Seed starting spring 2013

Paul, I think all bottle caps are supposed to be removed. But the top of the cut-off portion of bottles and gallon jugs is supposed to stay on to provide extra protection from frost. The top also acts like a humidity dome, I've been told.

If you're using something with a flat top, like a large salad container, I was told to cut slits and holes on the lids to allow rain to penetrate (and to let some moisture escape).

Last year, the lids/tops were helpful in protecting tender seedlings that sprouted way too early.

Hmm OK. So milk jugs no lid. Got it. Lol I'm tempted to just take my chord less drill and throw a bunch of holes in the top. Thx all

Paul, sounds like you've been busy! Hope you have a lot of success with all of those containers. I've been using the disposable aluminum baking pans with plastic lids - I like the 5"x7" and 8"x8" sizes. I use a shish-ka-bob skewer to poke a few holes in the bottom and in the lid. I just heat it over a flame for a few seconds to make it easy to pierce the plastic. I've also just been leaving the lid on. Trial and error on what works best...

More seed starting today for me:

Winter sown:
Aquilegia 'Lime Sorbet', 'Pink Perfection', and 'Dorothy Rose'
Viola 'Freckles' and 'Dark Freckles'

Indoor sown:
Hollyhock 'Summer Carnival', and 'noid dark pink'
African Foxglove

I checked on Winter sown containers made up on 18 Feb - no germination yet...

teri--

You will be amazed at the African Foxglove! it will grow to 5'-6' tall and spread about 3'--
in a straggly way. Give it full sun--and watch the bees go nuts on the blooms...

Just FYI--The first leaves--for quite a while--are not "triloba"---they are sort of heart shaped....

I thought it was a weed the first time I grew it--and, actually, pulled one up and got rid of it.....
They will look like this:
G.

Gita, thanks for the info. This is another sowing of the seed packets from that wonderful organized seed box of yours. The majority of the seeds that I've got going this winter are from you - acquilegias, digitalis, and now this african foxglove. I think you have a "tall" ageratum in there - Jill and I saw these in a lot of the display gardens at the Philadelphia Flower show. It was the first time I saw them growing, and I would love to get a packet or two from you next time I see you if you still have some. left.

I do not, Teri- I have not grown them in a few years--and, hence, they have stoppped coming up on their own.
They always self-seeded...I had so many! I would dig them up and move the seedlings around.
They looked just like rwegular Ageratums--not any deeper blue or aanything...
I think the picture I have on my envelope is not from my garden--but from a seed catalog.
So--mine may be pretty common.

I found one little baggy of it and sprinkled it in my front bed--in case some of them come up.

Do you know if the ones you saw were a particular variety? Maybe I could just get a seed packet
and start them all over again...

Sorry! I will go see in 15 minutes (I get off) if they have any tall kind for sale.

Gita

No worries, I'm pretty sure I have a packet of them in my "stash" from last year's swap, with some other lovelies I didn't quite get to, and I'll share... after seeing them in the back of so many border plantings, I'm with Terri -- they're a must-grow this year!

Gita, my recollection is that yours are taller than the "bedding" type ageratums, the ones I always see for sale with the other 6 inch annuals. I'm not a fan of the short ones, for whatever reason, but these tall ones are another story! I guess I'm the same with salvia... pretty much love all of them *except* the short annual "bedding" varieties. No wonder I always "need" so much alyssum to fill in!

I found Sunshine Girl's seeds yesterday and realized she did not do a very good job of handing around her special packets of "rainbow" flowers (short zinnias and an alyssum mix). I hope some folks got them, anyway! I figured they'd even be good for direct sowing in a container, so maybe she can share them with some neighborhood friends also... we'll try to "winter sow" some at the end of the month, too.

I finally got some pepper seeds soaked & sowed yesterday... on the heat mat now. 4 seed starting shelves are cleared off and wiped down, too. So I'm officially underway, even if I am a good month late in starting this year!

Be careful of the perennial ageratum -- they can be quite invasive. Gita may have a particular variety that isn't, but I've had a bit of a problem containing mine.

Thanks for the heads-up, Happy. Maybe they'd be good with irises & daylilies... plants that can (hopefully) "duke it out" successfully with them.

Oh, Jill---

Poor Joyanna----she was probably all gung-ho to be a "big girl" and trade/share her seeds--
but she is only 3+ (?)--and all those adults had to be overwhenming...
I did take one of her packets and gave her a short, pink Zinnias packet in return.
I think she could not have cared less....
She may say "Yes! to you--but that is at home....Actually doing it--is another thing...
However--the "seed is planted" in her mind--and that is good.

As for the Ageratum--I suppose you can call them "invasive" as they drip their dust-like seeds
and they come up the next year. They are like seeds of the Forgrt-Me-Nots---all chaff.
Since I usually grew them in the same small, round bed up front--They really did not spread
past the bed--as the rest is all lawn.

I stopped by my favorite Nursery today ("Md. Flower and Foliage") to see what they had already.
Well--the floor in the GH was awash with Pansies and Violas. SO beautiful!
Round, 4" pots--$1 each. You pick the colors....Ended getting 24 of them.
Now to go out and plant them in the small, round bed on the front lawn--where the KK Hibiscus is.

