toml@rlgvax.UUCP (Tom Love) (03/29/85)
it's about that time again, here in zone 7. i've got a flat of
broccoli, a flat of cauliflower, a flat of tomatoes, a half a flat
of onions, ..... all started indoors in the past several weeks.
last weekend i went out to buy peat pots, for picking out the seedlings.
i find that, shopping around, i can get dozen-rows, egg-carton style,
for about 39 cents. for my approximately 6 gross seedlings (for now,
more to be started later) that means about $28 just for peat pots.
plus, as i said, more later. i don't want to do this.
does anyone have any experience with those soil cube makers sold by
some of the tool companies, like green river tools? do the cubes these
things make really hold together, as they claim (presumably using the
correct soil mixture)? are they only good for starting seeds, or can
you pick out seedlings from flats and transplant them into the cubes?
does anyone have any methods of starting seedlings that they'd like
to share? there is an excellent article on the subject in the current
mother earth news (mar/april). they recommend sticking to flats, using
lots of leaf mold, and picking out from dense-packed (excuse the missile
terminology) flats into less-dense, deeper flats. i'm just too lazy,
at this point, to build all those flats, and too cheap to buy them.
hey everybody out there, it's spring again!! (at least it is here, almost)
let's get the gardening going, at home and on the net!
tom love
computer consoles inc - office systems group
reston, va
{seismo | allegra | ihnp4} !rlgvax!tomlnemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) (03/29/85)
tom love writes: > it's about that time again, here in zone 7. i've got a flat of ... > .... all started indoors in the past several weeks. > (...peat pots are expensive...) > does anyone have any experience with those soil cube makers sold by > some of the tool companies, like green river tools? do the cubes these > things make really hold together, as they claim (presumably using the > correct soil mixture)? are they only good for starting seeds, or can > you pick out seedlings from flats and transplant them into the cubes? > > does anyone have any methods of starting seedlings that they'd like > to share? > hey everybody out there, it's spring again!! (at least it is here, almost) > let's get the gardening going, at home and on the net! > I am also curious about the soil cube makers. The method I used last year with good success and am using this year is sticking with jiffy pellets the whole way. For one, they are big enough to hold a reasonable sized root ball, so that you need only transplant once (rather than twice). Second, they are much easier for the plant's roots to grow through & out of, so there is no slowing of growth while the plant busts out. They drop right into the hole in the garden, and there is practically no transplant shock if you harden them off for a week or so first. They are probably not as cheap as you'd like if you're starting hundreds of plants, but I consider them worth the extra $$ to get the plants off well as well as not having to hassle with mixing soil, transplanting, etc. Besides, they're fun to watch when they pop up after being watered. The manufacturer now sells trays of ten, which Harris Seeds sells for about $1.10. Buying just the pellets is cheaper, but not much. I bought the trays this year with the intent of reusing them (even later this year). Depending on how expensive, and how likely the seeds are to germinate, I put between 1 and 4 seeds in the little depression. After seedlings start, all but the biggest one is pinched back. If none start within a reasonable amount of time, then I just reuse the pellet for some other seeds. My main problem with starting seeds indoors is too little sunlight. They get leggy and are too wimpy when I go to put them in the garden. Last year I tried starting them several weeks later than recommended, just enough time to get them started but not nearly as big as plants you would ordinarily buy to set out. This worked fairly well, getting them over the hump of coming up, and I knew exactly how many I had and where they were in the garden once I planted them. However, they are not as hardy as larger plants would have been, and a cold, windy, wet June killed some of them. This year I'm going with grow-lights in a window-mounted shelf I built to conserve room. We saw some fancy models (also expensive and not too sturdy in appearance) in stores, and kind of adapted the design to our means. | _______ _________________________ |---+---o | <--- 2X4 across the top ----> o+ +o | ------- (screw eyes & chain ------------------------- | | | hold shelves to wall) | | J J | | | | | | | | | | | | | | chains from hooks ------+-+->& & | | | | | hold grow lamp | | | | | | | | | | | |---------------| | | | | | | | |---------------| | | | | | | | | | | ____| |___ | |___________________| | | ----| |--- shelf (ends in datos) | |-------------------| | | | | | | J J | | ( more of same - one more shelf) | | | | | | | |---==== | --| |-------------------| |-- ||__| o|_| |_|o Details that do not render well on ASCII graphics include : the two vertical 2x4's slant away from the window, have notches cut in the bottom so they rest on the sill, have datos (grooves) cut 1/2 inch deep into the inside surface where the shelves fit, and are held to the window frame by chains and screw eyes at both top and bottom. The shelves (1x12's) are reinforced at the ends with 1x1's, which do not fit into the datos. These are both glued and screwed to the shelves. The shelves are held in place by the datos and screws (2 1/2 inch) that go through the 2x4's into the 1x1's. Grow lamps are suspended by chains hanging from hooks from the top 2x4 and the upper shelf. The chains make it easy to adjust the height of the lamps. Wire hangers were sacrified to attach the chains to the lamps, both of which are plugged into a timer. About 20 inches of space was left above each shelf to accomodate both lamp and plants. You may want more if you plan to grow plants over one foot tall. (the hook + chain + lamp takes up a minimum of 7 inches) Getting the datos at the right angle is a pain, so I might just add a little extension with the notch at the bottom so I could have the vertical supports really vertical (and the datos perpendicular to their sides) if I had to do it over. Good luck with your gardens, may the sun and rain be in the correct quantities at the right times. Nemo
rib@cord.UUCP (RI Block) (04/02/85)
For the last two years, I have been using Jiffy-7's in the trays under lights. Since I don't have any natural light in my basement, I use two 4ft shop flourescents mounted on chains. The whole rig is similar to Nemo's. I have the fixtures mounted to the floor beams directly over a ping-pong table. I can adjust the lights up and down (with the chains) as well as adjusting tray with spacers. This allows two trays started at different times to share the same fixture. The Jiffy trays mentioned by Nemo become brittle after all that UV exposure, but the last for 3 seasons with care. Jiffy now has commerical models which fill an enitre 1020 (standard size) flat. The keys to reliable gemination are heat and moisture. I use a plastic dome over the flat and a heat cable underneath. When I want to start a "6 Pack", I surround the works with a plastic bag and put it on a spacer on top of the water heater. During the tail of the heating season, I also use the boiler. Measure the actual temperture generated after a few hours; you want to germinate, not cook the seeds. A few wooden spacers will keep the heat under control. Of course, keep plastic away from the flue.