You have a lot more patience than me. I filled one 72 a few days ago. When they germ today or tomorrow I'll have some cells with three seedlings. I used the 1020 trays.

Could some of your seeds be too deep?

Robin:

I don't think they are too deep as the other 7 trays of broccoli and tomatoes came up much better. I went ahead and stuck the tray back in the warm germination chamber last night after the lights went off. To my surprise this morning I had a bunch of little sprouts peaking through the soil. I will have to see how they are tonight when I get home. I wonder if the soil was too cool or too wet? I don't know, but there is always something.

Jay

I don't use the plug trays to germinate in. I just use flats, or this year I've used aluminum foil 8x8 pans. After the plants get their first true leaves (or I have time and patience), I transfer them into the plug trays. Our local greenhouse has done it this way since the 1940s. It's too hard to get good germination in the trays themselves and you have to 'spoon' alot. "spooning" means filling the empty holes with good plants.

Right now, I've got several trays of infant plants (just seeded and/or germinated), several plug trays of baby plants (less than 8-12" tall) and closed to 300 tomatoes uppotted into 4" pots. About 25 that need to go into larger pots in the next couple of weeks. Sure hope those temps start to climb like the weather forecasters are forecasting.

Now I need to get out into the greenhouse and clean it out of all of the boxes that I stored in there over the summer/fall/winter.

Hi,

I do what family farm does. One of our local greenhouses (much larger outfit than myself!) do this as well.

Andrea

My youngest son worked at our greenhouse for a season transplanting and learning. This greenhouse is very willing to help me understand why they do things like they do.

Marla

My guess is your cells and pots are too large for starting seeds. It makes it very difficult to get the watering right. I would highly recommend the way Andrea and Marla start seeds. That's how we do it. I should say my wife. She sows all the seeds. We do lots of annuals, herbs, perennials, peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables, shrubs, trees etc. All sown in a community pot or flat and transplanted later. Been doing this for 45 years.

She just got done sowing 16,700 pepper seeds. They will germinate right here in our house, then go out to a greenhouse when the first leaves start. Then I will take over and transplant them into 1204 cells.

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This is one group of peppers under lights in an upstairs hallway. We have another setup in our backroom/laundry room.

I always start my seeds in trays like everyone above and always have very good luck with germinattion. Spend a bit of time transplanting, but then all cells have plants in them. I agree also I think watering is easier.

I've always used 128's, but if your not around during the day they'll dry out because of their size, so it would be better to stick to the 72's. Keeping the heat up and using a fan blowing 24/7 is important even when using a small germination chamber. The circulation keeps the heat even, so there's no cold spots.

I stuck them back into the germination chamber over two nights and I got a lot better germination, almost 100%. I am thinking that I pulled them out too fast. It is funny to see the one or two seeds that germinated very quickly and how much larger they are than the rest that just came up.

Jay

Jay,

Two weeks later. How are things? Can you post pictures of some of your projects / progress? I'd also like to see you germination chamber.

Thank you
Eric

Myfamilyfarm,
Do you transplant from the flats to cell trays, because you are going to sell the plants? Just wondering why you couldn't transplant directly to 4" pots?
Thanks
Jeff

I found that tomatoes like to be handled. I transplant from the trays into 48-72 cell plug trays and then into 4" pots. If the plants don't sell before they become 2x tall as the pot, I transplant again into either gal/2 gal/3 gal pots. Of course, I charge more for those sizes. I do not allow any of my plants get very root-bound.

If the plants don't sell by Father's Day, I plant them into the garden. Father's Day has always been my last planting time. I do try to sell some plants for the Father's Day holiday. People buy flowers for Mom, but will buy Dad a tomato or pepper plant.

Thanks, that makes sense.
Jeff

Jeff,

That's the way we do it here. They go from open flats to 4" pots. If they don't sell, then they get potted up to gallon size. If they still don't sell then they go into the hoophouse for produce.

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72 Organic Thompson Broccoli
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Season has just started.

Eric

Eric,

Thanks for asking. The one tray of tomatoes finally came around and germinated. I planted extra so I have enough for my high tunnel. I am going to start planting tomatoes to sell sometime this week.

My peppers on the other hand have been disappointing. I pulled them out of the germination chamber too early or I planted too deep. I have peppers that are getting their first set of true leaves and peppers that are coming up. Peppers can be so hard sometimes!

After my experience with empty plug trays, I am planting in small flats and sucking it up and going to transplant the seedlings into them. I don't have the time, but I will make it work. Also, it saves space!

