Veggie Seed Starting Questions - Page 2

Bellatrix · 01-09-2009, 09:02 PM

Good idea! Here are the pictures of my seed setup:

I can't wait to see how your set up turns out. Please do post pictures!
Kathy

dcarch · 01-09-2009, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bellatrix

Good idea! Here are the pictures of my seed setup:

-----------------------Kathy

Very nice set up, because your seedlings look happy

dcarch

Sam_I_Am · 01-10-2009, 06:27 AM

Bellatrix,
Thanks for the pictures......they are great....

I just picked up from Craigslist 8 4' 2-bulb T12 fixtures with bulbs for $70. Someone needed light for a photo shoot and once the shoot was done, they didn't need them anymore. The bulbs have less than 3 hours burn on them. Half the fixtures were still in their boxes

Now I just need to find a cheap but sturdy 4' shelf.

Picture will be about a month away once I start assembling everything

dcarch · 01-10-2009, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam_I_Am

------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam_I_Am

Now I just need to find a cheap but sturdy 4' shelf.
Picture will be about a month away once I start assembling everything

Make sure you do a good job. Don't embarrass all us zone 6 growers

dcarch

Bellatrix · 01-10-2009, 03:41 PM

Zone 6 rules! Bahaha

And, just to show that the seedlings continue to do well under the lights, here are last year's cole crops being hardened off:

Sam_I_Am · 02-17-2009, 06:01 PM

Hi all,
Here is my set-up...jsut started adding some seedling trays so I will update once all lights are hanging and on

Chris~

dcarch · 02-17-2009, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam_I_Am

Hi all,
Here is my set-up...jsut started adding some seedling trays so I will update once all lights are hanging and on

Chris~

Nice setup.

A word of advice: Don't forget to get seeds

.

dcarch

salix · 02-18-2009, 12:23 AM

I agree, nice setup. Looks just like mine!!! P. S. A timer for all the lights is a "good thing"...

gardengirl · 02-18-2009, 03:24 PM

Here is my set up. I put closet shelving up in the laundry room. I started with two shelves and it keeps getting bigger! I think that I may have strted way to many seedlings! Right now I have between 800-900!

dcarch · 02-18-2009, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gardengirl

Here is my set up. I put closet shelving up in the laundry room. I started with two shelves and it keeps getting bigger! I think that I may have strted way to many seedlings! Right now I have between 800-900!

impressive!

dcarch

Jim · 02-18-2009, 08:32 PM

To get a wider set up fluorescent blubs I have found that two or three 2 bulb shop light units can be connected side by side to make a 4 or 6 bulb wide fixture. I use metal bars to hold the 2 bulb units together by snap riviting the bars horizontally across the top of the 2 bulb units. Just set the units side by side, lay a bar across each end, drill holes of the right size through the bar and into the top of each unit in at least two places in each unit in each bar and insert the snap rivits and use the snap rivit tool to secure the rivits. I hang these units with chains to adjust the height and also use various sized blocks under plants to keep the plants very close to the lights.

papaver somniferum · 02-19-2009, 11:40 AM

Get on craigslist and search "halide" in the "for sale" section. I recently got a few 400 watt lowbay metal halide lights with bulbs (and extra bulbs) for 10 bucks apiece. That's a steal that doesn't happen often, but 400-watters can be had every day on there for less than 40 bucks, 20-30 being about the norm.

Dick Shannon · 03-26-2009, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sphinx_Eyes

I got pepper seeds recently from a friend on another garden forum and I can pass on the advice that he gave to me. . .

According to him, pepper seeds can be started as early as January since they can take a long time to germinate. He recommended soaking the seeds in water overnight and then placing them (twice the amount you intend to grow, in case some do not make it) between two moistened pieces of paper towel and placing them in ziploc bags, then keeping them someplace where the temp. will be between 70-80 degrees. He suggested on top of the refrigerator. He said they can take up to a month to germinate, so if you get nothing by 5 weeks then the heat may have been too high.

Your friend must be using old or dried out seeds. My peppers come up in 7 or 8 days using a heat mat underneath a tray full of Jiffy plugs or peat pots. You should get high germination rates, like 80%, not less than 50%. If you start them as seeds on paper towels, would you then plant them as sprouts? Oooch, sounds like a lot of work. Start with good seeds, only cover them 1/4 inch, and keep them warm and moist. Works great in NH.

Blueaussi · 03-27-2009, 07:50 AM

Sam_I_AM, that's exactly what I did for a seed starting rack.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dick Shannon

Your friend must be using old or dried out seeds. My peppers come up in 7 or 8 days using a heat mat underneath a tray full of Jiffy plugs or peat pots. You should get high germination rates, like 80%, not less than 50%. If you start them as seeds on paper towels, would you then plant them as sprouts? Oooch, sounds like a lot of work. Start with good seeds, only cover them 1/4 inch, and keep them warm and moist. Works great in NH.

