Seed Starting Methodology

[Garf]

There are a lot of ways to start seeds. Some use multi cell packs and one or two seeds per cell. Some use small paper cups and one to 3 seeds per cup. Many use a bulk starting method with a larger pot and transplant sprouts. I will use a 4 X 4 pot and place 9 seeds evenly spaced and transplant sprouts. I take a split fruit and squeeze the contents into a 6" pot and cover with soil. It takes longer to sprout, but it gets the healthiest sprouts. I don't even consider using wet paper towels in ziplocs. There must be other methods.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Garf

There are a lot of ways to start seeds. Some use multi cell packs and one or two seeds per cell. Some use small paper cups and one to 3 seeds per cup. Many use a bulk starting method with a larger pot and transplant sprouts. I will use a 4 X 4 pot and place 9 seeds evenly spaced and transplant sprouts. I take a split fruit and squeeze the contents into a 6" pot and cover with soil. It takes longer to sprout, but it gets the healthiest sprouts. I don't even consider using wet paper towels in ziplocs. There must be other methods.

This season I used Craig's dense planting method from his video in the starting from seed forum. Got pretty good germination. Needed to start a lot because of the plant swap. i do put em between moist paper towels when starting just a few, but no ziplock baggie, just the paper towels marked with a sharpie as to what they are, then laid flat on a plate, and out onto the patio table. I just make sure it is kept wet. Almost always they start to spread out that little root tip within about 2 or 3 days, then each one goes into an expandable peat pellet barely covered, and under the light. Mostly pretty successful. I keep em on the patio where there is breeze, and I don't get damping off at all. I think it is almost too late to start new seed now for South Florida.
Is that helpful?
Marsha

[FreyaFL]

I tried Craig's dense planting method once this past winter with a half dozen varieties of tomato and had so many seedlings I had to beg people to take the plants! (Okay, ALMOST had to beg, LOL) This is a great method if you need/want a lot of plants.

My favorite method, however, is to plant 2-4 seeds per 4 oz container (applesauce - that I've made into a tiny wicking container) and transplant the sprouts as deep as I can when they had their second true leaves. I like this method best as I have a controllable number of seedlings since I haven't that much space. (And I have an almost endless number of these containers.) Once transplanted deep (into empty water/soda bottles that have a wick in them also), the plants have all developed really nice strong stems and taken off. This past winter has shown that I'll have very healthy tomato plants ready to plant out in 4 weeks from sowing. As I'm pretty new to this, I THINK this is good as it seems nice to have a target date for planting out when sowing seeds. (Is this timing good?)

[Qweniden]

This year Im putting one seed on a camp cotton ball in its own little baggy and placed on a heat mat. Lots of sprouts so far.

[nativeplanter]

Originally Posted by FreyaFL

I tried Craig's dense planting method once this past winter with a half dozen varieties of tomato and had so many seedlings I had to beg people to take the plants! (Okay, ALMOST had to beg, LOL) This is a great method if you need/want a lot of plants.

My favorite method, however, is to plant 2-4 seeds per 4 oz container (applesauce - that I've made into a tiny wicking container) and transplant the sprouts as deep as I can when they had their second true leaves. I like this method best as I have a controllable number of seedlings since I haven't that much space. (And I have an almost endless number of these containers.) Once transplanted deep (into empty water/soda bottles that have a wick in them also), the plants have all developed really nice strong stems and taken off. This past winter has shown that I'll have very healthy tomato plants ready to plant out in 4 weeks from sowing. As I'm pretty new to this, I THINK this is good as it seems nice to have a target date for planting out when sowing seeds. (Is this timing good?)

FreyaFL, I am interested in your wicking method, since I travel for work at times. What do you use for a wick?

[FreyaFL]

Originally Posted by nativeplanter

FreyaFL, I am interested in your wicking method, since I travel for work at times. What do you use for a wick?

Very simple. Just cut and X on the bottom and feed through a piece of cloth. In this case I'm using a bit of old towel (maybe 1"x6".) I've also scavenged old thick shirts for wicks. Then, I take an old takeout container, cut pieces out of the top, invert it on the base, feed the wicks through the holes and fill the bottom. You will need to moisten the potting mix initially. 'Tis all!

FreyaFL

[FreyaFL]

Originally Posted by Qweniden

This year Im putting one seed on a camp cotton ball in its own little baggy and placed on a heat mat. Lots of sprouts so far.

This sounds like too much fun not to try! Could you post a picture?