Will have enough to plant along the edge of the small, front bed by my front door.
Richardson Farms had pretty Primroses--3/$5. Was gonna get 3--but then went to the Greenhouses...

Lookie--and drool....Happy--see your rock on the right? It is waiting for a special place--somewhere....

We got a pack of Sunshine Girls special seeds.

Gita, I haven't priced pansies and violas - never seem to get around to getting them, but $1 for 4" pots sounds like a great deal.

Teri--

This Nursery is a wholesale grower--but anyone can shop there. Cash or check only.
That is why the price is so good. They know my by sight there....;o)

She did pretty well, considering, and I handed out a couple at the end to folks whom she'd missed. But I know she & I both missed a few people.

Gita, you couldn't be more wrong about her caring less about those zinnia seeds! She was so proud of them. I asked her later if she got any special seeds to plant this spring, and she said "Yes! Look at what Aunt Gita had for me! See, they are zinnia seeds! And they're pink!!" (I swear, I am not making this up to make you smile; she knew exactly what they were and where they came from, and she is going to plant them in her fairy garden.)

... on the other hand, I have no idea what, if anything, she swapped with Holly & Ric for. Sorry!

aw, that is awful sweet about Joyanna and Aunt Gita.

We got seeds from her and I tried very hard to give her one of the birds I brought for the gift table. She didn't like one of the colors maybe a bit of yellow on the pink bird, so I grabbed the other birds and she told me she liked butterflies. Then stood there looking like she thought I could produce some butterflies for her. It was just so very funny. LOL I just said sorry honey I thought you would like the pink bird that's all I have.

HAha!!!! You won't be an Aunt until you produce a butterfly!!!!

LOL, I will have to remember the butterfly the next time. She is just such a bright little thing.

Thanks, Jill
I underestimated your Sunshine Girl. She sure is smart! And--sweet as honey!

Gita

I had to laugh when Jill said Joyanna asked someone "is that plant dead, or is it just dormant?" LOL

Teri--
Joyanna has thrown me for a loop a few times with her extensive vocabulary.
The fruits of an ONLY child...and two doting, intelligent parents. .

My first daughter said her first word at 8mos(baby) and knew every Nursery Rhyme by heart at age 2.
The second one seldom gets as much attention.

BY the third child--Fugeddaboudit! Thats why I'm all messed up
; ^)

Dead or dormant- LOVE IT!!!

LOL... it's an important distinction, even at her age... if it's dead, she can yank it up and run around the yard waving it like a light saber... if it's dormant, she'd get in big trouble for doing that.

I'm sorry about the butterfly thing, but rest assured you've had "Aunt Holly & Uncle Ric" nailed for quite some time. That's why she was so sure you could conjure up a butterfly for her. (I thought those birds were really sweet, didn't know who'd brought them.)

All of you sure spoil her like crazy... when I caught up to her at the beginning of the seed swap, she was wearing a tiara, cuddling a pink poodle, and peering into a gift bag. I guess that's why I feel I can brag on her with this group -- you're all family, and you dote on her too.

Back to the seed starting... I realized this morning that one of my heat mats wasn't on, jiggled it, and it started working again. I'm guessing there might be a problem with the cord, as the mat itself seems too simple to malfunction. If it continues to act up, I'm thinking of wiring a new cord & plug onto it, pretty close to the mat, and using plenty of electrical tape (and maybe also silicone?) to seal up the wire nuts making the connection. I'll make sure to use the same or heavier gauge wire. Is this just a Bad Idea?

I just put my basil seeds on a south facing window. Not ready to put money into a mat.

Paul--

I just remembered something that I have read or heard.... it popped out of the cobwebs of my brain.

If you use foil all around your seed containers, shiny side out, it will reflect more light from all directions.

Just my 2cents worth....G.

Good luck Paul. Top of frigerator can work well if you be sure to check them and move to light. Back in preK (before I had kids) I had plants on top of bathroom fixtures...
Mark planted his basil on Saturday- the race is on!!

Gita that wold be smart- reflect the sun back to plants instead of going past them and into the room.

I have heat mats that I never bother with and it doesn't seem to make a difference. Just put out two more jugs containing Fragrant Sweet Peas (Zinfandel) and am soaking 5 Japanese Morning Glory seeds (Red Shredded Hige) to put in cups on the window sill.

Yep, 24/7 warmth will help with germination of peppers, basil, etc. If you have a metal bookshelf, you can put a light bulb (40 to 80 watt) under it and put your seed tray on the shelf above the light for extra warmth. Tomato seeds can germinate in just 2-3 days with heat, but take them off as soon a you see a sprout or they will get beyond leggy.

You can pick up a shop light pretty cheaply, though... regular "cool" fluorescent tubes are just fine for seedlings, no need to pop for fancy grow lights. If you put your seedlings as close as possible to the light (adjust as they grow), you'll get really sturdy, stocky little plants.

