I will be starting my seeds inside our house and then take them out to the greenhouse AFTER the temps don't drop below 40 in the greenhouse. I have a min/max therometer that I'll be using, both inside a frost blanket and out of the blanket.

My temps are too cold for starting many seeds in the greenhouse, even with heatmats.

Yes, I have lights that I use. I have a rack that I made that will hold 7-8 10x20 trays per shelf and I use 3 shelves. I don't use the top (it's almost against the ceiling, not enough room) or the bottom (floor's too cold). I use both of those shelves for supplies.

Marla

I start my seedlings outside in my hoophouse using heatmats with plastic and frost blankets on top,I use poultry wire to keep the blankets raised a few inches. The blankets insulate the heat overnight and then transfer the seedlings to supplemental lights which is also protected with frost blankets until the morning.I only use the lights four hours .Though I live in central California we have had 20 days of temps 26,32 and I have tomatoes and peppers starts now.I like the starts being in the hoophouse to get as much available sunlight as possible.My hoophouse is also protected with shade cloth on north half and all my seedlings are begun underneath for added protection.Good luck with your plants!

i start my seeds in a small heated greenhouse. i use a mat in there too and use the heater when i run out of room on the mat. i also have an old refrigerator that i put a light bulb and thermostat in to start seeds but since there's very little light i have to take the tray out as soon as i see some action from the seeds.

CalMario, those temps are our highs now, and winter temps haven't got here yet.

Randy, I have some frigs that I use during the hottest part of the season. could I just not plug them in and put a light bulb in for heat to start some? What seeds you do use this technique with?

Marla

Marla-I've started tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, melons, cukes this way. you could probably plug them in and replace the existing inside bulb with a bigger wattage one. the problem is that you need the bulb to be on when the frig is closed but also to go off when it gets to the optimum temperature. But it does retain moisture so you don't have to water.
i'm looking at heating cables and thinking about making a germination table i can put in the greenhouse or a high tunnel.

I start most things inside and move to the greenhouse. But really it depends on your weather. I start a number of annual flowers and herbs in the greenhouse.

Minnie, what are the best seller annual flowers? I'm just getting into flower growing.

They all sell the same for me. Well I think so anyway. They take a long time to cut and bunch and sometimes I come home with some. I cut them, arrange into colors, bunch into cute arrangements and I must say I have a knack for that, and bundle with binders. They sell better if I put each one in a mason jar instead of bunching and putting them all in a nice bucket.
I use mostly cosmos, zinnias, mexican and regular sunflowers and sunchoke flowers. I suuplement with perennials such as echinacea, baby's breath, silver tansy, delphinium, daisies, etc.

Thanks, I'm just getting started and don't have many perennials, expect Irises.

I'll look for some of the suggestions.

Yesterday, I picked up some packets of zinnias, bacholar button, marigolds, hollyhocks, baby's breath, and a few others. Also picked up some starting soil, so I'm ready to plant. Now if Mother Nature would get ready.

Marla

Marla,

Asters did really well for us along with the zinnias and the harlequin marigolds because they look cool - a lot of people asked us if they were actually real. You might want to try gomphrena as well, it can also be dried. I do not sell cosmos because they don't have a very long vase life in our plain water here and I don't do additives.

Sweet peas are an easy sell since you can't really get them at the florists. Plus, they are easy to grow. We are going to try cordoning ours this year so they are top quality and we can cahrge a lot.

This year we are doing salpiglossis straight into the soil. Anything that is pretty but not everyone else has will sell. I do not grow sunflower's expressly because everyone else has them.

For perennials(bi) we have foxgloves and columbines to sell in pot and as cuts (unusual varieties), and just put some peonies in the fall, plus canterbury bells for spring. I think biennials are a good one to get into since people don't bother with them as much. We have some experimental wallflowers and stocks in the ground that may or may not survive our winter.

I think in your zone you could probably do crocosmia lucifer which is a really long lasting cut and a corm so no replanting.

We did arrangements this past year but it took so long that I am going to do bunches this year with a few higher priced arrangements. I also did little nosegays which were quick to do so I will probably do them again.

I have a friend that does mug arrangements, she charged $5 per mug. She gets her mugs from yard sales and thrift stores for almost nothing, then uses some flowers that have shorter stems. I don't know if she uses additives, but her arrangements last about 2 weeks. She has a few made up ahead of market, but most of them are made while she is at market. People like to watch her work. When she first started, she had her back to the customers, I suggested that she turned around and let the customers see that she's creating the arrangements at market. Since then, her sales have doubled or more.

Mag, I'll be looking into your suggestions also. Thank you.

Marla

Regarding cut flowers, don't neglect the ornamental alliums. They are easy to grow and propagate, earn good money, and add a unusual element to arrangements. The heirloom sweetpeas are also spectacular, the scent alone will bring buyers to a farmers market table.

I went to our local thrift store and got a dozen mugs, (.25) each. I'm going to give the mug arrangements a try for those short stems (it seems most of the short stem flowers are the best looking). I'll put some of that florist foam in the bottom of the mug, the kind that holds water(what ya call it ?) After I finish a bouquet I ligthly spray/mist it with a one to one mixture of acrylic floor wax (like "Future") and water. This seals in the flowers own moisture/last longer, up to two weeks, depending on what kind of flowers. This usally doesn't change the scent of the flowers if you spray/mist LIGHTLY !!
Deb

Also, ask friends and family if they have mugs that they don't want any longer. I gave my friend several awhile back.

Marla

Mug arrangements is a good idea.

She has sold them for years and it's worked for her. Alot of her customers pick one up each Saturday, and return the mug when they pick up the new one. I don't think she gives a discount for the mug, but not sure. Really, think about it, For $5, plus tax, you can have flowers at your desk all week with no worries. Several desks have her mugs on them all season long. She used to do arrangements for a local Osco until CVS bought them out and decided that they didn't need her. Left her high and dry with 5-7 big commercial coolers that cost her about $2000 each. Now she works out of her shed taking special orders and doing demos(like some of us).

Most of her mugs have about 5-7 small flowers and greenery. Sometimes she uses Hosta leaves for her greenery, right off of her hostas.

Marla

I started some flower seeds on 01/09, basically ignored them inside of the house. Looked today, and out of the 29 pots, all but 5 have germinated and now I have to think about transplanting soon. The only ones that didn't germinate yet were pernnials except balsam.

Marla

Right on, Marla. I just planted some ranunculus in pots this past weekend. Major experiment since they don't like it warm - but I have the light set up in the laundry room against the garage wall so it is usually colder than the rest of the house.

Later this week I will start some armeria and doronicum. I am going to test half started inside and half outside.

Plus, will start some leeks this week as well.

I need to try some leeks and onions, never have had luck with either. I'm also going to try some winter-sowing, we'll see how that works out.

Marla

Marla, if you do onions and leeks inside start them in an 8" nursery pot as they need the room to grown roots downward, something soil blocks and cells do not provide. I do about 100 seeds per pot (any more and you get major damping off).

if you do them outside than they do need some protection like row cover, leaf mulch, etc..

Thanks Lucy, for the tips. I'll keep them in mind.

Things like this is why this forum is so important.

Marla