Katrina1001
03-04-2010, 07:02 PM
Ok, I thought I'd jump in here and tell you all what and how I start my seeds because it is beyond easy!!! And BTW, if there is an easier way of doing something... I will find it.. or improve on it! I don't mean skating out. I just like efficiency and having MORE time to cram MORE stuff into my days! (Can you hear the sarcasm?! <grin>
STORY
This idea I stole from the local tobacco farmers here in NC where almost everyone in the country has a tobacco field as a neighbor! (They do make for quiet neighbors, though!!!) I was visiting my "local" PICK YOUR OWN strawberry patch a few years ago and got to talking to the people about seedlings. They said they'd sell me some in another 2 weeks or so for 10 cents each! Boy, did I jump on that one! When I showed up, the gentleman took to the first greenhouse and we walked through the hanging plastic door and I started drooling! (I love gardening!) He informed me later that this was a $25,000 set-up! Ok, now for me (and I imagine a few of you, too!) this is just a LITTLE out of my budget! BUt here is what I found out! The tobacco farmers grow their tobacco seedlings in pre-laid cement troughs that hold water. They lay Styrofoam Cell Trays on top of the water. Styrofoam floats!!! They fill the trays with soil and lay a seed on the top and let them float till they are ready to be used! There is a ton of more funny stuff that goes with that story, but I want you to keep reading so I'm moving on!
[/URL]
My Steal
Every spring I make a simple wood frame out of 4 - 2x4's and a black plastic sheet big enough to drape over all 4 sides. My 2x4's are 12 foot long, but I have a large family and I can foods and I give away and I sell some and, and, and... you get it! You can make YOUR water bed any size you want (and OUT of anything you want, too!) This goes in my carport (it's really a wannabe greenhouse, but I haven't wanted to hurt it's feelings!!!).
I nail the 4 ends together so it is 4 inches tall and drap a huge piece of black plastic (helps with the temperature of the water) over the top so it makes a big square (or whatever shape you want!) and I make sure it drapes REALLY well over the outsides because the water will weight it down more than you estimate and can pull it into your bed if you aren't careful!
Next I get all the nifty Styrofoam trays (...see! Even Styrofoam has a PURPOSE!) out that I'm going to use that day and fill them with my soil! My dirt is 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 organic compost, 1/3 vermiculite. Awesome stuff! Some of the dirt may fall through, but don't worry about that, once it gets wet it stays, trust me!
Then the seeds! 1 on top of each little cell. No more! You'd just be wasting them and we want those for next year so put them back in the freezer! DON'T cover them with more soil. That's just more work! MAKE SURE YOU MARK THEM!!! I don't care if you have a piece of paper and you mark your trays with numbers! JUST DO IT! Later, you don't want to be assuming your planting tomatoes just because it SMELLED like tomatoes! They can be tricky little buggers!
Then it's time to set your trays in some water! YAY!!! I put some Worm Tea (which I will describe how to make in another Blog post) in first. It's a organic liquid compost and AWESOME! Some of you may already know what it is and how to make it!!! It's not uncommon! Then I fill it up with water... LOTS of water!!!! But, believe it or not, not nearly what I would have used if I watered the little greenlings everyday till they were ready to plant!
The water seeps up through a hole in the bottom of each cell of the tray and is absorbed into the dirt and climbs all the way to the top (where the seed is) and there you go!!!! Instant ease! The soil always makes sure there is enough moisture for the seed and it is never under-watered (provided you make sure there is water always available) and never over-watered (which, of course, would drown it). Straight water is absolutely fine! That's what I started with originally. The Worm Tea is just such a fantastic find that I'll forever use it (for as long as I can).
This year I am going to add florescent lighting to speed up the germination because I'm getting a late start due to our horrendous winter which was way out of whack! Also, we just moved and the carport I have here I am going to block off the entrances to so my chickens can't eat my seeds!!! Free-range chicken raising does have some drawbacks! <grin> Anyhow, there goes my outdoor natural lighting!
(http://www.ldspreppers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=402&d=1267729104)
When you are ready to plant just take something thin like a knife or popsicle stick and slide it down inside and pop the seedling out. Transplant! So easy! The seedlings can grow to amazing sizes inside that little cell so don't necessarily think that you HAVE to get it out right away when it "looks" too big for the tray. Plant when YOU are ready (though you can't use the flat as your garden!).
[URL="http://www.ldspreppers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=406&d=1267732278"]
Also, you can grow as many seeds in one flat as you want. You don't have to use a separate flat for each type of seed. Many people will only want to grow enough for 1 or 2 flats. It would be kind of silly to fill a bunch then! You can also choose the size and amount of cells that you get. My trays each have 100 cells (because the farmer I bought the used ones from had that size), but there are some with less, and others with more! You can certainly use other things. You sure don't have to use 2x4's and black plastic. I know there are plastic tray set-ups that the top part with the cells sits into a bottom solid black tray. Just fill the bottom up and float the top part on those! I plant way too much to use those... that would be too expensive for me. Plus, I have the room to do my water seed bed and others won't! Think! You can make it work for your benefit!!!
