This has been an experimental year and I really thank those of you who have passed on your knowledge and experience. I've tried a lot of different things, especially when it comes to sprouting seeds and getting them to survive large enough to successfully transplant. Made several mistakes, like moving larger plants to 2-liter pop bottles because they were free! The plants did great, but getting them out of the bottles was a real PITA.
First is the containers. I tried everything from egg cartons to plastic pots such as plants come in at a nursery, to nine-inch plastic cups, a Styrofoam tray tobacco seeds come in and those kits one can pick up. I had every result imaginable. Next year, it will be the 2"x1"x2" plastic containers that come in six packs.
Growing medium - I still have to find the right type - if it is too course, the seeds don't seem to survive. Too loose and there isn't enough substance. Like AJ, I plan on selling plants next year, though mine will be mostly toms, eggs and cukes, with a few of the more well-known peppers. I need to get germination rates of near 100 percent. The plants I got from a nursery - both flowers and toms, seem to be in some very dark type of potting soil with little white balls and small, thin slivers of wood or something similar. If anyone knows what this is, let me know.
Watering - Definitely from the bottom, using rain water whenever possible.
Lighting - There is nothing like sunlight so once the weather gets warm enough for them to go outside, even if they have only two leaves, out they go. I can bring them in if the temps are going to get dangerously low but I know - and remember - that seeds normally are sown outside and they survive. It would be easy to build a box that would hold my plants and cover it with cheesecloth, just in case a frost is forecast. They would only come inside in case of freezing temps. An advantage is that there would not be a hardening off period. If they are not getting enough water, I have a 1.5 gallon sprayer I can fill with rain water from a barrel. Applied with the cheesecloth covering them, I won't have to worry about too much water hitting the roots.
Of course, I won't be able to set any plants outside early April, at best. If I'm going to be able to sell plants, I need to have them be at least 10 inches tall, preferably a foot or more, with several shoots and leaves. I figure I will sow them about the second-third week of February. Given germination rates, they should all be up by the first of March. During the first month of their life, they will be under intense LED lights, hopefully mostly blue ones. The plants won't grow tall very quickly, but will have a lot of foliage. People love a bushy looking plant, especially if it is a foot tall. My experiments this year show the mostly blue lights do this. If I can get a 4" tall plant with eight sets of leaves by early April, I should have some very strong plants to sell. I will have some shop lights I can hang in the basement - they do not put out enough light, even if placed just above a plant. The 23 watt CFL lights are great - they really outshine the fluoros (bad pun) but cannot hold a foot candle to the LEDs (worse pun). Not to mention, over the course of ten years - the expected life of the LEDs, I'll save $500 in costs, even after paying for the lights.
Insect control - Thankfully, toms, eggs and cukes are not as susceptible to aphids and such as peppers seem to be. But, there is co-planting, growing plants that ward off aphids, such as garlic, chives and other alliums as well as coriander. I figure I can plant some of these seeds and not only sell the plants but keep aphids at bay!
Sorry about the long post - food for thought maybe?
First is the containers. I tried everything from egg cartons to plastic pots such as plants come in at a nursery, to nine-inch plastic cups, a Styrofoam tray tobacco seeds come in and those kits one can pick up. I had every result imaginable. Next year, it will be the 2"x1"x2" plastic containers that come in six packs.
Growing medium - I still have to find the right type - if it is too course, the seeds don't seem to survive. Too loose and there isn't enough substance. Like AJ, I plan on selling plants next year, though mine will be mostly toms, eggs and cukes, with a few of the more well-known peppers. I need to get germination rates of near 100 percent. The plants I got from a nursery - both flowers and toms, seem to be in some very dark type of potting soil with little white balls and small, thin slivers of wood or something similar. If anyone knows what this is, let me know.
Watering - Definitely from the bottom, using rain water whenever possible.
Lighting - There is nothing like sunlight so once the weather gets warm enough for them to go outside, even if they have only two leaves, out they go. I can bring them in if the temps are going to get dangerously low but I know - and remember - that seeds normally are sown outside and they survive. It would be easy to build a box that would hold my plants and cover it with cheesecloth, just in case a frost is forecast. They would only come inside in case of freezing temps. An advantage is that there would not be a hardening off period. If they are not getting enough water, I have a 1.5 gallon sprayer I can fill with rain water from a barrel. Applied with the cheesecloth covering them, I won't have to worry about too much water hitting the roots.
Of course, I won't be able to set any plants outside early April, at best. If I'm going to be able to sell plants, I need to have them be at least 10 inches tall, preferably a foot or more, with several shoots and leaves. I figure I will sow them about the second-third week of February. Given germination rates, they should all be up by the first of March. During the first month of their life, they will be under intense LED lights, hopefully mostly blue ones. The plants won't grow tall very quickly, but will have a lot of foliage. People love a bushy looking plant, especially if it is a foot tall. My experiments this year show the mostly blue lights do this. If I can get a 4" tall plant with eight sets of leaves by early April, I should have some very strong plants to sell. I will have some shop lights I can hang in the basement - they do not put out enough light, even if placed just above a plant. The 23 watt CFL lights are great - they really outshine the fluoros (bad pun) but cannot hold a foot candle to the LEDs (worse pun). Not to mention, over the course of ten years - the expected life of the LEDs, I'll save $500 in costs, even after paying for the lights.
Insect control - Thankfully, toms, eggs and cukes are not as susceptible to aphids and such as peppers seem to be. But, there is co-planting, growing plants that ward off aphids, such as garlic, chives and other alliums as well as coriander. I figure I can plant some of these seeds and not only sell the plants but keep aphids at bay!
Sorry about the long post - food for thought maybe?
