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Garden Gate:  Starting Starts Help  |
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akcowgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
296 Posts
Valerie
Homer
Alaska
USA
296 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 31 2006 : 11:05:39 PM
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I am trying to start tomatoes from seeds for the first time. i am wondering how any of you start your seeds if you have to have a grow light. i am thinking of putting a full spectrum buld in a clamp lamp. Do you guys think it will work. Thank you
Valerie
Alaska Girl all the way
Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2006 : 04:42:28 AM
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Back when I used to start my own tomatoes from seed, I used a tray on the bottom, seed starter on top, bottom watered to avoid damping off, and had them verrrrry close to two flourescent grow lights. As they grew, I shortened the chains of the grow lights.
Without grow lights, they get very leggy and pale.
If you're not growing a lot of plants, a single full spectrum clamp lamp should work.
Don't forget to harden them off in a cold frame before setting them out, though! Or put them out for a short time, lengthening the time each day until setting them out in the garden bed. |
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ali2583
True Blue Farmgirl
404 Posts
Alison
Winnipeg
Manitoba
Canada
404 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2006 : 07:40:45 AM
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I'm starting tomatoes from seed this year too! Thanks for the advice Mary Ann!
"God's gift to you is life. What you choose to do with that life is your gift to God" |
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akcowgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
296 Posts
Valerie
Homer
Alaska
USA
296 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2006 : 08:36:01 AM
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Thanks for the advice Mary Ann. I had not though of watering from the bottom. What is damping off? I am not staring to many. I only have four in right now and i can't start the pumpkins till the 1st if may so i am hoping the clamp lamt will do it. Any more advice is welcome.
Valerie
Alaska Girl all the way
Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2006 : 3:39:03 PM
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When we water from the top, we can cause molds and fuzzies to take over the top of the soil and kill the little fragile plant. This is a good reason to water from the bottom. Another reason is when we have even the slightest dryness to the starting medium, sometimes water is cast off the top; it doesn't sink down, it just rolls off. You might think your seedlings are watered, but they're not. This Is Bad.  But watering from the bottom is safe and thorough; only what you need wicks up, and the rest is left. You don't want to have lots of excess water in your tray, though; that can give the tender little roots a case of root rot. And when they're that tiny, that can be fatal. Some people like to have a tray with lots of gravel in the bottom because it releases moisture slowly. That's fine, but you have to change the gravel every year or so or you end up with funky stuff growing in there that can make your baby plants sick.
You should be able to get your pumpkins started and not need the lights while the tomatoes are there. What zone are you in? We're Zone 5 here, and we normally set tomatoes out right about late May. When you plant your pumpkins, it'll take several days to germinate. Then the first things that come up are a sprout, and two funky looking flaps that aren't true leaves; they're called cotyledons. You won't be desperate for real light until right after the cotyledons are open, and the first true leaf is making it's way up. That whole process may take a ten days or more. So you might have a wee bit of overlap if you're in Zone 5 too. If you're in a cooler zone, you might want to splurge for a long tube kind, so you can fit in more plants.
I used to love to shop the seed catalogs, choosing carefully the varieties I wanted to try, to plant the seeds in threes in each little pot, wait until I had some seeds showing me my first tiny leaves and then pinching off all but the strongest one. I remember many a howling cold windy February day, and taking care of my garden in it's infancy under lights. It was wonderful to see those tiny green baby plants, and know they'd grow and take me into warm summer and give me their bounty by fall.
I need another hot bed and cold frame, but I won't do that this year. I have so many projects in progress, I don't dare take on one more! |
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2006 : 3:40:23 PM
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Oh, and Valerie? Horses make me smile, too.  |
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Mari-dahlia
True Blue Farmgirl
269 Posts
Marianne
Hoosick Falls
New York
USA
269 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2006 : 7:43:26 PM
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Valerie,
I start 12 differnt tomato varieties. I first put them on my kitchen floor which is heated. They need a warm room, but no light until they sprout as soon as they sprout uncover them and move them to a more temperate lighted situation. I use my cellar which is between 50-60 degrees and Grow lights are too expensive. Martha Stewarts suggetion that I have followed for years is to use a shop light (florescent) with one kitchen bath light and one regular. That will give you both spectroms and all you will have to do is turn the trays when you water. I have done this for the past 3 years and last year I started over 300 tomatoes, 100 peppers and numerous others. Mostly I give the extra plants away, I just do not have the heart to not plant the entire package of seeds. |
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2006 : 05:15:45 AM
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Marianne, if you have a freezer, you can put your seed packets in a jar and put them in the freezer and only lose a couple percent in germination per year. It really holds the seed! We always kept our unused seed in the freezer, and enjoyed germination rates as good as fresh.
I hope this helps! |
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akcowgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
296 Posts
Valerie
Homer
Alaska
USA
296 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2006 : 10:10:17 AM
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Thank you for the tips. I am getting a tray to set my containers into so i can water from the bottom. I am a little leary to sart to many seeds because my dear other half was called away to work and my not be back in time to build my green house. I am in zone 3 so i can't even put stuff in the ground till the first week in june. Also i want to grow cucumbers to eat and to try to make pickles out of. Do they need to be in the green house? and what are the best kinds? thank you
Valerie
Alaska Girl all the way
Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.
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Mari-dahlia
True Blue Farmgirl
269 Posts
Marianne
Hoosick Falls
New York
USA
269 Posts |
Posted - Apr 03 2006 : 05:35:39 AM
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| I do not have a green house and I can't, even in zone 5, plant until the first of June. Some do but Tomatoes and cucumbers will just sit there until it gets warmer and I just wait until that happens. Our last frost date is Memmorial day. The big difference I would guess would be your first frost date, ours is usually sometime in September. So my cukes do not need a green house. Most cucumbers in upstate NY are harvested in August. First tomatoes at the mid-end of July. |
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Alaska farm girl
True Blue Farmgirl
123 Posts
dorothy
skagway
Alaska
USA
123 Posts |
Posted - Apr 03 2006 : 12:29:42 PM
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| Hi Valerie, I grow all my starts from seed. I built a grow light stand from a design a friend sent me. It's set up in the garage.Its kinda big with 6 ,4-foot lights and 3 shelves. I only water from the bottom and have had good luck spraying with a seaweed concentrate,diluted.I ;only havethe lights about 2 inches from the plants.I do love going through the seed catalogs when its snowing and cold out. My husband built me grow boxes on Mothers 'Day last year and I do intensive gardening.I stored my carrots in a plastic bag on the bottom shelf of my fridge till Feb.! You got great advice from some folks. I do need to cover the boxes this year after the growing season to keep my cats out of them! We have such a short growing season I start things in March to set out in June,also think transplanting once into bigger pots and then into cold frames makes for healthier,hardier plants. If anyone needs plans for the growlight stand and\or cold frames let me know. |
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akcowgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
296 Posts
Valerie
Homer
Alaska
USA
296 Posts |
Posted - Apr 03 2006 : 12:33:15 PM
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Thank you all fro the great advise. Dorothy what is the design for your cold frames? the light stand sound to big for the space i have but i would sure like that plans for the cold frame. Were in alaska are you from? thanks again
Valerie
Alaska Girl all the way
Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.
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Garden Gate: Starting Starts Help |
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Starting Starts Help