As far as my germination chamber. Don't get real excited. It is a four foot square work table that has a shelf on the bottom. We have a radiant heat oil filled heater under there set at a specific setting. The table is covered in heavy blankets, along with the sides. I can set my tubs in it and it works well. I have several thermometers to check temp, but after three years, I know what it will do. The radiant heater turns on and off. I can keep it between anywhere between 70-90 depending on the crop. The cauliflower I just planted came up in 1.5 days.

I will try to take picture.

Jay

Jay,

I think I get it. So the heat has to travel up through the table top, blanket, tub and flat before it heats the soil. Is this correct? Could you cut holes through the table top for the tubs to drop into. Are your flats inside these tubs or are the tubs your flats?

I'm designing a seed starting bench as I type. It's all your fault.

Eric

Thanks for the pictures Eric. I think I'm going to have to start doing it this way. Right now I use 50 cell trays and start about 7-10 seeds in each cell and when they get their first true leaves I transplant them individually to 4" pots.
Jeff

Eric,

Actually no. There is a table top, then a shelf 3.5 feet below that. The heater is on the bottom shelf and I can set tubs around the heater on the bottom shelf too. Then I just throw the blankets over and around.

I am in for lunch. I will try a picture tonight.

Jay

I usually wait til my plants get alittle bigger than yours in your pictures.

Jay, is your germination table inside your house, or in the greenhouse?

Marla

to get my tomato (and many others)seeds to sprout I put them in an old unused refrigerator that I have a light bulb in that's hooked up to a thermostat. As soon as they start growing tails they are out in the greenhouse.

I would need several frigs to do that. I have a 5 shelf set-up that is 4' wide and 6' high, and it's still too small. Just cover it with plastic with lights inside, it gets it warm enough for most everything I grow, except peppers and I have a heat mat to help them along.

I guess you grow more than I do. Anyway, the tomato seeds I started Sunday were sprouted this morning.
I have things ready to plant out but it's been too wet here.

Too wet here too. Haven't had rain since this weekend, but it was a goose-drowner. If rain would hold off til mid to late next week, the ground would be ok, but they are calling for rain/snow/ice possibly for this weekend. My last frost day is mid April. I'm putting things outside into a plastic covered canopy, but not totally unprotected yet. they are still calling for a couple of freezing nights over the next 2 weeks.

What I do for bottom heat is this: I built a stand that has 3 shelves, each 48" X 33", so each shelf holds 6 trays. The top shelf is just plywood with lights on chains. The middle shelf is my baby! I made a box that is 4 inches high, plywood bottom, galvanised steel on the top. In between is a 12 foot (or 16, I can't rememebr) heating cable, held with clamps right in the center, and then the whole thing is filled with sand. Then the plywood is insulated on the bottom. Makes for very even heat across the whol top, no "hot spots", works pretty good. Oh, and when I first set it up, probably about 15 years ago, I mashed the thermostat for the heating cable just a little (making the contacts a little closer) so that it runs a little hotter than it would have if I didn't. The botton shelf, in theory is the same as the top, but I rarely use it, I did that for future expansion and / or 5 gallon buckets of perlite, vermiculite, etc.

Hey, Johnny, can you post a picture? It sounds great. Always thinking of next year.

I use no holes flats and germination domes, but I use empty orange juice (paper) cartons. You cut them in half lengthwise with a band saw to make 2 shallow trays from each carton. You get old ladies from church to save you cartons all year, and they love to help. You seed into those trays, then put the lids on. I have a couple of wire green mesh shelves that I got from farmtek and I set those over the heat vents in the kitchen. We get germination on tomatoes usually in 2 days they're ready to go in the greenhouse. 5 of the 1/2 orange juice cartons will fit in each flat. the link below shows the kind of shelf I use. three flats fit on each shelf, or if you're starting a lot, you can double stack on the shelves, they're strong enough.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Sandy, I love the orange juice idea. I cut 2 liter bottles into strips about 1.5 inches high and push them into a tray full of promix. Then I can plant different varieties of tomatoes in each ring and dig them out after first set of true leaves appear.

My family farm, - My seed starting setup is a mess right now! Bad timing I know but I'm in the process of moving it to a location that will supplement the flourescent lights with filtered sunlight. Tell me how to post a picture and I'd be happy to post a drawing of how I made it. That will actually show you more anyhow. Thanks for the comments..John

I don't know if this is going to work or not, but, I put 3 drawings in the gallery under "Sheds and Greenhouses". Hopefully this link will work, if not, they are in the gallery..John

Here is a link that might be useful: Front View (there is also a Side View and Heater)

Great drawings, I printed them off. Now to find room and materials to build them.