Fall Harvest, Start Your Seeds Now....Homemade Seed Starter and Tips for Starting Seeds Outdoors.
Why stop growing seeds indoors in the summer months. Okay I can understand that you are busy enough in the outdoor garden to even think about seed starting but, hey the seeds you start now, can be left outdoors and then when it comes time for frost, you can transplant them to a container and grow them all fall and winter under a grow light indoor and extend the harvest for the winter. I am blessed enough to have a green house, so I start seeds to plant in the fall, the cold hardy plants and get a second sometimes third round of vegetables, especially the root veg's like carrots, and beets. Here is my recipe that I use to make my own seed starter. It is cheaper for me to make this stuff than to buy the commercial seed starter bags. This way it allows me the flexibility to play with the mix that works for various vegetables, as some need more acidity than others.
Here is one variation of my recipe:
8 cups of Peat Moss
1 cup Vermiculite
1 cup Perlite
1/4 tsp of Garden Lime
The first thing I do is put all the stuff in a bucket. Then mix it all up until well blended. Then you are good to go. This recipe usually is good for a full flat of a commercial standard seed starting flat.
Here are just a few other tips that I do when I am starting my seeds.
I usually pre sprout my seeds on paper towel and a little bit of moisture and toss it in a ziploc for a few days before. This really accelerates the process and so far I have not had any issues with your typical garden veg plants, doing this prior to seed starting.
Another tip that I do that helps is, instead of using typical seed heat matts, I just run a string of Christmas or Tube string lights around some 2X2 nailed to a piece of plywood and then just place my flat of seeds that I have started on top of the 2X2. The lights don't touch the flat but still offer just enough heat to warm the trays. This is a cheap way to heat your seeds.
Image Sources:
http://www.doryfitz.com/seed-starting-hacks/
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/tools-supplies/seed-starting-systems-johnnys-research-farm.html
http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/11658/diy-heat-mat-speeds-seed-starting
thanks for the tips! i am starting 3000 eggplant seeds tomorrow and your tips could not have been any more perfect. thanks! looking forward to more gardening tips from your posts. Cheers!
Most of my tips have come from my grandparents, who grew everything. More posts to come. I believe Steemit should be filled with valuable good original content
Hey, I'm from Canada aswell! Where do you recommend buying "safe seeds" like non gmo and other negatives? Thanks, cool post!
I usually attend local seed swaps. This way you know that the seeds did well in your region. Check with your local horticultural society, they can better guide you to swap and buy plants from your community. Then you can always take seeds from your own garden, this is what I do, with the plants that did amazing. I will do a post on taking seeds from your home garden veg soon.
Ok thanks for the help!
Cool))) Upvoted and resteemed))
Thanks ever so much
Fall is a great time to grow cole crops and root crops. Thanks for the seed starter tip.
Resteemed as others may find this information as valuable as I. The Ziploc sprouting is the easiest way to get them started.
It is indeed. I used this method and waited out 8 days for seeds to grow roots on it for a lemon tree, only 3 more years and I might actually have a lemon tree. LOL
In three years you will have to tell us if the juice was worth the squeeze. 😎
LOL that was well worth the vote.
Okay, I have to check on that DIY heat mat and learn more.
This is exactly what we are doing, we are growing seeds all time around the year. Check out my garden and what we are doing in Serbia:
https://steemit.com/life/@drumsta/my-vary-own-garden-behind-a-lake-house-for-self-sustainability-vegan-lifestyle-and-food-freedom
I certainly will love seeing gardens from around the world. Thanks
Will try that recipe! Good blog!
Thank you
Thanks for the Christmas light idea. We keep our house pretty cool in the winter so I've always had trouble keeping seeds warm enough. I'm going to try this!