wrote:I made these last night since I don't seem to get enough sun. Not as fancy as sfg4uKim's, but it works and it was cheap


 

Nice! LOL yours is higher tech than mine. Love it.

Zack, nice and clean looking.

Kim, my husband did the same the first year!

CC - what kind of ratio do you use on the peroxide/water mix?

That looks nice, Zachshea! Wish I had room for something like that...

Haha, I had to take over my daughter's room to install this contraption!  It is sitting on her bed and the seedlings are sitting on a crib mattress so they are closer to the light.

@AtlantaMarie wrote:CC - what kind of ratio do you use on the peroxide/water mix?

Hmm...a good dollop to a cup of water?  
I made it last year so I'm not sure, Marie, but it's probably 4 water to 1 hp.  I'm too cheap frugal for much more than that.

CC

LOL! Thanks.

@zackshea wrote:Haha, I had to take over my daughter's room to install this contraption!  It is sitting on her bed and the seedlings are sitting on a crib mattress so they are closer to the light.

Very ingenious, Zack! Love it! And your plants will technically already be in their, ahem, bed.

How does your daughter sleep with the lights on?

I don't plant seeds indoors.  I just don't have the room for it.  But you all have some creative setups!

I plant seeds outdoors starting on March 15 and ending around September 15 (peas, lettuce, carrots, chard, melons, beans, pumpkins, etc.).  For those vegetables that can't be grown outdoors from seed in Maryland, I am lucky to have a few greenhouses nearby that I buy transplants from (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, collards, etc.).

@Mikesgardn wrote:I don't plant seeds indoors.  I just don't have the room for it.  But you all have some creative setups!

I plant seeds outdoors starting on March 15 and ending around September 15 (peas, lettuce, carrots, chard, melons, beans, pumpkins, etc.).  For those vegetables that can't be grown outdoors from seed in Maryland, I am lucky to have a few greenhouses nearby that I buy transplants from (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, collards, etc.).

I get that, ?Mike. I did not have anywhere to do the whole seeds starting thing until my kids got me a shelving unit and a couple of fluorescent lights!

I however had great luck just using direct seeding last year!

@Scorpio Rising wrote:

@zackshea wrote:Haha, I had to take over my daughter's room to install this contraption!  It is sitting on her bed and the seedlings are sitting on a crib mattress so they are closer to the light.

Very ingenious, Zack!  Love it!  And your plants will technically already be in their, ahem, bed.  

How does your daughter sleep with the lights on?  

She still sleeps in our room.

@sanderson wrote:

Kim, my husband did the same the first year!

Oh don't tell me that.

@zackshea wrote:

@Scorpio Rising wrote:

@zackshea wrote:Haha, I had to take over my daughter's room to install this contraption!  It is sitting on her bed and the seedlings are sitting on a crib mattress so they are closer to the light.

Very ingenious, Zack!  Love it!  And your plants will technically already be in their, ahem, bed.  

How does your daughter sleep with the lights on?  

She still sleeps in our room.

Been there, done that. X3. Lol. This too will pass, for all of you!

@Scorpio Rising wrote:

@zackshea wrote:

@Scorpio Rising wrote:

@zackshea wrote:Haha, I had to take over my daughter's room to install this contraption!  It is sitting on her bed and the seedlings are sitting on a crib mattress so they are closer to the light.

Very ingenious, Zack!  Love it!  And your plants will technically already be in their, ahem, bed.  

How does your daughter sleep with the lights on?  

She still sleeps in our room.

Been there, done that.  X3. Lol.  This too will pass, for all of you!

We enjoy it most of the time, sometimes it gets a little tiring.  But we will miss it when it's over

Zack, I had to suspend my garden when my kids were young....I just didn't have the time, so kudos to you.  I was busy making swing sets and sandboxes, but I was able to convert the sandbox to a garden as they got older.  See before and after pics.

Zach, you will miss it!

Mike, now I really like a pretty SFG, but your kids in their sandbox are too adorable! Way to recycle!

I like your shoe rack grow stand! I wish I could do that but my orchids and succulents get first dibs light that comes in the south facing windows. I set up a growlight stand based on one I saw online -- cheap pre-owned shelf, free scavenged light string for bottom heat, 3 purchased 4ft 2-bulb T5 lights, a Jumpstart light on top (since I can't hang a light from the ceiling), and salvaged fridge drawers for many of my 'trays':



I tried the aerogarden seed starter thing last year. It worked great for things that are easy/fast to sprout anyhow -- and being able to water all the seedlings at once was efficient. But I didn't have much success with things that take a long time to germinate because it got overrun with mold and fungus gnats. Hydrogen peroxide didn't help. This year I've disabled the pump and water sensor so that I can use it as a grow deck for a few weeks to keep up with the overflow of young plants.

 
I'm also trying winter sowing for the first time this year. I don't have enough room to start the flowers early otherwise. I'll probably try this technique for starting greens next year. Has anyone tried starting (and transplanting) lettuce or cold season greens (mustard, mache, erba stella, claytonia, etc.) using winter sowing?

@BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:

 
I'm also trying winter sowing for the first time this year. I don't have enough room to start the flowers early otherwise. I'll probably try this technique for starting greens next year. Has anyone tried starting (and transplanting) lettuce or cold season greens (mustard, mache, erba stella, claytonia, etc.) using winter sowing?

I haven't winter sown the way you're doing it in your photo but for the past two years I've allowed my lettuce to bolt and go to seed right where they were growing and each spring new ones come up.  Two years ago  I spread  collards and kale seeds  in the middle squares of a few boxes in the late fall  and had them come up the following spring. Easy peasy!
Oh, and radishes will reseed themselves also. I had that happen in my squash Garden.

Wow what a coincidence to see the mention of "Winter Sowing" on the SFG forum. It was only about an hour ago that I watched several YouTube videos on "Winter Sowing". I came across them by accident as I was looking for information on starting peas indoors. Some say peas do not transplant well because they do not like their roots disturbed. From what I have seen on the Web they can be transplanted.

i have heard the same thing about transplanting peas. but i transplanted some Anna Sugar Snap peas this spring and they are doing well and I just started to harvest some yesterday.