The Game Picks Up Speed

A while back, I posted 'Let the Games Begin' in which I posted some pictures of our seed starting efforts for our little nursery business. Well, as of March 20th, when the daylight/dark ratio was at 50/50, we started moving flats out to the greenhouse. It was none-too-soon, as I had begun sticking flats under the light tables on the floor! In the basement, light racks hold 96 flats, another 6 flats under lights on a counter, and two halides that probably light another 30-40 flats. Here's one halide.

And here is the other.

And here are the light racks.

Before we could move plants into the greenhouse, we had to install an oil heater and sanitize it with a spray of soapy bleach water. First the Toyostove goes in.

Next my DH, aka the Old Tomcat, sprays the greenhouse.

To move the flats from the basement to the greenhouse, I covered them with plastic dome lids to protect them from the cold temps outdoors and to allow the guys to carry two or three at a time. Here is my son carrying in the first two flats.

At the end of the first day of transferring, we had moved 65 flats into the greenhouse.

It's always a relief to see some space made in the basement so I can resume transplanting.

Well, I'll be darned... not a bite on this thread, just a little lurking. Either nobody visits the Propagation forum, or it just doesn't interest anyone. How's about a picture of the flats on the porch... my winter sowing efforts.

Wow, you've been a busy lady.

No kidding you've been busy! So what does the temperature do down to at night that with the heater you can move the plants into the greenhouse?
:) Donna

Thanks for the post, alhelms. I was beginning to think nobody cared! LOL! Yes, I've been busy and I'll get busier. Every little container of seedlings can become 3 or 4 flats, so each week, the space needed becomes wider and wider. I've got at least another month before I can move plants out to the unheated greenhouse, so it's really a chore trying to keep them all under lights until then... but I love it! Do you start any plants indoors, or do you just sow them outside?

Just saw this thread, quite the operation you've got going there! Way cool! How much are those halide lights? I'm running out of room on my racks! You look so content transplanting your seedlings! And I see what you meant about your music collection! I thought I was bad!

J

Naw-- we're just a busy with our own seedlings ;-) ---- I am having a horrible time with erratic germinnation rates-- I plant stuff that all take "2-3 weeks" in one flat of cells- and darned if some came up super quick, some sidled along and some are still sleeping! ARGH!!!!

And I need more space! LOL!

Heather

Good gracious!!! Think you have enough babies there Weezingreens!!

Wow, I am in awe!

It's called zone envy Weez and I've been pouting over here in the corner cause my seedstarting is limited by my alloted areas in the house. (read: DW!)

Very impressive though and if you're not bifocaling now, you will be after prickin' and transplanting a gazillion seedlings.

upside - I was notified that my 10x12 hoophouse is in route. I can play soon.

Holy cow thats a lot of seeds!!!! Can I come be your garden gnome so I can watch all those grow?! :-)

Hi, Everybody! Thanks for visiting this thread and posting. I was beginning to think I wasn't interesting! Heather, the seeds I plant don't all come up at once. I plant the seeds to small trays within a flat, must everything down, dome them, and place them under lights.

When a small tray begins to sprout, they get moved to an open tray without holes that can be watered from the bottom. I leave the dome lid off. Right now, I have an entire rack (16 flats) of seeds that are not yet germinated or are in the process) and another rack that is trays of seedlings who are being watered from the bottom (16 flats). I'm trying to keep the numbers the same so I don't fall too far behind, but I keep running out of space when I transplant them... the old complaint of compulsive planters!

When you get that hoophouse, 8ft, you're going to be dangerous! My poor DH put up the first little greenhouse to reclaim the kitchen table. I had so many seedling trays on it that he barely had room for his coffee cup. That was about 6 or 7 years ago, he's started another greenhouse and about 8 cold frames, and I'm still running out of room. If I get desperate, I can always set a couple flats on the table and watch him put on his carpenter's apron! LOL!

