Lights to start seeds--wow, what a difference!

[country lady]

LilRalphieRoosmama, do you buy sterilized soil when you start seeds? I know soil can be baked but I don't want soil in my oven. I've found the peat pots work well for me.

I've also seen a shelving stand at Wal-Mart that has plastic that covers at night. I believe it has lighting under each shelf. I prefer to just make do but I bet that would work.

When Gurney's and Field's had the $25 free items in their catalog, I bought wall-o-waters and row covers, which I am happy with.

I save some seeds too. I don't like to spend a lot of money on gardening or quilting. I like the savings and the challenges. I never buy quilt kits. I just buy cotton remnants. Much more satisfying.

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

I am trying heirloom maters for the first time this year! I can't wait!

Other than that....long list lol

squash, peppers, watermelon, herbs, tulips (already blooming YAYY), lots of seeds of different kinds ** I am a flower freak - the more flowers the better! LOL

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Quote:
Miss Prissy - I am here in Maryland and with you on the temps. I Use the basic florecent light fixture from WalMart - 10 years about I think I paid $8 with regular florecent bulbs and have been starting plants indoors for years. My tomatos are growing great and will be ready to go outside in a couple of weeks.

And like LilRalphieRoosmama said, temperature and distance from the light make a difference. I start mine on top of the upright freezer with the light hanging over it. The warmth of the freezer helps them to germinate but the coolness of the room helps them grow nice ans slow.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Quote:
I never use regular potting soil or sterlize my own. I use a professional growing media called Metro Mix 360. It comes in big 2.8 CuFt bags and is decently priced. It contains the perfect blend of vermiculite, peat moss, etc. and doesn't get hold too much moisture so it's great for preventing damp-off. I add water to it and mix it in a big bucket, then fill my pots (you can use peat pots) and add the seeds. It doesn't contain fertilizer so I use a balanced fertilizer in water daily. I've tried alot of different mediums and this is the best I've found and I buy it at the local nursery.

 

[AngieChick]

I have decided that any available space in the perennial beds will have veggies in with them, it's amazing what you can fit in there. I just added on a top dressing of aged horse manure (5 cubic yards of it), extended out a bed and added another small raised bed. I added the raised bed the lazy way, which works wonderfully (I've done it many times before) over grass/weeds. Layer at least 7 layers of newspaper directly over the ground and put 5 inches or more of compost over that. The newspaper suffocates any grass/weeds and breaks down over time.

The new raised bed will be shared with my neighbor for an herb garden. That way we can pool our herbs and have more variety.

I started my seeds yesterday in my cold frame:

green beans (for pickling)
lots of zucchini
basil (to make and freeze large amounts of pesto)
broccoli
lettuce
spinach
NZ spinach
tomatoes (brandywine, early girl, cascade, roma)

flowers:
cosmos - bright lights
zinnias - giant
bells of ireland
sweet peas
nasturtium
cascading style begonias (tubers)

still to get:
onions