Heat mats & cheaper alternatives: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/556/
Lights: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/464/
Seedling "trays" and great transplanting method for basil: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/862/

Does basil need a high humidity environment to germinate?

I just let some of my plants go to seed and let the seeds drop into the pot where they're growing. Seedlings come up with no special care except for water and sunlight.

Basil will germinate without a dome also... when you wet the seed, you'll see that the seed coat swells up like clear jello, and that helps keep the seed moist. (They look like little frog eggs!)

I think using a dome or something to raise the humidity helps the seedlings, though, especially when they're small (as long as the potting mix isn't too wet). With high humidity to keep leaves & stems hydrated, you don't have to worry about the mix getting just a little too dry between watering, and you're less likely to over-water. Until those little roots grow to fill more of the space in the container, it's easy to add way more water than the plants can take up, and I think that's when you get root rot and damping-off problems.

Sometimes it can be confusing that there are so many ways to do things with seed starting... but it's reassuring also to know that there's no "one true way," and almost anything you try will have a good chance of success. The "Seed Starting 101:" series I wrote describe methods that are pretty tried & true (for me and for others) -- not the only way by any means, but a good place to start if you're new to it or if you've had problems in the past.

I didn't mean to give the impression that the only way to start certain seeds (like basil) was by following the step-by-step in the article. And while basil does have its own built-in mechanism to help the seed retain moisture, I think humidity domes help with most seed starting.

I have some "hoagie containers" I'm using this year for seed starting -- a little taller than the salad containers I've used before, and rectangular rather than square. They seem to fit pretty well on a heat mat or in a 1020 tray. I do have to keep an eye on the pepper seeds I just sowed, because I think I got the potting mix too wet, but I also made the ventilation holes a bit bigger than usual, so it may even out.

Just looked through this Thread on Seed Starting. What a wealth of information!!!

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1298942/

Long Thread--but well worth it....My surprise? How well and easy it can be to grow
Platycodons from seed! Lots of pictures too....I want to do it! Too late now--maybe...

Also--lots of discussion on the use of Hydrogen Peroxide in seed starting...

G.

A few of the hollyhock seeds that I started on Saturday have already germinated - five so far. Wow, that was fast.

Most of what I've sown are slooooowly coming up, the cool night temps in the GH are definitely having an effect. When I get the permanent electric run to the GH, I'll be able to use heat mats. I know how effective bottom heat is. The one commercial GH I worked at our cutting benches were hot water pipes with concrete board for a surface. Ric

Wow, this is my first chance to look at the Mid Atlantic Forum for some months......too many on this particular topic to read today, but want to read maybe this weekend and see what tidbits I can learn from you good folk. I received a box full of seeds on Monday which I haven't yet opened but plan to do this weekend. I started my order looking for two different seeds and ended up totaling a forty four dollar account.....wow....so I have a lot of seeds to do something with.

Thank you Sally for starting this thread, and I will return and participate soon.....I need all the help I can get because I haven't really done a lot with seeds in the past, but hope to this year.

Ruby

OK, Ruby, dish -- where did you get those seeds from?

Sowed tomato seeds this afternoon, small rows with different varieties. Last night I quickly sowed a container of my "Carnival Mix" collection, just in case I didn't get back at it soon. Weather permitting, I think I'll try putting some out just as soon as they look big enough (6 weeks from now would be, what -- May Day? that sure wasn't too early last year!). I'll have backups for mid-May. Last year my tomatoes did absolutely nothing, stunted little plants, because it got hot so quickly & so early!

I did some very non-rigorous germination testing on some older seeds where I also had fresher ones available (not that 2008 is exactly "fresh" unless you compare it to 2004!)... I put 1 "old" seed and 1 "less old" one together... If I get "doubles," that means the older seed is still viable. Singles don't tell me anything for sure, but probably it's the newer seed that germinated.

I did plant one hybrid tomato, a few 'Momotaro' seeds that were going to "age out" unless I used them. That's a pink variety from Japan that really was very tasty, although not remarkably more vigorous or more productive than my favorite 'Potato Top', so I didn't grow them again.

I also sowed 'Wild Cherry', because I need to re-establish them in my garden. They usually self-sow, and I love having a few plants in my perennial bed... I don't stake them, just let their vines meander. Those tiny "currant" tomatoes make wonderful garden snacks!

I think ever seed from my Limbaugh Legacy germinated. I thought fermenting was a pain but can't argue with the results. Ric

Fermenting also kills pathogens that might be on the seeds. Theresa's mom starts hundreds of tomato seedlings every year, and a few years back she lost most of them just as they were getting their first set of true leaves... verticullum wilt (sp?). She traced the problem to where it started, and they were non-commercial seeds that -- sure enough -- turned out to have not been fermented.

The stuff I put on heat mats would germinate eventually without them, except maybe for a few tropical-ish seeds, but the bottom heat really makes a huge difference in getting quick sprouts. I'm banking on it this year, since I really was delayed in getting the whole process underway!

Some of the african foxglove seeds that I started last Saturday have germinated. Still nothing showing in the winter sown containers...