6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed

I used one last year and it worked great. I put the plastic cover on it and put it out on my deck in mid
Apr.. opening it after the sun came around on my deck about 10 am then closed it again around suppertime., finally removing it when the danger of frost had gone.

Just to add to my previous posting. I did start them under lights for the first while using my portable greenhouse then moved it all outside

This is so very cute and funny =), when my kids were younger they were just as curious. Do start over again, give your little ones a chance to redeem themselves and have fun with all the miss haps. Growing seeds can be just as much fun for the little ones as it is for us older kids at heart.

That is exactly why I do mine outside like Shellva. A couple of years ago my son (at the time 3yrs old) decided to play with all of my tomato sprouts. Now, they help me tuck the seeds in their little dirt beds (milk jugs) blow them a kiss goodnight, and once a week we all go outside to check to see if they have awoken yet. My youngest son (now 4) is amazed that they are still sleeping! lol I must say, it is good to be able to garden with them. I let them each sow a couple of containers of edible seeds (tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, peppers etc.) and they are so excited when they are able to actually eat off of their own plants! Plus it then shows them that if they take good care of them they will continue to grow. Good luck with whatever you do.

Hi Rokal,

I went to the Home Depot yesterday and I did find these 9 dollar commercial electric shop lights but they were only for T12 bulbs. Am I looking at the wrong ones ? The cheapest once that were T8 were 17 dollars. Which ones should I choose ? Or can you put T8 bulbs in T12 shop lights ? I'm sorry for all my questions, but this is my first year using lights.

Thanks,

Dennis

nissy12,

The Commercial Electric shop lights that I purchased from HD operate both T-12 and T-8 bulbs. Mine have an electronic ballast as opposed to the outdated magnetic ballast. I would ask a sales clerk to confirm that this newer model can power T-8 lamps. If they can't help, buy one and open up the box. It should give you this information on the fixture.

Here are the specifics on the model that I purchased several years ago:

Commercial Electric 4 Ft. Shop LightModel HBSL-15
Internet/Catalog 162474
Store SKU # 140 904
Ballast: Sunpark SL-15 (electronic)

Regards,

Rokal

My mom gave me some seeds from 2000 (or maybe 2001, anyway, they were fairly old). This last summer I wasn't sure if they would sprout, so I decided to try them all. I planted them in pots outside (after the last frost etc). They all germinated and I then planted them in the garden and they got huge (they were the huge kind to begin with). Sounds like almost anything you do will work.

I also do both. Only I don't start mine indoors at all. I start them in milk jugs in March and put the jugs on my deck. I aslo direct sow. I haven't seen one way work better than the other.

I like the jugs because I do a better job of keeping up with what is what since I usually grow at least 5 different sunflowers. When I direct sow I tend to forget what I put where.

As long as they hadn't yet germinated and didn't float away I'd assume they will be fine. Just make sure that you get some drainage holes in there.
Karyn

GREAT news!! I assume they are still there, if they didn't float away.... they had not started to germinate as of yet, which is a good thing.
I have made drainage holes on the bottom of the pans and now all I need to do is wait and see.
Thank you so much for any and all responses to my question!

They are as far from windows as I can get them (it's drafty in the winter), and located on a shelf above the oven. How else might I keep them warmer?

I start things on top of my refrigerator and my upright freezer. Its seems to be just the right amount of heat
to start seeds. then after they germinate I put them under
lights. Hope this helps.

gemfire

newbie in NJ I think it is time to call hardyplants.
They seems to be having problems with emails. I had to call too and got my seeds few days later.
I still will use them in future they decent company and everyone is allowed to have some glitches once in a while.

There's a number of small seed vendors that I like. JL Hudson has a great selection and their seeds are always fresh. I like Diane's Seeds as well. Summer Hill Seeds, Garden Store n More, Trade Winds Fruit (they have lots of tropicals, not only fruit), Silverhill Seeds, Lonnie's Bulk Seeds, Country Garden and Seed Sprout for brug seeds and a good Ebay seed source is One Stop Poppy Shop. There's others but I can't think of them offhand.
Karyn

Thanks for reply, Its is PRO-MIX .. After reading your reply, I maybe over watering.. I'm waiting a day or so between watering, maybe i'm watering to much when i do water.. The seeds were dry and in great shape, I scuffed the ends up slightly and soaked them in water for 24 hours. The Wisteria has a hard shell coat..

aspin, I suspect you are keeping the soil too moist. Some sowers report that watering with chamomile tea, or dusting the top of the soil with cinnamon stops the 'fuzz' if it has started. I will generally top my seed pots with a layer of vermiculite or chick grit, both light enough that seeds push up easily through it but neither make good habitat for algae, mold, mildew and, for those pots you may have around that take months to germinate - moss.