Ingard here, I don’t know much about starting seeds but I do know it is time to start them in the house with aids like these. Now for which product to choose? Have any of you tried either? If so do share. Both are sure to make growing a garden Thrifty.
Hydrofarm MT10006 9-by-19-1/2-Inch Seedling Heat Mat for $20.55
Jiffy 5032 Professional Greenhouse 25-Plant Starter Kit ~ $8.30
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Zamzows has seed starting classes and gardening classes for free every year. I went to one this last Sat. I tried to Jiffy pellets last year and had no luck. Apparently they are for seeds that do not transplant well. The packet will tell you if they do or don’t.
He recyles the plastic containers that we get strawberries, donuts,etc. in and starts his seeds in those. Then transplants them into 4oz containers then sometimes the nest size up. He also said don’t baby the seedlings as that is how you get long stragly seedlings. Stress them a little to get strong smaller plants that will transplant into the garden well when it warms up.
I got lots of great info at that class. And it was free. Which fit my budget. Yaho!!
The heating mat for seedlings worked great for me! I have a COLD house during the winter, so that chances of getting pepper seeds to sprout w/o a little help were 0. The year I bought the seedling heating mat, I had 100% germination of all my tomatoes and peppers and it works great 4 years later now!
I haven’t tried either one. Sorry. We just sow seeds for the garden in the summer. The only thing I’ve tried to grow in the house are herbs (cilantro, basil, etc).
Both of these are hybrid seeds. They have been genetically modified. If you really want to get thrifty and garden, then get heirloom seeds, and when you harvest, save some seeds to start the next year. Modified seeds might produce once more, but not after that. The egg cartons are good to start, and you can plant them, as they are bio-degradable.
I learned from a school feildtrip to plant in the cardboard tubes
Cut the tube at clock positions (11:00, 2:00, and 6:00). Fold in on top of each other to create a cup for you dirt and plant your seeds. Worked for me and my 2 yr old last spring. You plant the whole thing in the ground. This is a biodegradable project..
I have never been able to figure any of it out. No matter what I try. I seem to have the opposite of a green thumb.
..I will be staying up with this post to find some tricks!
You can start seeds in egg cartons. They breathe really well and you know when you’ve gotten them too wet. Also, using the top of the fridge is a great heating mat, and free too. Just make sure you take your seedlings off once they sprout. And as for transplanting, there are some great ideas out there using newspaper (which we all have a lot of) to make bio-degradable plant pots.
Haven’t tried a heating mat, but I have tried the pellets, they are great for starting out but hard to water properly. I kept getting to wet which causes mold or to dry which kills them. If you place your starters next to a south to east facing window they should get enough warmth without a pad. This year I’m spending the extra money to buy jiffy’s self watering pellets, to see how well they work. Also if you can germinate your seeds ahead of time, it helps to weed out the dudes and gives you a stronger plant to work with later.
I’ve never used either. I always just start my seeds in the garden in the spring:)
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