Not interesting????
Weez you are the Goddess of Seeds!
I find you very interesting and your work is fascinating. Thanks for sharing it with us!
I just haven't been around much, (back to work) and when I am, it is painful even to scroll the threads, after pruning hundreds of roses and shrubs over the past week or so- and typing has been excruciating..so I've been lurking a lot till my hands feel better.
Today was raining, so we mixed soil and filled 98 trays of 4 inch pots to prepare for the first of the plugs, which should be delivered on Wednesday.
Since I only had to prune a few tree roses today, I can type!
Please keep us posted on the progress of your plants and growing/selling operation.
I have learned so much from you and I really appreciate seeing how you do things.

Hey 8ft- congrats on your hoop house! I'm very happy for you. It's tough to be the only passionate gardener in the house.
:)

I want to be just like you when I grow up! It feels good not to be the only one. My dining room is now what I'm calling " The Propagatorium". I covet your greenhouse to, it looks awsome!

Oceangirl, you could probably give me tips! You're working with the pros! I've never worked in a profession nursery or even watched one in operation. This is just a hobby that got out of hand! I'm sure a professional grower would chuckle at my time-consuming methods, including growing everything from seed! I just love the process. Sorry to hear how sore your hands are. I don't suppose there are any gloves you can wear that will allow you the dexterity need for your pruning. They make some gloves specifically for fish cleaning that seem pretty tough, but I don't know if they'd withstand your rose thorns.

Hi Weez,
Thanks for your suggestion-
I do wear leather gloves, sometimes the thorns get through, but the pain is from repetetive motion (sort of like carpal tunnel syndrome is all I can liken it to.)
We have a very limited growing operation, only grow annuals, some bulbs and vegetables, and by Mid-May we are done. We grow just enough for the gardens we plant, as we are mainly garden installers/maintainers. We start some things from seed- but not the variety and the amount that you do. We don't get to "waste" much time in the details, which is the part I love.

The fun part is we get to take the leftovers home!

weezin I love your pictures and your plants look great
I want to buy a greenhouse and have no clue how to get started what i need and how to get to a process like you can you give me any thoughts ideas any help i would love it

Wow Weezingreens, you really go big time. I thought what little bit of transplanting I was doing was work. It's nothing compared to you. I'm just planting for myself.

Maineroses, are you buying a greenhouse to grow plants for yourself or to sell them, as well? When my husband built my little greenhouse, I was growing plants for our garden club sale, but we had no idea things would progress to selling commercially. We got the original plans from the Cooperative extension, but modified the dimensions.

I like the barn style because the the slanting afford strength for the winter snow load, and in the spring, when the sun comes in at a slant here, I can put plants on a lower shelf and still get sun on them. As you can see from this picture, I have a counter full of flats on each side, as well as a lower shelf on each side. It isn't very visible from this photo, but there is also a shelf overhead on each side. I also can put about 20 to 24 hanging baskets in there. All of this is in a pretty small greenhouse.

Gemini, this propagation thing is contageous and once you get the disease, it's progressive! The little greenhouse has been a big help in getting all this started, and it is my hope that we'll get the bigger greenhouse set up for heat, as well, so I don't have to squeeze so many plants in such a small space!

Oceangirl, it must be nice to know all that work has an end on the horizon! By mid-May, I'm full-tilt boogie getting ready to open by Memorial Day. All the tables will be out, and I'll be making picture tags for the flats. My DH and a helper will be setting up the tent, and I will be covered in potting soil every night when I climb into that old claw foot bathtub!

Lizh, I admire anyone who grows plants from seed. I think I got involved in selling plants because I was too kind hearted to kill any of them. As I became more proficient with my transplanting skills, I always had more plants than I could plant for myself. I was happy to give them away until the numbers grew so large that I was buying hundreds of dollars worth of potting soil & containers. Now I make enough to support my habit!

8ft, Oceangirl and the rest, you have no idea how organized and industrious Weez is! A model of convenience is her "plant by" container of seed packets, already with their labels made up. She goes thru them methodically and has honed her planting skills enough to impress me and I don't empress easily!
Weez, I'm slowing up more and more, but still in the game. This will be the herbs, hot peppers (close to 80 varieties) and Alpine & Rock garden plants year for me. I'll be down there sometime this week to see all your stuff.
Ceeads

Weez,
Keep posting. I love the pics and as a novice seed starter I must say I have learned loads from reading your posts.

