Paging all industrious/ creative seed starters

[heirloomdaddy]

Please forgive my ignorance if this has been addressed, I've searched and found nothing that fits my needs.

I need a good self-watering system for seedlings. I love starting from seed, but really don't want to deal with the clutter of an indoor scenario. Plus, the plants always seem to take-off anyway once they taste the sunlight. I'm in So Cal, so once germinated the seedlings will do fine outside, even in the dead of winter. Ideally, I can completely avoid dealing with indoor growing.

I'd love some sort of self watering container/containers that I can sow directly into, and stick in a sunny spot. There is no danger of frost, so this setup could minimize my effort and maximize my plants' success.

Maybe a miniature, or many miniature versions of Ray's SWC? I would love input from container gardeners as I am quite ignorant on the subject.

[maf]

A good option might just to be to grow in ordinary small pots or cells and keep them watered via a capillary matting system such as is popular in greenhouses. Something like these Self Watering Tray Kits.

You could also make individual small SWC's with nylon rope for the wick, trouble is at very small sizes it is hardly worth the effort. Alternatively use ordinary pots on a stand over a tray reservoir, each with a rope type wick trailing down into the tray.

[heirloomdaddy]

just found this. Very cool. Thought I'd share

http://growninthecity.com/2010/03/st...m-yogurt-cups/

[habitat_gardener]

Inspired by wintersowing, I used bubblewrapped cages set horizontally on the ground, surrounded by gallon water containers to moderate the temperatures, a couple years ago to germinate and grow my densely sown seedlings, about 50 pots. It worked well that year (except for the few slug-eaten seedlings). Once I potted up the seedlings, I moved some into large plastic bins with either drainage holes or the pots raised a half inch or so. I also placed some seedlings in walls-o-water (my third type of mini greenhouse). Since I started in March (rainy season here in northern Calif.), I did have to spend time protecting them from the rain as well as venting the bubblewraped cages during heat waves (which started in Feb. that year). I also had to water them occasionally, which was easy with a hose-end sprayer and either the mist setting or a very very light shower. I gave away at least a hundred plants.

This year, I decided to save some steps and started with the plastic bins set on benches. It was much colder than last year, with no heat waves, and the seedlings germinated and grew verrrrrrrrry slowly. I didn't get around to potting up many of my plants, and when I planted them in June many were still small and the fruits have just in the past week started to blush. The slug problem was actually worse in the bins! I lost one variety before the seedlings could reach a couple inches high, and the seedlings I planted out were so small (and the weather still so cold) that I lost about 5 more, and 2-3 others look like they're not going to produce anything.

So next year I'll try bubblewrapped cages again. And hope for better weather!

[Tormato]

Originally Posted by heirloomdaddy

just found this. Very cool. Thought I'd share

http://growninthecity.com/2010/03/st...m-yogurt-cups/

Matt,

This is one of my over-winter projects.

A heads-up on the yogurt containers. Here, many of the containers have been downsized to 6 ounces, which is probably too small.

Gary

[garnetmoth]

Hey thats neat!

Tormato: I think the Dannon in the pic is 6 oz- its just for the wicking component. The larger quarts are for the soil and the water reservoir.

[b54red]

I like styrofoam egg cartons. Cut the lid off along the fold. Punch holes in the bottom of each egg cup and fill with your favorite seed starting mix. Take the lid and use some Duck tape to seal the holes in it. Fill the lid with water and set the bottoms in the lids. You will have to add water to the lids when it dries out; but it is cheap and very easy. I write what is in each pair of egg cups on the closing flap which I leave on the bottom for this purpose.

[Stepheninky]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO0mYNAt-D4

Here is a link to one that is pretty clever and still uses seed trays. It is gravity feed, but you could make one that is siphon feed as well.

[heirloomdaddy]

excellent posts. I especially think that the last one might suit my needs best. I've got a big sunny roof, and am looking to water many seedlings at once with minimal effort.

thanks guys. this is enough to base a plan off of, which will save me many many hours.