Mini Greenhouses

Hi... I don't know if anyone else does this, but I use these in the first months of my seeding, and they work great!

Take one of those plastic carriers you get cakes in from the store. The clear ones, they usually have a black bottom, and a 4 or 5" top. I flip them over so the top is the bottom, and poke a few holes in it with a knife. Lay a couple layers of cheesecloth in it, then fill with your favorite seed starting formula. Simply place your seeds in there, and just place the cover on it, slightly askew so that it can breath. I place mine in my south facing bay window, and the black "top" absorbs the heat and makes a great little seed oven. You have to make sure you let it breath, or you'll have a mess. I place mine on old seed flat trays so they don't drain on my window. If you need more room after your seedlings have grown above the rim, simply place another of the clear sections on top. It works great, and I hope this made sense!

It does. What a neat idea!
I used a pie plate (with the clear top) this year to start some of my seeds. I had a frozen store bought pumpkin pie given to me last year. The best thing about the pie was the plates it was in. I couldn't wait to use them to start some of my seeds this year. And it works great!

yes, i use enything like that, the one i use the most is a soda pop bottle cut in half or to length needed, they fit over a 3.5" & 4" pot nicely, i have done several seeds and loads of cuttings in one of them, the screw cap can be used as a vent, cheap and effective, when the bottle gets cloudy, throw it the bin and use a new one.

Alan.

Cool idea AJC!
I like your way of thinking.
I'm going to go cut me some soda bottles!!
Heidi

My kitchen worktop is covered with baby greenhouses. I use the rectangular plastic trays they use to pack meat in the supermarket and put pots of seeds in after they've germinated, then cover them with another tray. The deepest ones are high enough for small cuttings. As I get more seeds coming up, they spread to the window sills too.

Hi everyone. I am new to this site and am enjoying it a lot. I like the ideas of the cake containers for mini-greenhouses. I was wondering how I could start some seeds in the house. Thanks for the ideas
Jean

Hi Jean,
I take it you mean in the winter? I am not an expert by any means, but you can start them in peat pots, cake plates, seed-starting cells or anything that holds potting soil. You need a sunny window, and/or flourescent lights to give them 12 plus hours of light once they germinate. Prior to that, seeds mostly require warm soil to germinate. I used the top of my water cooler in the closet to get mine started. One of the heating vents runs through it, so it was pretty warm in that closet.
I'm sure someone with more knowledge will jump in, if not, feel free to ask me if you have more specific questions.
Dorothy
PS I am already fretting over the fact that my greenhouse isn't heated! :-) I'm in zone 5 too.

I put my little potted seedlings in a clear plastic under-the-bed storage box, or you can use a much taller one if the plants are tall.
I can take them outside during the warm part of the day in spring, and cover the box with another clear plastic box of the same size to protect them from the wind. Weigh it down with a rock or big brick. Or you can use an old glass window to cover several boxes.
Put sticks between the 2 boxes or window for ventilation, or make holes in the top box to let out excess heat.