Started Seeds For 2013 Season Today

[rnewste]

Mostly repeat Varieties but a few new ones this year:

Berkeley Tie-Dye

Berkeley Beauty King

Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye

Better Boy Hybrid (VFNASt) 75

Big Beef Hybrid (VFFNTASt) 73

Big Daddy

Bloody Butcher

Brandywine from Croatia

Cowlick’s Brandywine

Desters

Dona F1

Early Large Red

Goose Creek

Jetsetter Hybrid (VFFNASt) 64

MarNar (1 F2; 1 F4)

Momotaro Hybrid (VFNSt) 70

Parks Whopper Hybrid (VFFNT) 65

Supersonic Hybrid (VFFN) 79

Tastywine F6 (Dwarf Project)

Rather than the Rapid Rooters, I am trialing the new self-watering seed starting system from Burpee. The grow compartment sits on a wicking mat which pulls up water from the lower tray to keep the grow media moist:



It uses compressed pellets which expand to fill each slot when warm water is applied. You can see one of the compressed pellets in the bottom of the above photo.

I have the enclosure sitting on a heat mat:



So far, I've been pleased with the system:

http://www.burpee.com/seed-starting/...Id=2211&trail=

Worked well starting seedlings for my (aborted) Winter InnTainer project.

Raybo

[ContainerTed]

Can't keep a good man down. Raybo, how are you doing??? Looks like a good list for your return.

You've been in our thoughts and prayers.

[JamesL]

Plants: Take your marks. Ready, set, Grow!
Raybo,
May your 2013 season be as successful as years past!

[sprtsguy76]

Hmmmm. I like it the tray. Anything that helps with cutting down on watering time is interesting to me. I might have to try one! Raybo is there some sort of reservior at the bottom that you fill like a swc??

Damon

[snooks]

This looks interesting. The description was unclear to me. Is the dome also included in the kit you ordered?
Jan

[Diriel]

Raybo,

I used those for 2012 and had decidedly mixed results. Good luck sir!

[rnewste]

Damon,

Yes, there is a lower tray that you fill with water, then the mat wicks it up to the underside of the seedling base. I fill about once per week.

Jan,

A 4 inch dome is included in the kit. I had the larger dome from last year. I'll remove it when the seedlings get 3 inches tall when they go under the lights.

Raybo

[ginger2778]

Raybo ,
I hope you have more success with it than I did the year I tried it.
My seedlings ended up puny, and the roots grow much longer, right through the individual cells, compared to the expandable peat pellet seed starters. Those roots were extremely hard not to tear when transplanting.
I went back to the jiffy ones and got my same good results again.

[ginger2778]

Raybo ,
I hope you have more success with it than I did the year I tried it.
My seedlings ended up puny, and the roots grow much longer, right through the individual cells, compared to the expandable peat pellet seed starters. Those roots were extremely hard not to tear when transplanting.
I went back to the jiffy ones and got my same good results again. Glad to see you back and healthy again.

[rnewste]

Ginger,

My seedlings I started in September grew to about 10 inches tall in the system before I dumped them in late November after the aborted InnTainer plans. I fertilized them in early November which likely helped their development.

In any event, I post my results - good, bad, or otherwise.

Raybo

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by rnewste

Ginger,

My seedlings I started in September grew to about 10 inches tall in the system before I dumped them in late November after the aborted InnTainer plans. I fertilized them in early November which likely helped their development.

In any event, I post my results - good, bad, or otherwise.

Raybo

10 inches is excellent. I would say your results were definitely better than mine.
-Marsha

[Diriel]

I agree, far better than my results.

[matertoo]

Raybo:

I am estatic to see that you're back in the mater patch after your recent stroke. You have been in my prayers since I learned of your stroke.

I had open-heart surgery (5 bypasses) last January (2012), so I misssed this past mater season. I am getting ready to get my plants started on February 13th, which is my start date here in LA.

Happy matering,

Paul

[Deborah]

Ray, I have only one question: WHEN DO WE EAT???

[rnewste]

Originally Posted by Deborah

Ray, I have only one question: WHEN DO WE EAT???

Deborah,

We will need to wait a few days for the ones I picked outside today to ripen:



Naysen,

I'll be putting the new seedlings out to harden off end of February and planting them in their EarthTainers on March 25.

Raybo