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by FreyaFL

Very simple. Just cut and X on the bottom and feed through a piece of cloth. In this case I'm using a bit of old towel (maybe 1"x6".) I've also scavenged old thick shirts for wicks. Then, I take an old takeout container, cut pieces out of the top, invert it on the base, feed the wicks through the holes and fill the bottom. You will need to moisten the potting mix initially. 'Tis all!

FreyaFL

Freya that is so clever.

[nativeplanter]

Originally Posted by FreyaFL

Very simple. Just cut and X on the bottom and feed through a piece of cloth. In this case I'm using a bit of old towel (maybe 1"x6".) I've also scavenged old thick shirts for wicks. Then, I take an old takeout container, cut pieces out of the top, invert it on the base, feed the wicks through the holes and fill the bottom. You will need to moisten the potting mix initially. 'Tis all!

FreyaFL

Thanks!

[Redbaron]

I have mentioned it before, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to mention it again. Home made paper pots! They are free and self wicking by nature, and 100% biodegradable! It is even less stressful to the plants once you transplant them into the garden! And by the time you cut an X in the bottom of a cup and cut a strip of cloth pull it through and fill with water, you could have made 5 paper pots!

I use the "can method", because I am REALLY a cheapskate!

Making paper pots

But anyone who wants to be fancy about it they make kits.


In England and Europe:
Nether Wallop - Paper Potters. Set of Two

In USA and North America:
Potmaker

[FreyaFL]

Scott, I do like the paper pots and have used them (especially if I plan to start seeds of plants that dislike being moved.) My problem, and why I started with all this wicking stuff, is that I often forget to water (or I'm in a mood... ...or I ask one of my kids to cover for me when I'm unable to water for some reason.) Depending on how much water the reservoir holds and various weather conditions, I don't have to water at all after sowing and before transplanting to individual planters. I'm a lazy gardener.

[jerryinfla]

I start tomato, pepper and eggplant seeds using coir and empty toilet paper spindles that I've cut in half then reinforced with scotch tape. Then I place four of these little pots in an empty CD cake box and put it on my TV cable box for bottom heat. After they get their first set of true leaves I pot them up into 3" peat pots using potting soil or seed starting mix. When I transplant them to the garden I tear away the peat pots leaving the root balls undisturbed.

[efisakov]

Hi, Freya,
how long do you keep your tomatoes in the paper cups? Until planting them?
I put my seeds into a see-through 20 oz plastic cups that are half full with soil and add soil as they grow bigger up to the top and than plant them, which is about 8 weeks since seeding. Would paper cups hold that long? The eggplants takes even longer.
thanks for great ideas

[FreyaFL]

Originally Posted by efisakov

Hi, Freya,
how long do you keep your tomatoes in the paper cups? Until planting them?
I put my seeds into a see-through 20 oz plastic cups that are half full with soil and add soil as they grow bigger up to the top and than plant them, which is about 8 weeks since seeding. Would paper cups hold that long? The eggplants takes even longer.
thanks for great ideas

I don't use paper cups, sorry. For seed starting, I use empty applesauce containers. They're usually in these for 2 weeks (a little less than a week for germination, then a little over a week before they have grown pretty well.) I transplant into water/soda bottles that have the bottoms cut off and a wick through the threaded through and blocking the pour spout. I plant as far into these as I can but still have the very top leaves uncovered. (I bury the stems to the top leaves.) These remain here for another two weeks or until I see a good root system through the sides of the bottles. (I have empty milk containers set up to support the overturned bottles with a drain hole, so this is also a wicking system.) I wonder if I could somehow turn those clear plastic 20 oz cups into wicking containers? It's not easy to get that many empty soda bottles (and, depending on brand, they sometimes have to be cut to remove the plant. A bit of a pain.)

Interestingly, I've found that putting the small seedlings into the 16-20 oz bottles and letting them grow out there for a couple weeks actually makes for stronger, quicker to produce plants. Ones that I've planted directly into a larger spot seem to take longer. In an accidental comparison, I had ripe fruit on one that had been in the small bottles 2-3 weeks earlier than it's sibling that went directly into its 5 gallon bucket. (Both were in 5 gal buckets eventually.)

NOTE: The timing on my seedlings was only for tomatoes. Peppers take A LOT longer and eggplant......I think my eggplant seeds took over a month to germinate.

[Garf]

I use these for bulk seed starting. Then I reuse them for larger seedlings.