Interesting blog Clayton. It's always neat to see how other people have their set up.

I get mocked by my better half because I like to save everything from food trays to milk containers, margarine tubs, etc. But some of those containers make great seed starting pots. Once seedlings get bigger, some get transplanted into larger drinking cups. It all works.

Looks like your stuff is coming along nicely. I have stuff started but not much has sprouted.

Glenn

I am looking at germination times today and planning the next round which is tomatoes, peppers, and physalis(ground cherry).
Does anyone grow the ground cherry successfully?
I am trying not to get in a rush this year as I had so much stuff ready and then we had cold weather too long in the spring.

I too have run amuck with my better half as I used some of the containers she was planning to start coleus in! Ha!
Clayton

I literally bought a house for the light for my starts. 4 large sunny south facing windows on a clear lot. I put up shelves across the windows, mounted on fasttracs, you can clip in shelf supports, adjust it, et cetera. White fastracks, white wire shelves plus a solid bottom shelf to catch drips...I have about 500 starts right now for an acre and a quarter, in front of two windows. Cold frames outside can keep the starts vigorous when they get bigger. We still have lots of snow onteh ground, and its still below freezing here, so... And yes, my beloved husband often kvetches about my recycling habits. I recycle larger containers too: a nice colored remnant can of rustoleum and the drum for a washing machine or dryer makes a planter that will last 10 years or more and be shiny and lovely.

The ground cherry (or juneberren in German) is a plant whose fruit, if left over the winter in the garden, will self seed. I had it do so in my garden for years and years. Until, that is I turned the garden it grew in, into a flowerbed and mulched it.

I got some fruit from a neighbor last fall and will plant some this year into the other garden.

Love the ground cherries, though. I grew up with them in my mom's garden and we loved eating them fresh from the garden. I do remember mom making jam with them. I think she mixed some peaches with it too.

My great-grandparents brought juneberren along with them when they left Russia, many many years ago.

Brenda

I have been using shoe racks and macrame hangers I've made just for hanging seed trays from for years. I also have my friends and neighbours recycle everything from milk cartons to cookie trays. I save any kind of "mini greenhouses" like strawberry clam shells and birthday cake covers. Tim Horton coffee cups, styrofoam meat trays, chinese food foil containers, yogurt cups, bleach bottles, fabric softener bottles, you name it. My step mother used to even save the paper cups from her meds while she was in the nursing home! They are still being used for starting seeds. If I can put soil in it, I save it!

Ginny