I hang out online with a lot of chile pepper growers, and they all have their favorite voodoo ritual to get their peppers to germinate and grow faster. And they look at someone else's way of growing and start with the "Oh no's!" . Oh no, peat is bad, oh no, watering from the top is bad, oh no, watering from the bottom is bad! Honestly, give 'em heat and light and they'll grow like the little demons they are.

Sphinx_Eyes · 03-29-2009, 01:01 AM

Here's my experience so far with the peppers that I'm growing. The technique of soaking the seeds and then keeping them warm between moist paper towel has worked well for me. I started with about 20 seeds and only 2 or 3 didn't germinate after 3 weeks. As soon as I saw that the seedlings burst through the seed pod, I planted them in jiffy pots under 4' long shop lights. After a few days I noticed that the pots were getting moldy, so I moved them into plain plastic trays. Now they are growing strong and all are about an inch tall.

I'm keeping the lights on all the time since they've sprouted (same with my other peppers, tomatoes and melons). I know some people have timers for their lights and say it should be 16 hours on/16 off, but is there any detriment to leaving them on all the time?

01-10-2009, 06:27 AM	#18
Sam_I_Am NJ DO C Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: NJ - Zone 6 Posts: 256	Bellatrix, Thanks for the pictures......they are great.... I just picked up from Craigslist 8 4' 2-bulb T12 fixtures with bulbs for $70. Someone needed light for a photo shoot and once the shoot was done, they didn't need them anymore. The bulbs have less than 3 hours burn on them. Half the fixtures were still in their boxes Now I just need to find a cheap but sturdy 4' shelf. Picture will be about a month away once I start assembling everything __________________ NJ - Zone 6 http://www.heirloomgardening.blogspot.com Last edited by Sam_I_Am; 01-10-2009 at 09:49 AM.

02-17-2009, 06:01 PM	#21
Sam_I_Am NJ DO C Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: NJ - Zone 6 Posts: 256	Hi all, Here is my set-up...jsut started adding some seedling trays so I will update once all lights are hanging and on Chris~ __________________ NJ - Zone 6 http://www.heirloomgardening.blogspot.com

02-18-2009, 03:24 PM	#24
gardengirl Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Cottonwood, CA Posts: 13	Lighting set up Here is my set up. I put closet shelving up in the laundry room. I started with two shelves and it keeps getting bigger! I think that I may have strted way to many seedlings! Right now I have between 800-900! Attached Thumbnails

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

01-09-2009, 09:02 PM	#16
Bellatrix Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: SE Pennsylvania, USDA 6b Posts: 25	Good idea! Here are the pictures of my seed setup: I can't wait to see how your set up turns out. Please do post pictures! Kathy

01-10-2009, 03:41 PM	#20
Bellatrix Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: SE Pennsylvania, USDA 6b Posts: 25	Zone 6 rules! Bahaha And, just to show that the seedlings continue to do well under the lights, here are last year's cole crops being hardened off:

02-18-2009, 12:23 AM	#23
salix Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 52	I agree, nice setup. Looks just like mine!!! P. S. A timer for all the lights is a "good thing"...

02-18-2009, 08:32 PM	#26
Jim Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 40	To get a wider set up fluorescent blubs I have found that two or three 2 bulb shop light units can be connected side by side to make a 4 or 6 bulb wide fixture. I use metal bars to hold the 2 bulb units together by snap riviting the bars horizontally across the top of the 2 bulb units. Just set the units side by side, lay a bar across each end, drill holes of the right size through the bar and into the top of each unit in at least two places in each unit in each bar and insert the snap rivits and use the snap rivit tool to secure the rivits. I hang these units with chains to adjust the height and also use various sized blocks under plants to keep the plants very close to the lights.

02-19-2009, 11:40 AM	#27
papaver somniferum PA PA K Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 62	Get on craigslist and search "halide" in the "for sale" section. I recently got a few 400 watt lowbay metal halide lights with bulbs (and extra bulbs) for 10 bucks apiece. That's a steal that doesn't happen often, but 400-watters can be had every day on there for less than 40 bucks, 20-30 being about the norm.

03-29-2009, 01:01 AM	#30
Sphinx_Eyes Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Audubon, NJ Zone 6b Posts: 43	Here's my experience so far with the peppers that I'm growing. The technique of soaking the seeds and then keeping them warm between moist paper towel has worked well for me. I started with about 20 seeds and only 2 or 3 didn't germinate after 3 weeks. As soon as I saw that the seedlings burst through the seed pod, I planted them in jiffy pots under 4' long shop lights. After a few days I noticed that the pots were getting moldy, so I moved them into plain plastic trays. Now they are growing strong and all are about an inch tall. I'm keeping the lights on all the time since they've sprouted (same with my other peppers, tomatoes and melons). I know some people have timers for their lights and say it should be 16 hours on/16 off, but is there any detriment to leaving them on all the time?