Bah to Burpee

[pegkerr]

In an attempt to try to cut my gardening costs, I've set up fluorescent shop lighting in the basement, and bought flats and potting soil in attempt to start a bunch of stuff from seed. I figured that buying a flat of impatiens costs $18, but I could start it for less--I had only a hazy idea, but I guessed $8 or so. There's a start up cost to buy the equipment, of course, but this year would be the worst, and I could reuse in coming years.

I'm having doubts. It takes a long time to set up flats and plant them. Stuff isn't germinating. Maybe I'm just impatient ("3 to 21 days" as indicated on the seed packet is a wide window, after all), but maybe my basement is too cool. And the warming pads to put under the flats are $30 a pop at the garden store, so that's out--the idea was to save money.

I bought two packets of impatiens seeds, intending to plant two flats (72 plants to a flat). The Burpee package didn't indicate anywhere how many seeds were in the package. I looked carefully, and asked a salesperson, too, who was of course clueless. Got home and discovered there were less than thirty seeds to a package, so those $2.00 seed packets don't look like such a bargain anymore. I don't know about you, but I like to plant two or three seeds to each pot, so you'll be sure to get at least one to germinate. And those impatiens seeds are just about microscopic!

What have you started successfully from seed for your garden? Are certain seed companies better than others as far as giving you value for your money? What's too much trouble to try: the hell with it, you'll buy the plants from the garden store?

[Cross-posted to growing_indoors]

Edited to add: Starting flats on top of the refrigerator is a terrific idea, except that in my house the top of my refrigerator is part of my pantry, storing food that won't fit in my cupboards.

Comments

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Too much trouble to try: petunias (tiny tiny seeds), basil (very very prone to "damping off", a fungus disease that makes the seedlings fall over sideways and wither, most perennial herbs (mint, thyme, &c take too long to reach a useful size.) Onions take a long time, too; it makes much more sense to buy sets than seeds.

Try putting your germinating flats on top of the refrigerator; this is often warm. When the seeds actually germinate, move them downstairs to the grow lamps.

[pameladean]

I've had my best luck with sweet and hot peppers, marigolds (especially the Lemon and Tangerine Gem type), nasturtiums, and Purple Opal basil. I did successfully grow and transplant morning glories, but later happened upon a book that said that they "resented" transplantation, and that seems to be true. They sulked so long that morning glory seeds planted outside much later caught up with them.

I find the hardening-off period the most trying.

P.

[angeyja.livejournal.com]

A company that I do most of ordering from is http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/index.htm and I highly reccomend the $1 print catalogue. It's a garateed evening of fun reading.

I'm proudest of the wisteria, and after that the echinachea, and butterfly bush, and hostas; right now I have flats of lilies, daylilies, and roses (my homebred.)

I tend to be very bad at seed starting and seem to gravitate to big seeds that I can actually see and poke around for to discover what the heck they are doing, or not doing. I've probably lost a few things that way too. ;-)

[lisajulie.livejournal.com]

There's also a learning curve in germinating seedlings. Mine, alas, is in the negative direction - I have such a black thumb that I can kill mint.

I second the suggestion of putting the flats on top of the fridge. I don't know what form of central heating you have, but flats raised some inches above a floor vent (forced air heat) or on thick mats on top of radiators can be helpful.

Once they are germinated, then down to the cellar and the lights.

As for your basement being too cool, you can check with a thermometer and see what the seed packets say.

Truth be told regarding impatiens, a green-thumb friend of mine got hers by getting cuttings from established plantings and wintering them over. This, apparently, was easier than starting from seed.

[nmsunbear.livejournal.com]

I've had incredibly good luck with lettuce from seed. It's really really easy to grow, and there's nothing like a salad that's just minutes old. :)

[porphyrin.livejournal.com]

I've had good luck with peppers and Chinese veggies grown inside.

Onions and tomatos I buy in flats; also, chamomile and basil.

Carrots I just sow outside and thin.

I've never started flowers inside.

Mike says:

Stuff he's raised from seed includes pomegranite and citrus trees, but those become somewhat tricky after the first three months.

