if i plant seeds in my eb's do i still use the same method as when i put plants in them? in other words, once i put moist potting soil in the eb and put my seeds in do i water from the spout until it runs out the bottom of the eb.
thanks
starting seeds in eb's
I misted mine from the top until they sprouted and got their first set of leaves. I kept the bottom resevoir filled too but was worried that they wouldn't have the moisture needed with out a little mist from above. I only did beans, corn, melon, pumpkin, cukes and okra from seed in the EB though.
Laura
laura - thanks for our advice.
4xthefun: How did you do with the corn? I'm tempted to try corn in one of my EBs. What type would you suggest? Thanks.
Hi hsottnek,
The corn did great BUT I had corn worm problems. I had lots of big beautiful ears but they were all nasty inside from caterpillar poop. So, solve the buggy issue and you will have a great crop of fresh ears.
I have no idea what vatiety I used. Just something the kids picked out from Walmart. I do know it contained pollinators so as long as you plant enough you won't have to worry about that. I believe I was able to plant 16 in each box.
I want to try a baby variety this year. I saw seeds for it in the Territorial catty.
Good luck! It really looks pretty as the silk begins to spill out from the ears. Just watch for the buggies.
Laura
4xthefun: Now I recall reading about someone with a "bug" problem with the EB/corn. Some folks provided advice. Will check it out. A baby variety sounds promising. Thanks,
Hank
I'm about to try some EB's that just arrived and I will be planting seeds (peas). It makes sense to mist the top until they germinate but does that mean that you also leave the cover off until the plants get started?
Obviously I'm very new to EBs and I have been reading the threads -- that's what made me decide to try them. Any help on growing from seeds in EBs would be appreciated.
nutmegnana: I direct seed both cucumbers & summer squash in EB's and prepare the box normally, filling with soil and thoroughly top watering (don't use the chemical fertilizer stripe, rather mix 100% organic fertilizer with the soil), then I fill up the water reservoir, put on the cover, cut the appropriate number of "X" openings and plant the seeds. I've never had to top water after planting the seeds but in real hot weather I'm sure it wouldn't hurt. I can't imagine trying to get a cover on after the seeds have sprouted and certainly would not recommend it. Also with peas, as they like cool weather and cool roots, I would recommend putting on the cover white side out and when the weather warms to move the EB to part sun at most. Good luck, I'm sure you will like the EB's. I have 14 and use them for tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, summer squash, basil, lettuce and whatever else catches my fancy. Tried celery last year but it was more trouble than it was worth.
Hi HERBIE43...been a while since I've been around and hope that answered your similar question too.
Rich
rich - exactly what i was looking for.
Thanks, Rich. That's what I needed to know. I will plan to get it started next weekend.
I also direct seed my cucumbers in the EB and have only had one problem 2 years ago. I didn't change the soil, add fertilizer and never removed the plastic cover. I just planted the seeds, they germinated fine, and then they were gone one morning. It seems that slugs had invaded my EB sometime during the winter. I learned my lesson on that one. Now I remove the cover, scrape out the old fertilizer, check for snails and slugs, and place the cover back on. I guess it sometimes pays to follow instructions, but I seldom do. Duh!