I had to pot up the cucumbers today. It took 4 days in the germination container before they were ready to go. They have super hairy roots but @Kubla Kahn 's tip about using coffee filters instead of a paper towel really worked for me. It was extremely fast and no effort to get them in pots today. If I had used a paper towel it would have taken 3x the time to extract them carefully without damaging their roots. I've got just enough room under the lights for the last of my seedlings but it'll be tight. The tomatoes are doing the best. I should have started the peppers a little earlier but it'll be fine.
When you guys start your seeds do you start them under the grow lights or keep them in a darker spot til they sprout? My dad mentioned doing the latter, which seems strange to me.
They are exposed to light. I'm sure some are fine in the dark but there are some seeds that need light to germinate. Some of mine were in a window and this second batch are under the lights, but I only moved them there because it is warmer than the window location.
I go with high heat and high light from 8am to 8pm. Except for cilantro... I keep that a bit cooler and off in the shade a bit as that helps it grow low and strong, instead of running away.
Cheapest thing I found was a chicken coop heater. Waterproof, multi-temp... I put it in the enclosure with a small computer fan that was always on to help keep things warm.
I can't believe I'm asking this a few weeks after I wondered aloud why someone would start from seeds.... Since I'm trying my best to keep myself stuck at home, I have no other options than to look at seeds for jalapeno and cucumber plants. Anyone have a "for dummies" version on where is best to buy them as well as anything else I need, and how the fuck to make sure I can get them big enough to put into a pot? And also how to do that?
I just googled for a Canadian online shop that looked OK. The first year I just took a chance on the $30 or so I spent on a shit-ton of seeds, and gave them a shot in the little peet pod thingies for seedlings. They all did really well, so I went back to the same place. https://www.seed-bank.ca/ is the site I use. Are they the best? I have no idea... but they deliver some quality seeds that have a 95+% success rate (assuming I've done everything perfectly so far), and they deliver crazy fast (like 2 days to my door for cheap).
And to be clear, I didn't follow any dates/etc for planting times... I just found a weekend where I had some free time and went nuts for a few hours. I now have a few plants that are way too big for the pods now (snap peas, etc), some that are the perfect size for a week or 2 (most of my tomatoes), and a few that are just starting to pop up out of the soil for the first time (most of the hot peppers, etc). I'll transplant some of them into bigger pots inside if they get too big before I can plant outside on an as needed basis. How do I know when? They're too big to stand upright any more and are falling over in the pod. The only 2 things I did right into big pots as seeds were basil and cilantro, because basil is a bitch for me to do in pods for some reason, and cilantro is a tap root that I always kill off when I try to transplant from a pod.
Oh, and if it helps, I'm looking to grow jalapenos, banana peppers, and cucumbers. Thinking one of those seed starter trays might be my best bet. According to the VERY rapid growth of my plants outside -- added 20 strawberry plants to the mix -- I am apparently quite good at figuring out if they need more or less water, sunlight, or shade now. Just had to stop second-guessing myself and go with my gut. edit** would this work?
Yep that's a jiffy seed starter. That'll do it. You can use any enclosed container with a clear top as a starter. It's just to retain humidity and not leak, allowing you to bottom water. I really like myseedneeds.com but honestly, they give you so many seeds. It's more than you can use in 5 seasons. Hint: Don't start more than a couple cucumber plants, max, unless you intend on canning a LOT. They are insanely, ridiculously prolific. And if you want to can them make sure you buy the canning type, not the slicer type. Otherwise you get mushy pickles.
About to run out of space. I still have a few seeds germinating in the propagater. I was hoping to keep the tomatoes under lights until May 1st but may have to take them out early and cover them with domes. Spoiler
haha that's the website I'm on right now actually, just adding shit to the cart. Looking at jalapenos, ancho chilis, banana peppers, the rainbow mixed bell pepper seeds, some pickling cucumbers and some ones for salads and such Since I'm looking at another month minimum stuck here, I'm going to take the time to build a raised garden bed in the fenced in back yard. No clue what it's gonna look like, maybe one of those things like what @Nettdata built. maybe more of a U-shaped thing. Not sure.
A big chunk of my seed collection is from their inventory. They are good, reliable seeds and give you a good quantity for the price. If you search it's easy to find coupon codes and easy to earn free shipping. The only thing I'll say, because it isn't plainly written on that item, is about those rainbow bells. I would not recommend them. They are more of a novelty in my opinion. They are actually more of a miniature bell pepper and I got way more of the chocolate/deep purple color than anything else, which in an equal mix is fine, but by themselves look bleh and underwhelming. They were only about 4" tall, max, and had thin/not very meaty walls. I'd recommend getting a more tried and true full sized bell pepper if you want bell peppers. This year I did CA Wonder bells (green and matures to red) which have been around forever and are a good variety, as well as Mercury Red Bells. If you want prolific and easy, I'd recommend beans, snap peas, cucumbers. When it's cool (not sure of your current temps) radishes are stupid easy.
Gotcha! Our family goes through bell peppers like they're going out of style. I'll just get a few different types of the regular ones. Are those cow pots worthwhile? Seems like a good concept when putting it in the dirt to have the manure right there