Gardening a little cheaper....

[curly_kate]

A couple of years ago, I bought some cell packs and a couple of those plastic trays w/covers that ams mentioned. They aren't too expensive, and I just reuse them and the cell packs year after year. Eventually, I'll transfer the veggies to peat pots (but I think I'm going to try the newspaper or paper towel roll thing this year) because I start them so early they get verrrry big before I can plant them.

I've never thought of putting a fan on them to strengthen them up, but that's a good idea. I'll need to do that this year.

 

[sylvie]

I use yogurt containers for all my seed starting. They last for years.
I punch holes around the bottom for drainage. Seedlings pop out nicely when I want to plant in the garden.
Another plus is that I can harden them off in those, they don't dry out as fast as other pots, require less water in the sun than paper product pots.
I do place them in trays for easy transport.
All my friends are dieting and eating yogurt this time of year and they save them for me. I have hundreds which stack within each other for easy space saving storage.

 

[ams3651]

I use yogurt containers for all my seed starting. They last for years.
I punch holes around the bottom for drainage. Seedlings pop out nicely when I want to plant in the garden.
Another plus is that I can harden them off in those, they don't dry out as fast as other pots, require less water in the sun than paper product pots.
I do place them in trays for easy transport.
All my friends are dieting and eating yogurt this time of year and they save them for me. I have hundreds which stack within each other for easy space saving storage.

good idea, my kids eat so much yogurt Im seriously considering making it myself.

 

[Want2BFarmer]

I started my own seeds this year in my "In door Green House" and it costed nothing to build. I took a few old storm windows and built a box on top of a old door. I then placed it into front of the window, added a small heater, and planted my seeds in the biodegradable cups, and used potting soil. The greenhouse is holding at 75 degrees and everything is coming up. The best part about the cups is just put them in the ground in the spring and the cup degrades. The biggest mistake I made last year was starting my seeds inside too late.

 

[freemotion]

, Isaiah!

Love your idea, picture, please? Do you get enough light from your window? What part of the world are you in? I want to start my own seeds, but it seems like a big task because I don't thing I have enough light coming into any of my windows, so I would have to buy, buy, buy lights, bulbs, shelving, etc, and cat-proof it besides!


I am looking for ideas and inspiration!

 

[Beekissed]

Free, if you have a handy bookshelf in a warm room in your house, you could do it quite cheaply. Flourescent shop lights can be used in place of the more expensive grow lights, just mount them up under your shelves. Add a reflector to the outside of the shelf, put the lights on a timer, and grow from your own seeds. If you don't have a bookshelf, you could make one easily from 2x2s. My boy threw one together in about an hour, lights installed and all.

My 4 ft. shoplights cost $8 each and the bulbs cost $1.99 each. I saved trays and cells from last year's purchases and I will improvise if I don't have enough.

 

[freemotion]

Oh, I thought the lights would cost much more! No, we don't have a warm room in our house....we keep the thermostat around 58 and use the woodstove to keep the livingroom and kitchen tolerable. The cats and the dog know to go warm themselves in front of the stove, and I do, too!!! I am usually wearing a tank top, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, and fluffy vest and fleece pants in the house! Sometimes to bed when it is really cold out! We need new windows and doors.....

I do have all my trays and cells from last year's purchased seedlings, and I did start a few of the faster growing seeds myself, ones that I could put out in the sun on the back steps and bring into the garage at night, like morning glories, sunflowers, nasturtiums, squash and pumpkins. I just buy everything else for about $1.30 per six pack for most items. For much of what I have planted in the past, and the small amounts, it would cost me more for a pack of seeds than the six plants, when I really wanted four of whatever. Like, I only can stand two zuchinni plants, so I buy them for .50 each.

But I am expanding the gardens this year, so it will be worth learning how to start more plants.....emphasis on the LEARNING, so I can be more ss! I will still buy a few things, like my tomatoes. And those two zuchinni's...

I did buy an organic yam yesterday and will try to grow slips from it!

 

[love blrw]

I tried something new this year, don't know if it is working yet or not. Here is what I tried.
I made a new garden bed and rototilled composted manure on a warm day a week ago. I put an old window pane over an area with walls of hay holding the window up. I planted lettuce inside.
Both the manure and the window pane are supposed to warm the soil enough to get an earlier crop.
It is a modified Cold Frame. You can look at videos of people setting up cold frames on Youtube.
Lin

 

[patandchickens]

Oh, I thought the lights would cost much more! No, we don't have a warm room in our house....we keep the thermostat around 58 and use the woodstove to keep the livingroom and kitchen tolerable.

As Beekissed says, shoplights are REALLY cheap especially if you can find a sale, and they do a great job. Those multiple hundreds of dollars multi-tiered assemblies they sell in seed catalogs are a MASSIVE ripoff, considering you could make the same thing yourself for about $30

58 is by no means too cool to start seeds, especially if you put them somewhere warmer til they germinate. If you need to *make* something to warm them (e.g. b/c you want your seedlings to grow faster, or there are a few things like peppers that really do prefer it closer to 70s soil temps) you can buy a heat mat for $35 or so, or rig something up yourself with a small lightbulb under a cookie sheet.

Have fun,

Pat

 

[Beekissed]

You can even place a heating pad under the trays until you get your seedlings going...that way you can dial the appropriate heat setting.