6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed

I use the peat pellets to start my seeds. I put them inside a milk carton (cut in half and then taped back together) or something else with some kind of lid, this keeps them from drying out, usually on top of my refrigerator or freezer. After they get a good start I carefully remove the netting and plant them into a styrofoam coffee cup under lights until I am ready to transplant out into the yard. I've had pretty good luck this way.

Happy Gardening,
gemfire

I grew over 50 sunflowers in them last year. This year I have 4 different types of sunflowers in them, radishes, dahlia seeds,marigolds, and others types of seeds. I have never removed the out side rap. I get them growing then plant pellet into dunkin donut cup full of potting soil. Last year I had a sunflower that was over nine foot tall. Some smaller seeds may be effected by the netting, but I have not had that problem.

Since you are zone 9 you could actually sow outside---last frost date is mid to end February...you might want to wait until March 1st to be safe...Indoors you can start now for sure.

thanks to all,i'm going to give it try

Thanks for both your comments.

naturemitch, I'm not so sure that worm poop is the cause because the seedlings were started in a mix of worm poop, vermiculite and screened peat moss. One would think from the moment of germination they should 'know' the stuff by now. What I failed to mentioned was that in transplanting I also added two more light fixtures to my growing apparatus.. not to mention the new foam cup 'pots' are higher up than the plastic tubs the seeds were originally started in, so the tomato plants are in much more closer proximity to increased light. Also when I transplanted the very leggy tomato plants, I buried them quite deep. I think I just all-around shocked them.

The plants look about the same as they did yesterday. It must be quite warm under 8 cool-whie T8s because the soil in the smaller 6-packs where I have marigolds, brussel sprouts, broccoli and varieties of lettuce was nearly completely dry (again) today. I'll need to water them daily or cut back on the duration of the light (16 hours/day). What do you think?

I am hesitant to really "mess around" and just observe the next several days. I'll see if they start looking better.

Hello again,

I would hold tight to the light schedule, i usually keep mine on a 14-16 hr. cycle. I would just water more if you are seeing the soil get dry that quickly. You might want to lay a thermometer next to your seedlings or stick one into the soil medium and see just how warm the area is. I buy the fish tank ones(couple of bucks) and they give information on how warm my seed plunge is or how warm a specific container is(I actually stick it into the substrate). Works great.

Did your seedlings actually touch the bulbs...then i could readily understand them being burnt. If it was me i would be curious just how warm it is or isn't under those lights. I've only burnt some coleus and that was when they started pushing themselves against the lights.

I too would hold tight and see what happens...burying those seedlings was good too:)

m

thanks for sharing your experience. the 50-55F is easy in my basement so germination is no problem. Springs here in mich. are cool and damp so they should be ok but that's when they die. i'm going to keep trying tho.
woody i have some red orientals in my garden too and at there peak there quite a sight.why i want the blue just to see if i can do it i guess.

These wintersow very, very well. It seems it's the only way I can get good results with poppies, period.

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Sowing Forum

I use a combination of Pro-mix and a planting mix like Shultz

I swear by Fox Farm Ocean Forest as I stated in one of vegangirl's forums about seed starting mix. Just try it you'll see what I mean. My sister, who also gardens, asked me, "how much better could it be than pro-mix?" I gave her about 1/2 of a bag and she used it. Now she knows. Last few years there's been a couple times I've been short on money and go with something less expensive and on each of those occasions the plants do fine but just not as great. Plus it is 100% organic if that interests you.

They are so easy to germinate. Like George said lightly cover them and keep the soil moist. I use a seed mat for bottom heat and my mandevillas usually germinate within 2 weeks. Just plant the dark seed, not the fluffy stuff.
Karyn

Thank's a-lot I know the seed pods are rare so i wanted to make sure i did it right... even though i could just get a plant. this will be much more satisfying.

I would take them off the heat and be careful not to keep too wet or you may get damping off. I also have a tendency to want to pot too soon. Your seedlings are growing roots now and need more time. Al

Thanks calistoga for the advice, I will leave them in there cells a little longer, but remove them from the bottom heat. It shouldn't be to hard to cut there cells away from the rest of the seed flat. I will just have to be careful not to jar the adjacent cells to hard. As for damping off, I am using an all natural product called Damp Aid. I mixed it into the growing medium before I sowed in the seed, and I also use it as a top dressing after watering. It has a wonderful sent to it, and so far seems to be working well. I also have good air circulation around the flat, the only draw back is that my soil drys out much faster so I really have to keep an eye on them. Thanks again for your advice, it is greatly appreciated!

Thanks a lot. I will start my cauliflower and onions today.

My husband just bought me a small walk in green house. Wondering if anyone knows when I can safely start my warm season veggie seeds in it. I do not / & won't - have heat in it- it is 6' long, 4' wide, 6' tall. Plastic sheeting over powder coated metal frame. Never did this before! What can I start in it now, zone 7, the Piedmont area? Dying to get started! Any help will be appreciated!

Like New Guinea impatiens they are usually grown from cuttings as far as I know. But since they are in the same balsamina family my guess would be you'd use the same germination guidelines.

I linked the TM instructions for balsamina germination below. It's a different variety but the instructions are the same. I hope it helps. Good luck.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: TM Balsamina germination tips

Here a link to your other post with answers posted. ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: Your other post

I would still check at home building centers, such at Lowe's in your area. They likely have seed starting mix available. It will be much less hassle than trying to mix your own. The Peat Moss is also much coarser than the ready seed starting mix and contains larger matter that's hard to deal with when you use seed starting pots that are so small. Walmart and Meijers as grocery chains also carry seed starting mix. Meijers has weekly sales on and off for the mix at a better price than the regular $3.99 per bag. I believe the Meijers mix is made by a company called Hoffman and is very good.

I'm growing Calif. native salvias. Last summer I did a lot of online research on growing media (having known nothing previously), and I decided to mix my own peat-lite type of growing medium. Alas, I couldn't find things like dolomite lime locally, at least not in suitable quantities (HD had a tiny bag). I settled for EB Stone "Seed Starter Mix," which is a peat-lite type of mix, though it doesn't state the proportions of each component. This has worked well for seeds. I might have used Jiffy Mix if I'd found it earlier. For the potted seedlings I'm using Sunshine Mix #1, which is a peat-lite mix with a bit of fertilizer thrown in. It comes in 3.3 cu ft bales. I had at one point intended to use the seed-starter mix with a bit of compost or fertilizer for the potted seedlings, but it would have cost a fortune compared to the big bag of Sunshine Mix. So far, I'm happy with the results of both media that I'm using.