What's your seed starting setup? - Page 1

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What's your seed starting setup?

Posted: 2/12/2017 3:15:00 PM EDT

My setup right now is a wire rack, some 1020 trays, a heating mat insulated with a piece of cardboard underneath, and (still to be purchased) 3 T5 grow lights. This all takes up part of one shelf in my laundry room. Was curious to see what other people are using to start seeds?

Posted: 2/12/2017 3:32:59 PM EDT

[#1]

Posted: 2/12/2017 8:47:04 PM EDT

[#2]

I just started mine today. I just use a 6' table in the spare bedroom with a PVC light stand thing I made. I'm only doing 35 plants this year (mix of peppers/tomatoes/zucchini).
I did switch over to all LEDs this year though.

Posted: 2/13/2017 10:48:33 PM EDT

[#3]

I started mine today. I am trying a 72 pack seed tray from walmart. $5. Comes with a clear cover, 72 cells and a solid tray. I have it outside on the edge of the carport. The cells are a lot smaller than what I am used to. I like using 8oz stro cups for my seeds I will give it 2 weeks. If it does not work then back to my 8oz cups.

Posted: 2/14/2017 11:30:00 PM EDT

[#4]

@DeLuce You're using an LED grow light? Or did you make that part too. I really want to use LED, but they are insanely expensive, and I'm not convinced the cheap ones on Amazon (using 5mm generic diodes) will be close to bright enough. What has been your experience?

Posted: 2/14/2017 11:42:30 PM EDT

[#5]

T5's with show and grow bulbs work. Anything more requires Pot heads with CO2 injection.

I have been overwintering a Scorpion and Ghost pepper in the front window...I left shriveled up peppers on them...just in case.

Posted: 2/14/2017 11:59:25 PM EDT

[#6]

The cake pans that you get from Dollar General is what I've started my onions in. Same with peppers, but some goddamned mice got in and ate the cotyledons on most of them. They are going to get transferred into a solo cup garden, then eventually put into the ground. This is how I do my solo (actually Kirkland) cup garden:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRHzWdEORQ8

Everything else is either going to be direct sow, or is going directly into the plastic cups. Most of my tomatoes are already up. So that I get enough peppers after the mouse, I took more of the seed and am germinating them in a damp paper towel inside a baggie. I'll then transplant them into the cups. I'm going to plant somewhere between 175 and 200 this year.

I hate rodents.

Posted: 2/15/2017 12:55:31 AM EDT

[#7]

Couple of Zenport mini coldframe/greenhouses in the backyard got 4 72 cell trays going now with tomatoes, broccoli, greens etc. for early planting.

Posted: 2/15/2017 1:09:03 AM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
@DeLuce You're using an LED grow light? Or did you make that part too. I really want to use LED, but they are insanely expensive, and I'm not convinced the cheap ones on Amazon (using 5mm generic diodes) will be close to bright enough. What has been your experience?

View Quote

@Kilroytheknifesnob I ended up getting these. Last year I tried a couple cheap full spectrum LED flood lights and they worked good, so I figured I'd try full LED this year. I've only had those Mars Hydro ones for a couple weeks but they're incredibly bright, and if you buy them from ebay instead of Amazon you can get two for around $130

My normal setup is a bunch of 60 watt CFL bulbs. They work good, but they take up a lot of room and are a pain to get everything lit up evenly.

Posted: 2/15/2017 1:11:48 AM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:
Couple of Zenport mini coldframe/greenhouses in the backyard got 4 72 cell trays going now with tomatoes, broccoli, greens etc. for early planting.

View Quote

I hate you guys.

It is too early to even consider planting seedlings...indoors.

Posted: 2/15/2017 12:00:05 PM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:

I hate you guys.

It is too early to even consider planting seedlings...indoors.

View Quote

Planted my seeds 1/29 and moved them outside about 5 days later when the seedlings broke thru. We've been pretty warm relatively speaking for January/February so have not had to shuttle them in/out at all. I'll probably transplant them into the garden the first week of March, may have to cover them with foam cups if a frost threatens. I planted my new potatoes on 2/4 and my sweet onions on 12/14/16.

Get back with me in August when it is a hundred outside with 99% humidity and a hurricane is heading in

Posted: 2/15/2017 12:14:02 PM EDT

[#11]

First crop of tomatoes, tomatillos and jalapenos are 3 inches tall. I just moved them into a cooler greenhouse because they were stretching a bit.

Posted: 2/19/2017 8:53:22 AM EDT

[#12]

I bought one of these to try this year, we'll see.....

Aerogarden

Posted: 2/19/2017 9:58:48 AM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
I bought one of these to try this year, we'll see.....

http://media.aerogardenimages.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/s/sss_7_9pod_aerial_ff_1.jpg

Aerogarden

View Quote

That looks interesting. The page your link directs to show a price of 29.95. Is that just for the tray that holds the seedlings or is that for the whole unit ? I went to order one and according to the checkout page it looks like it doesn't includes the whole setup

Posted: 2/19/2017 10:16:50 AM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:
That looks interesting. The page your link directs to show a price of 29.95. Is that just for the tray that holds the seedlings or is that for the whole unit ? I went to order one and according to the checkout page it looks like it doesn't includes the whole setup

View Quote

yea thats just the seed starting tray, the unit i have is the Bounty model

heres their special offers, i got the Bounty Aerogarden Bounty

Posted: 2/19/2017 10:16:03 PM EDT

[#15]

10 oz disposable plastic drinking cups filled with seed starting mix, place several in a box top and set in a warm location.
Put 3 or 4 seeds in each cup.
Set up a standard $10 T8 shoplight with standard bulbs when the first petals break the surface. Adjust every few days to stay within an inch of the top of the plants.

Let them come up an inch or two and trim the smaller ones back with scissors.

Works great for most everything. Except peppers.

ETA, upper peninsula, and it has been warm, but I went snowshoeing yesterday and today, and there is at least two feet of snow on the ground. We will probably be starting seeds about the beginning of May.

Posted: 2/23/2017 9:29:50 PM EDT

[#16]

Couple pic's of the Aerogarden, i can do 50 plants at a time, doing cauliflower and cabbage right now then will do peppers and tomatoes etc

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What's your seed starting setup?

Outdoors » Homestead, Farm & Garden

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