Another seedling question

[kevokie]

I would like to hear how many seedlings you start each year. I've seen some posts scattered here and there about it and its kinda hard to keep track. So, if you sell seedlings, how many do you start every year? How many did you plant when you first started selling them? Do you sell anything else such as peppers, eggplants, herbs, etc? Any other tips?

A goal of mine is to be able to sell some tomato plants. It's not possible this year or not even sure about next year but who knows!

[huntoften]

It started a few years ago...I ran out of room in my gardens, my friends and family all had plenty and I still had a few dozen left. I posted them for sale on craigslist and was overwhelmed with the number of people that wanted to buy them! The next year i intentionally planted about 500 extra seedlings...sold them all and could have sold more. I'm up to around 1,200-1,500 plants now...if I were to go to a farmer's market I think I could sell more. I don't make a lot of money, but I break even with all my garden stuff and have a little extra to offset the cost of my greenhouse each year. In 2-3 more years I should be above the break even point and making a profit.

[gflynn]

I started about 500 this year and this is about the same as last year but perhaps a tad more. I started them on March 7th which may be a bit early for Maryland but the real issue seems to be the seed starting soil.

The seed starting soil from walmart must have been, as expected, fertilizerless. On the other hand the Miracle Grow seed starting mix must have, and I should have known better, had miracle grow fertilizer on board.

These have gotten much too big too soon!

Anyway, I sell them for charitable purposes but the main idea is to teach folks that tomatoes aren't just red :-)

Greg

[huntoften]

Greg...this year I am making my own potting soil...saves a LOT of money and I know exactly what's in it. I bought a yard load of compost...not real hot stuff, just good, loamy compost. I also bought a bale of perlite and a bale of vermiculite. I mix them in a bucket with 9 parts compost, 1 part vermiculite, 1 part perlite. I fertilize with some alaska fish emulsion stuff and the transplants are doing VERY well. I just need more room!

Anyway...just a thought if you'd like to have some control over the soil. And I agree...most folks an't understand the concept of a non-red, non globe tomato, but once they do...wow!

[gflynn]

Huntoften,

I like the picture of the Catfish; we catch them around here but they tend to be much smaller unless I am in a brachish tributary of the Chesapeake. Also, my mom's side of the family is from Missouri, in particular New Madrid.

As soil goes I make my own for potted plants but not the seed starter. The seed starter I usually buy is a very very light peatmoss and not much more. Perhaps I am wrong and this is humus?

I buy seed trays with lots of sections and then toss 6 to 10 seeds per section. Then once they get some new leaves I seperate them and put them in 18oz plastic beer cups. I use miracle grow potting mix for that because its very cheap!

If I could make better stuff cheaper I would be into that!

Greg

[huntoften]

I also buy my seed staring mix...Pro-Mix is the name of it. I've also used the coir stuff, but can't find it in the big bags like the pro-mix and not nearly as cheap.

Nothing better than some grilled catfish steaks and fresh tomato slices on the side!