Adventures in Seed Starting

I've started seeds before and have probably made all the mistakes one can make...weak light sources, too much moisture, poor circulation = damping off disease and leggy starts. This year will be different! What I've learned from past experience (and disasters) is that the elements for seed starting success are:

1. A direct, movable light source
2. Good air circulation
3. Sterile containers and planting medium
4. Moderate moisture

While soil temperature is important for warm season veggies such as tomatoes and peppers, in the case of onions, lettuce, spinach and cabbage, not so much as these veggies will germinate in 32-45 degree soil temperatures. Heated grow mats are a waste of money in my opinion as warm season veggies will start to successfully germinate in soil temperatures as low as 59 degrees.

So, without breaking the bank, bought the Hydrofarm 4 ft Jump Start T5 Fluorescent Grow Light System from Amazon this morning. Cannot stress how important a movable light source is for successful seedling growth. I dabbled with the idea of using spot lighting, which I already have, but for under $100, I'm hoping this system works as well as the reviews say. Between money spent on seeds and the grow light system, everything else will definitely (hopefully) be on the cheap!

More to come...

Heirloom Seed Order

Just spent most the day researching, ordering and creating a database of heirloom seeds I'm planning on growing in my veggie garden this year. For the leeks and onions, I'll be starting them as soon as they come in. Looking forward to this as my breakfast room, where they'll be growing while the snow flies outside, will begin to smell sweet, green and organic. I know I won't need many transplants as my growing space is super limited so will be probably giving most of the plants away. Here's the list of seeds ordered from Seed Savers Exchange:

Tomato, Brandywine, Pink
Tomato, Cherokee Purple
Tomato, Gold Medal
Tomato, Isis Candy Cherry
Tomato, Soldacki OG
Bean, Fin de Bagnol OG
Pepper, Napoleon Sweet OG
Pepper, Habanero-Red
Basil, Genovese
Onion, Red Wethersfield
Leek, Blue Solaize
Carrot, Dragon
Carrot, Paris Market
Beet, Detroit Dark Red
Beet, Burpee's Golden