Hope this helps some!</grin></grin>
STORY
This idea I stole from the local tobacco farmers here in NC where almost everyone in the country has a tobacco field as a neighbor! (They do make for quiet neighbors, though!!!) I was visiting my "local" PICK YOUR OWN strawberry patch a few years ago and got to talking to the people about seedlings. They said they'd sell me some in another 2 weeks or so for 10 cents each! Boy, did I jump on that one! When I showed up, the gentleman took to the first greenhouse and we walked through the hanging plastic door and I started drooling! (I love gardening!) He informed me later that this was a $25,000 set-up! Ok, now for me (and I imagine a few of you, too!) this is just a LITTLE out of my budget! BUt here is what I found out! The tobacco farmers grow their tobacco seedlings in pre-laid cement troughs that hold water. They lay Styrofoam Cell Trays on top of the water. Styrofoam floats!!! They fill the trays with soil and lay a seed on the top and let them float till they are ready to be used! There is a ton of more funny stuff that goes with that story, but I want you to keep reading so I'm moving on!
[/URL]
My Steal
Every spring I make a simple wood frame out of 4 - 2x4's and a black plastic sheet big enough to drape over all 4 sides. My 2x4's are 12 foot long, but I have a large family and I can foods and I give away and I sell some and, and, and... you get it! You can make YOUR water bed any size you want (and OUT of anything you want, too!) This goes in my carport (it's really a wannabe greenhouse, but I haven't wanted to hurt it's feelings!!!).
I nail the 4 ends together so it is 4 inches tall and drap a huge piece of black plastic (helps with the temperature of the water) over the top so it makes a big square (or whatever shape you want!) and I make sure it drapes REALLY well over the outsides because the water will weight it down more than you estimate and can pull it into your bed if you aren't careful!
Next I get all the nifty Styrofoam trays (...see! Even Styrofoam has a PURPOSE!) out that I'm going to use that day and fill them with my soil! My dirt is 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 organic compost, 1/3 vermiculite. Awesome stuff! Some of the dirt may fall through, but don't worry about that, once it gets wet it stays, trust me!
Then the seeds! 1 on top of each little cell. No more! You'd just be wasting them and we want those for next year so put them back in the freezer! DON'T cover them with more soil. That's just more work! MAKE SURE YOU MARK THEM!!! I don't care if you have a piece of paper and you mark your trays with numbers! JUST DO IT! Later, you don't want to be assuming your planting tomatoes just because it SMELLED like tomatoes! They can be tricky little buggers!
Then it's time to set your trays in some water! YAY!!! I put some Worm Tea (which I will describe how to make in another Blog post) in first. It's a organic liquid compost and AWESOME! Some of you may already know what it is and how to make it!!! It's not uncommon! Then I fill it up with water... LOTS of water!!!! But, believe it or not, not nearly what I would have used if I watered the little greenlings everyday till they were ready to plant!
The water seeps up through a hole in the bottom of each cell of the tray and is absorbed into the dirt and climbs all the way to the top (where the seed is) and there you go!!!! Instant ease! The soil always makes sure there is enough moisture for the seed and it is never under-watered (provided you make sure there is water always available) and never over-watered (which, of course, would drown it). Straight water is absolutely fine! That's what I started with originally. The Worm Tea is just such a fantastic find that I'll forever use it (for as long as I can).
This year I am going to add florescent lighting to speed up the germination because I'm getting a late start due to our horrendous winter which was way out of whack! Also, we just moved and the carport I have here I am going to block off the entrances to so my chickens can't eat my seeds!!! Free-range chicken raising does have some drawbacks! <grin> Anyhow, there goes my outdoor natural lighting!
(http://www.ldspreppers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=402&d=1267729104)
When you are ready to plant just take something thin like a knife or popsicle stick and slide it down inside and pop the seedling out. Transplant! So easy! The seedlings can grow to amazing sizes inside that little cell so don't necessarily think that you HAVE to get it out right away when it "looks" too big for the tray. Plant when YOU are ready (though you can't use the flat as your garden!).
[URL="http://www.ldspreppers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=406&d=1267732278"]
Also, you can grow as many seeds in one flat as you want. You don't have to use a separate flat for each type of seed. Many people will only want to grow enough for 1 or 2 flats. It would be kind of silly to fill a bunch then! You can also choose the size and amount of cells that you get. My trays each have 100 cells (because the farmer I bought the used ones from had that size), but there are some with less, and others with more! You can certainly use other things. You sure don't have to use 2x4's and black plastic. I know there are plastic tray set-ups that the top part with the cells sits into a bottom solid black tray. Just fill the bottom up and float the top part on those! I plant way too much to use those... that would be too expensive for me. Plus, I have the room to do my water seed bed and others won't! Think! You can make it work for your benefit!!!
Hope this helps some!</grin></grin>