When you have a moment I would like to learn more about the Halides. I am now using the pvc racks with the shop lights but am rapidly running out of room


A big THANKS for the many pics and useful advice. I am glad you take the time to share your expertise

Weeze, my cousin lives 120 miles from you, but I WILL be letting her know where to shop. She has a good friend in Seward according to her DM.
I would love to be able to shop your shop! You are inspiring me.
Sidney

Sugarweed, your cousin will have to stop by when she's down visiting her friend this summer. We'll take some pictures!

Lottin, I don't know much about the halide lights, except that they are very expensive to run and things grow like crazy under them! Instead of putting them close to the plants like you would do with fluorescents, the halides spread light in a radius around the umbrella shade. I'm afraid those two lights, however, are going to add about $100 to my light bill this month. :(

Hey, Ceeads, I was hoping you'd stop by. I've got some interesting things growing this year. You've sure got me beat on peppers! I just started a few kinds. I'd be interested in what kinds of herbs you've got going. As for alpines, maybe I have some types you want. Of course, you'll be down raiding my stash when the weather warms, but we can make a plan!

Ceeads can make just about anything grow, whether from cuttings or seeds. She is a propagator supreme. Any compliment from her is humbling.

weezingreen
I am going to try a greenhouse for me and also to sell some on the side
I am not sure what to get where to get lighting and what else i need i am new into gardening I try to sow seeds and put under lights but dont have alot to work with right now.as far as prices and stuff not sure what way to go i live on dissabuilty-shoulder and hand and limited for funds this is a dream of mine if you saw my home lol
a friend of mine want to take my garage the type with green covering take that off and attached the frame to back of house and poli it and when you open up back door the heat would go in from the kitchen is this do able?
or are the reasonable ways to allow me to get a greenhouse and what goes with it.
I am only 2 years into gardening I am a addict for sure robin

Hey, roses! A greenhouse -- pretty neat! DH put up another set of shelves for me this year, but it'll be a loooong time before I get a greenhouse!

I'm no expert, but I had a couple of questions/suggestions. Which way does the garage side of your house face, and does it get good light? You may need to get some light through the sides of your garage as well, or are you taking off green covering from more than the roof? I love the idea of attaching it to your kitchen door, but you should probably consider a separate heater (with thermostat) out there as well. You won't want to leave your kitchen door open all night, nor will you want to try to heat that area to the same temperature as the rest of your house.

Charlie's Greenhouse sent me a catalog to drool over, and their web site had some tips on siting greenhouses, and I think there was a calculator for how big a heater you'd need for different sizes & different temperature differentials. http://charliesgreenhouse.com/

OK, back on topic..... I transplanted 3 flats of basil yesterday! :-) I know people complain about what a pain potting up can be, but I just love tucking all those clumps of little seedlings into their cell packs. I had only planned to do 2 flats, but DH just put up another shelf with 4 more lights, so I have space for 8 more flats this year..... and maybe I'll make it to a RU, and then I will have extra plants to swap! (That's my excuse, and I'm sticking with it.)

Half the basil is Genovese (fab for pesto), 3 different kinds this year, 2 from swapped seed and 1 I've grown before. A good friend of mine "smuggled" actual Italian basil seed back from her trip to Italy several years ago. Something killed back the plants near the end of summer, and I didn't get seed last year, so I'm hoping to save seed this year since I've now sowed the last of it! I also have 3 small leaved basils ('Minette', 'Fine Verde', and greek), as well as Thai, Cinnamon, Red Rubin, Lemon, and Lime. I love all the different forms and scents as well as the gorgeous flowerheads on the Thai basil, so many of these end up in my landscape beds and in containers on the deck.

Boy, Critter, you're the queen of basil! I don't have much luck with it here... too wet and cool, I think. It seems to get powdery mildew. I'm glad you enjoy the transplanting process. It can be so time consuming and frustrating that some folks just hate it. I would rather transplant than thin, since it seems such a shame to kill little plants.