Additionally, if there's space by a window for your lightstand, he says that it helps to have the lights on a timer for 12-15 hours per day, with natural light coming in from the side.

[naomikritzer]

My mother is an experienced seed-starter and always germinates on top of her fridge. She noted to me just a week or two ago that impatiens were a crapshoot -- sometimes they germinate right away and are really easy, and other times you might as well have planted toasted poppy seeds. So if your impatiens don't grow, don't assume that other stuff won't.

Molly and my mother started zinnias from seed last year; those grew well, though the ones Molly seeded directly into the garden did fine, too. They also did marigolds. (Ditto.) My mother does tomatoes from seed most years, and has on occasion started peppers that way. She did one other -- I forget the name, but only one of the seeds came up, it was minuscule when it was transplanted, and I was quite surprised to see it thrive. It produced twilight-blue dot-shaped flowers.

My mother mostly does flowers from seed because this lets her grow things that you can't buy in flats from the garden store.

I am absolutely convinced that the whole "green thumb" concept is a real thing, and based on some innate magical talent that some people are born with. People with garden magic almost always laugh in a baffled way when you ask them about their garden, and then say something like, "It's just a really sunny spot." They plant stuff and it all grows, and they figure it works this way for everyone, and are really puzzled when you assure them that it doesn't.

[callunav.livejournal.com]

Never had any luck with seeds, except for dill, and dill doesn't really count - if it falls onto the soil, it grows. Morning glories, same.

(I say 'feh' to Burpee, anyhow. Try Seeds of Change. Organic seeds, lots of cool hardy heirloom species, specific collections of easy-to-grow flower assortments, and a few random samples I picked averaged seed packets for around $2.50, and all stated there were about 100 seeds per packet.)

I'm too lazy and impatient for annuals, anyhow. If a plant can't keep itself going, why am I bothering with it? Wiiiiith a few vital exceptions like, say, tomatos.

Useful, aren't I?

[tinymich.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest alternate forms of warmth - for instance, I got an electric warming pad for muscle aches from the drugstore for like $10 - but everyone who's suggested the refrigerator is probably right on the money.

[aome.livejournal.com]

And the warming pads to put under the flats are $30 a pop at the garden store

I don't know much about this sort of thing, but could you use a heating pad set on low, with possibly additional material (ie, old sheet or blanket or something) between if that's too hot?

I have not had a lot of luck starting things from seed, indoors, but we don't really have good windowsills to use, so they get rather spindly trying to get to the light. The lights you're using hadn't occurred to me. I will say that my broccoli grew anyway, after transplant, despite the long-necked beginning, but I've given up trying. I plant beans, cucumbers, lettuce and carrots (and sometimes basil) from seed, but only once I can plant outdoors in the first place (early May here). Tomatoes, peppers and broccoli (and sometimes basil) are bought as mini-plants, and we just swallow the cost.

My mother-in-law was a wonderful gardener, but, alas, she's gone. My father is good, too, but he's 3000 miles away, so I just muddle as best I can.

[gamps-garret.livejournal.com]

I'm just getting started with my first garden, but I've bought vegetable plants from seed that I'll plant in a few weeks (beans, squash, and bell peppers) in window boxes. Everyone in my office recommended that I check out Target's outdoor living section; I found my seed packets there for $0.99 each (with about 40 seeds in each packet). I also bought marigolds to keep bunnies away; my mom starts them from seed every year with an early germination tray in the middle of March. I have herbs growing inside (curly parsley, roman basil, and chives); I started the first three pots two weeks ago and the shoots have begun uncurling in the last few days. Herbs are supposed to be universally easy though, so you probably know the trick to them already.

Good luck with your flats!

[(Anonymous)]

We bought a flat of impatiens one year and planted them in pots on our front steps. Next year we suddenly had impatiens growing in the beds next to the steps, clearly seeded from the pots. They kept reseeding themselves for years after. Of course, this was DC, so the climate was a little milder than yours...

[coalboy.livejournal.com]

I hope to start tomatoes, but not before mid-April so they will be six weeks old Memorial Day weekend when we decamp to Michigan.