What do you use to start seeds?

[twigcrafter]

Jerry H,
that's awesome! I grow too many seeds myself, but under lights in my house. I can't wait to get a working greenhouse.

 

[Searsmom]

I prepped for my tomato seeds. Had some leftover add-water-peat button things (forget the name). Dumped them into spare three" annual pots (removed the mesh, so just peat remained), added worm casings to fill up 1/3 of the pot, when the sprouts were about an inch above that, filled in up to the leaves with potting soil, did it again until the pots were full. Got some sturdy little seedlings from it.

 

[NightingaleJen]

I've used the winter sowing method for years and love it! A little late for you this year, perhaps—though I've used the basic method this time of year for additional flowers or whatever and it works just fine; you just have to stay on top of the watering.

http://wintersown.org

This year I *did* lose two containers to nesting mice (!), but it's the first time this has happened. We do live out in the woods, and I line the mini-greenhouses up beside the raised beds; it was only a matter of time.

 

[Tuhmu]

So I had "some" success with starting seeds indoors. I think our trays were too wet because the seeds took a very very long time to start growing, once we let the trays dry out some, they started popping up.

We then transferred them into cups with garden dirt and we lost a couple more, not sure what went wrong there....

Lessons learned for next year I guess!

Hopefully going to get them put out into the garden this week, still need to fence in the new garden (hopefully tonight) and to get a flight top net on top of the chicken fence, so that our turkeys stay in.

 

[NightingaleJen]

Good luck! If you need a cloche to protect seedlings from hail/cold weather/whatever, old mason jars are perfect.

 

[Kasilofchrisn]

I buy new 10/20 flats from my local hardware store and different cell count trays to fill them.
Mostly 36 cell trays but also some 72 cells.
They are cheap and reusable.
$1.44 for the 10/20 flats and $.77 for the different cell trays.
If needed as they grow I up-Pott them into larger 3 and 1/2" pots. 18 of those fit a standard 10/20 tray perfectly and again are cheap 8 for $1 locally here.
I buy my seed starting mix from a local greenhouse as they sell an excellent product that works well.
Under grow lights they did well for me this year inside a spare bedroom on a 6' folding table.

 

[Spanishearl]

I use Red Solo Cups. I can use them year after year. Two cups for each. One has a hole in it for drainage into the other, with gravel in it.

I can also start several seeds in one cup, and transplant out easier.

 

[Spanishearl]

Good luck! If you need a cloche to protect seedlings from hail/cold weather/whatever, old mason jars are perfect.

Plastic milk jugs with the top cut off work great too!