Robin, Critter is right about paying attention to the light situation where you plan to put your greenhouse. There are pros and cons concerning attaching it to your house, like a solarium. If your greenhouse is not free standing, you can miss light from at least one angle, and in areas that experience heavy winter snows, you want to avoid placing your greenhouse where the snowload will slide off your roof onto it.

As I said, I like the design of our little greenhouse because I get light from all sides and even along the bottom. Our spring light comes in at a low slant, so it works well for seedlings.... my main reason for the greenhouse.

So now I'm wondering how you can be as prolific in postings on DG as you are in your greenhouses? Terminal in the toilet maybe so you can, uhmm, multi-task?

There are also pros and cons concerning heating a greenhouse year 'round. In my opinion, it is much more likely you will get insect infestations when you maintain a greenhouse all year long. When you allow it to freeze, then clean it out with a good bleach solution, your chance of aphids, whiteflies, etc. is greatly reduced.

For those who don't own a greenhouse but want one, I'm sure you've driven past a house with a little greenhouse in the back, and you notice it is never in use. It's become a tool shed, or it just sits idle. You wonder why anyone would just let a greenhouse sit there when you'd give anything in the world to have one... I did that for years! LOL! Well, sometimes people find they just don't want to take the time and energy to keep a greenhouse going. It may be in a poor spot, it may get too hot in the summer, etc, etc., but for some reason, they lose interest.

For that reason, I'd suggest that anybody who is just getting started with seed sowing consider everything on a smaller scale until they really feel that they want a greenhouse and will use it. The first step is to find a spot where you can build one of those PVC light racks. You're initial investment is minimal... some PVC, so PVC connecting joints, 6 shop lights, and some chain. Buy some of those domed flats with cell packs inside. I haven't purchased them in a long time, but I think they are under $5 each. One three-tiered PVC light rack will hold 12 flats... that's a lot of plants. With the chained lights, you can lower them for the early weeks, then raise them as the plants get bigger.

As for moving the plants out of the house, you might consider a small PVC frame covered in plastic or a raised bed that has hoops on it. These serve as mini greenhouses for spring plants or a place to winter over marginal perennials. I use my raised beds for garden veggies in the summer, wintering potted plants in the winter, and as cold frames in the spring. I can harden off my plants by rolling back the plastic on warm sunny days, then closing them up if the wind kicks up and at night.

These are just a few ideas for you. To tell the truth, none of us really know what we are going to use our greenhouses for until we have one. These cheaper approaches help you make up your mind before you spend big bucks on a permanent structure.

Well put, WZ! For me, I probably would use a greenhouse year round since the morning room gets pretty crowded with plants during the winter, not seedlings so much (they're in the basement), but lots of tender stuff that spends the summer outside.

Here's a photo of the basil seedlings, 3 flats as glimpsed between the lights. They're not big enough to tell apart yet!

This message was edited Mar 29, 2005 2:27 PM

and here's a pic of the 6-pack that my young friend Shoshana potted up for herself yesterday afternoon. I'm using a silver Sharpie marker to label my cell packs this year, and I love it.

I love the way new sprouts come up like tiny green croquet hoops....

The sprouts in this picture are from the 'Thai Red Turtle Egg' eggplant seeds srkrause sent me! (thanks, Steve) I've got them crowded together for starting purposes only and plan to transplant them to individual cells when they get their first set of true leaves. It's my first year growing eggplants, so I was happy to see these sprouts!

Weezing, I am so sorry I did not post! I have been keeping an eye on you. I cannot believe the labor of love that you go through and the passion for plants you must have to do all this in zone 3! It makes me feel really bad for whining in my zone 6 conditions. You have a serious fan in me! A lot of time I spend on the puter, I am nursing the baby and just am not willing to type a long reply with one finger. LOL I love ya girl! You are the bomb!!

Thanks, Badseed! Yes, it's pretty hard to type and nurse a baby at the same time! Critter, I noticed you are transplanting our basil in clumps. Do they grow well that way? I've always put one plant per cell... of course, you already know I'm not very success with it. Will the extra plants fail, or will they all grow from the same space?