Break on Through

I have sprouties! It amazes me everytime that seeds that have been laying dormant in little packages magically come to life with a little dirt and water. Well, not always. There has been plenty of disappointment when starting seeds indoors.

This time I am definitely trying to do it right. I got the right seed starting soil and new, clean containers. So far I have planted everything on schedule and I am trying to keep them warm. Since I am a gardener on a budget I have no heating pads or lights for the seeds. To make up for this I have been keeping the seed trays on top of the refrigerator (it is supposed to be warmer up there), but it doesn't seem to be helping much. Every other day I take them down and cosy them up to an electric radiator heater. I tell myself this helps, but who knows, at least it gets the soil temperature up for a little while. I also do this to prevent mold from forming. The tricky part is keeping my very curious kitten from using it as a litter box.

Last year I was so worried about keeping them warm I left them in my brightest window with the lid still on after the seeds had sprouted. This was a terrible idea. First I got a bright green mold all over and then totally baked my little sprouts. With a little research I learned that you are supposed to poke holes in the tray lids to prevent mold, (you should never have water beading up and running down the inside of the lid), and once the seeds have sprouted you take off the lid and give them some direct light. I may have made a mistake planting my peppers in with onions and catnip, because the two latter sprout much quicker. My lids are off to accomadate the early sprouts, but now I am worried my peppers won't do as well.

Another seed starting method I want to try this year is winter sowing. You can find a lot of great information for this at www.wintersown.org. For this method you take milk jugs or soda bottles and cut them open about halfway leaving a hinge. You cut slits in the bottom for drainage and fill the bottom with dirt and plant some seeds. Then you take the cap off and leave them outside no matter what the temperature and let them sprout when they are ready. The sprouts are somewhat protected in their mini greenhouses and as they get bigger and it gets warmer you cut more and more holes in the top to slowly harden them off. I think I am going to try some of my herb flowers and peas this way.