Earlier this month I started growing some seeds indoors. I kept a journal and photos of my ongoing results.
This article while demonstrate some of the tools and strategies I am using to get my seedlings started in winter. Learn from my mistakes, and grow!
Check out my progress.
New seeds arrived in the mail.
- #wildflowers
- #tomato (Money Maker, Delicious Beefsteak)
- #pumpkin, #melon (Planters Jumbo)
- #pepper (Anaheim)
- lettuce (Bibb)
- #garlic-chives, #carrot (Tendersweet, Cosmic Purple)
- #chive (Tokyo Bunching Green Onion)
- #cabbage (Copenhagen)
- #bean (bush Landreth)
- #anise
Also have a list of seeds I tried last year that I want to try again. Many of these are saved seeds and leftover seed packets:
- #turnip
- #tomato (Roma, Rapunzel)
- #tobacco (flowering variety)
- #radicchio
- #peppers (Ancho Poblano, Banana)
- #cumin (Black)
- #cilantro #coriander
- #brussels-sprouts
This is my new seed starting dome. $1 at the dollar store.
The clear plastic dome didn't fit very well, leaving a large air gap where it connects to the black plastic. It had curved corners and the bottom tray had sharp square corners. A pair of scissors easily fixed this by trimming the edges the lower tray to fit the shape.
Normally a seed starting dome has 20 or more cups. Way too big. Not great for the home gardener hobbyist who makes lots of mistakes and experiments a lot like I do. Usually I want to get started by testing out some of my seeds, and learn which ones will survive well indoors, and handle transplants, and which ones won't.
That's why I love having this tiny dome. 12 cups is plenty for my needs. The best thing about a smaller dome is that you can move it closer to the light bulb immediately after the seeds sprout, and they will receive the light more evenly. In the bigger domes, you need a large industrial sized grow light positioned perfectly to supply light evenly to all parts of the tray, and sometimes it is still uneven. I also appreciate that the smaller dome I am less likely to spill the contents when I move it. Anyone who has ever tried lifting 20 or more delicate seedlings balanced precariously inside a weak plastic tray knows what I'm talking about.
This simple chart shows the date a seed was sown, and the date it sprouted.
Any other important dates are also listed, such as problems with mold, disease, or when they became so large they had to be transplanted out.
I call this my Seed Map, because it helps me to identify what I planted, and where they are located in the tray. No need for flimsy labels that might interfere with the growth of the tender seedlings.
This was another dollar store find. It's a little office container made of metal with a clear plastic window. What I do is pour hot water inside, and let the seeds soak for about 12 hours before planting them in seed mix.
I place this on the heat vent, and it keeps the water warm, but not hot. The lid holds in all the humidity.
This is what a super healthy root system on a seedling should look like!
To transplant, I dig around the edges using a chopstick, and feel around to slide the root out of the tray. Lift the seedling by a strong set of leaves. Never grip the fragile stem.
Yes, that's my pumpkin. It emerged within a few days, and quickly outgrew the height of the dome, and muscling its way out.
Pumpkin is my gardening gray whale. My purple buffalo. Been trying to grow a proper pumpkin for three years now, and every year I learn more from my mistakes.
This year the newest trick up my sleeve is in the soil mix. I mixed 50/50 coconut coir with horticultural pumice. This mix is very sterile, and it seems to be providing a perfect mix of moisture and aeration.
The mad scientist in me has been trying to concoct a better plan to improve the soil, using what I have learned in bonsai to improve plant root spread. Pumice stone provides sharp edges to split root ends, attracts humidity, and increases airflow. This promotes bushy roots that really grip the soil well, and also prevents the formation of singular taproots that go thick and deep. Singular roots (taproots) are problematic and can cause sudden plant death when any part of the root becomes rotted, dried out, over-heated, or damaged from the cold.
Pumice is also very lightweight, but heavy enough that seedlings will have to exert a little bit of muscle in order to emerge through the surface layer to find the sunlight. The rocks stay loose and are easy to dislodge, unlike peat, which sometimes forms a goopy cement filmy crust. The rocks also allow trace amounts of light to pass through the surface to help the seed root and stem find the best way through. Often times the roots will form a curvaceous spring shape around the stones, rather than a long shoelace string that quickly circles the base of the pot. The spring shaped roots will have more surface area through the volume of the soil than the long stringy ones.
These factors ensure that a seedling is developing good nutrition and exercise from day one to help it become immune to disease and insect problems.
The only problem with a pumice soil is that its loose. Lifting a seedling from the rocks would probably tear all the roots off and cause the rocks to spill out. I needed something to hold them to stick together, and to provide a bit more lasting moisture retention the rocks can't provide. That's why I added the coconut coir. It has long strands of super absorbent material that will weave and rope around the rocks, and keep everything moist and held tightly together.
Transplanting is still a little bit messy, but most of it came out in one piece, thanks to the roots of the pumpkin gripping around the gravel pieces.
On the right, a cabbage has rocketed up to its full height. This one was the first to sprout.
On the left, tomatoes are opening their seed leaves.
Many seeds have not yet sprouted. I'll be returning them underneath the plastic dome.
Humidity, light, and warmth are three things I am attempting to maintain while the seeds are germinating and sprouting.
Until more seeds sprout, I choose to let my mini greenhouse sit on the heat vent on my floor. The temperature gauge shows that the temperature fluctuates and stays just under 80 degrees F if place directly on top, and slightly lower if I move it off to the side slightly.
Here is the transplanted pumpkin, beside the mini greenhouse under my grow lights.
I don't use any fancy equipment.
Ordinary super bright light bulbs. One is LED. The other is CFL. Neither gets hot, and they offer different shades of the light spectrum. The lights turn off and on by themselves because they are plugged into a outlet timer. That's about as advanced as I get, because I like to do things manually whenever possible, but I can't sit in the room and watch them grow all day long.
Almost forgot!
These are #daisies. I threw the whole bag of seeds in here. They are growing overly dense, but as you can see, all the seedlings are supporting each other, and holding in the humidity. My plan was to have these grow as a small meadow cluster, to transplant into the yard in the Spring.
This is #turnip.
I had a terrible time growing these last year. This is a seed that is recommended for direct sowing, but they do not do well in my climate, weather, soil, and with the nearby rodents outdoors. Even after weekly sowing seeds, the seedlings always fail to produce anything more than one tiny set of true leaves.
Hopefully I can get these three to develop well indoors so they will become mature enough to handle being transplanted into the savage lands outside.
Using the same seed mix I described above, and my own make-shift humidity chambers, my seedlings are going to be spoiled this year.
Wish me luck!
I'm looking forward to a summer of healthy veggies to eat, enjoy, and share. Something about seeing these seeds springing up taller every day, as the first thing I see when I wake up, it really helps me start the day with more hope and inspiration on days when I am feeling lacking.
Is that stupid to invest my thoughts and emotions into such a trivial thing as a wimpy seedling to give me hope on days when I also feel weak and failing? Perhaps plants do have a healing nature, even without eating them! Let me know your thoughts.
#homesteading #naturalmedicine #flowers
