Oh, marigolds are really easy from seed! But I'd wait a bit, because it seems to me that they grew really quickly. I grew them for the first time in a long time last year, so somebody correct me if I'm wrong about that. Now, if I can just remember what it was I planted them with that looked so nice.......
We can't put anything outside here until about the second week of June, so I *try* not to get too carried away too soon.

Our furbabies are MUCH bigger than that little rascal! Heh, heh, about 400 lbs of dog running around here but what a cutie!

Diamond is so adorable Kassia!!!.. she will be 2 in June.. btw .. one of the puppies from the litter we helped my Lily raise .. I have 4 yorkies..

Kassia those seedlings are crying for some light.. that's why they are so stretched out

Hi all new seed starter here. Starting vegetables and I have two questions, what nutrients & at what strength do you feed your seedlings? Can seedlings grow in a consistent 55 degree temperature or do they need to stay on a heating pad? I am doing this in a basement.

I use the WSing method for marigolds, too, so they can take longer to sprout- a few weeks. They just seem to need a fair amount of warmth. I think inside the house on heat mats they'd sprout pretty fast. For my wintersown ones, it depends on the weather. Last year was so cool and cloudy that they took forever to pop.

I grow a jug of them most years, I probably will this year, too. And my seeds are several years old, too.



Karen

usually best to look up online what temps that seed likes.. everyone is different... when they are small I stick to either compost tea ... or I just bought some spray and grow to give that a shot .. I like to stick to natural ones so they don't get burned

Hi, Kramnuke, welcome to ATP and the seed forum.

A lot of seeds need more than 55° temp to sprout. Are you using heat mats or something for warmth? Once they sprout most things will continue to grow at a cooler temp but it's germination that requires warmth. And moist soil tends to be lower than room temp. If you google the seed you're trying to sprout, you should be able to easily find the critical temp needed for germination.

I'm a flower person than a veggie grower so I'll let someone else address your specific feeding questions. I'm not very good about feeding anything except myself.

Karen

Kramnuko said:Hi all new seed starter here.

Kramnuko!

Kramnuko said:
Starting vegetables and I have two questions, what nutrients & at what strength do you feed your seedlings?

Low to medium-low nitrogen for me. The goal at this point is developing a good root system and short, sturdy stems.
I don't feed much at all until I either prick them out and up-pot them, or plant them out. I don't want them to grow too fast until they are actually in the garden. A very dilute compost tea when they need moisture is usually enough.

Kramnuko said:
Can seedlings grow in a consistent 55 degree temperature or do they need to stay on a heating pad?

I agree with Karen. This was so confusing to me when I first started container-sowing seeds. Germination temps higher than growing temps(?) - but yes, most veggies will grow at lower temps once germination has occurred. You might not actually see it, top-growth may stay pretty much the same until they get the extra warmth they need to explode into growth, but they will sit and wait for it.

Kramnuko said:
I am doing this in a basement.

Proper light levels are a must!
If you don't have sufficient light for all the seedlings you start they'll grow thin and weak and may never produce.

I usually wait until just a week or so before my last frost date (at the earliest) to start tender veggie seeds. They'll usually grow fast enough once the outdoor temps rise into their preferred range. A lot of these will suffer transplant shock if planted into cold soil, so you usually don't gain much by starting seeds too soon.

I always hold back a portion of seeds of each type, just in case I guess wrong about the proper starting time. By the time you find out that something has gone wrong, if it does, it's usually too late to order and start more seeds.

Welcome, Kramnuko --

I agree that the seedlings will probably be fine at the lower temp once they've germinated; but since you're doing this in the basement, I assume you're using some kind of setup with fluorescent lights? Be sure to keep the lights just a few inches away from the plants, leave them on for 14-16 hours a day, and if you can make some sort of enclosure the lights will raise the temp into a more favorable range. Once my seedlings have 2 sets of true leaves (or thereabouts) I start giving them a VERY dilute solution of Miracle Gro when I water them (sorry I can't give you an exact measurement, I just pretty much wing it to make a very light-blue solution) Hope you have a great gardening season!

I'd also like to add my welcome, Kramnuko!
You don't mention what zone you're in, but where I am, I can't put anything outdoors till about mid June. I have a small greenhouse, but I don't start any vegetables until around late April. Except for tomatoes, which I start about mid March. Because I like them. And they smell good. And they're much more forgiving if you start them too soon. Have to agree with the others here; do a google search on the individual veggies to find out optimum germination temps, although most seem to like around 70 degrees. I also use dilute Miracle Gro once I've pricked out and re-potted mine. What vegetables are you planning on?

Hi, Kramnuke, glad to meet another startup seed-starter. I've been doing it for 3-4 years. I've been doing it successfully for around 2 years (more flowers than veggies).

I agree with Weedwhacker: "Once my seedlings have 2 sets of true leaves (or thereabouts) I start giving them a VERY dilute solution of Miracle Gro".

I make one gallon at the 'recomended strength' (one of their small measuring spoons per gallon), then I dilute that 4:1 and use it every other watering. Tiny plants don't need much nitrogen. They do need lots of light!

If you do invest in a heating pad, you can double the maount of warmth it provides by adding insulation UNDER the heating mat. Then all of its heat has to rise into the soil.

I use "wallboard" or "drywall" or "sheet rock" - all names for gypsum. Home Depot sells 2 foot x 2 foot sqaures for less than $5. Or wood should work well. Drafts will carry heat away very quickly - some "walls" slightly higher than the trays might keep a lot more heat where you want it.

If the basement is 55F, and moist soil drops that another 5 degrees, many seeds would benfit from 20 degrees more soil warmth. The Territorial catalog (and Johnnies) list optiumum soil soil temps for many vegetable's optimum germination.

One way to keep heat (and light) from florescents on the soil is to surround the lights with sheets of some white or reflective material that keeps warm air from just blowing away in every draft. Then make some tent OVER the lights that keeps warm air from rising and dissipating.

But there does have to be some air circulation to keep humidity down, which makes this a very limited approach if you need more than a few degrees extra warmth.

Maybe add a very small space heater or wallboard heater, set low. Enclose the heater and the plant trays somewhat, to avoid heating the whole basement.

And I agree with Woofie. Don't start most vegetables until you know that you'll be able to move them outside within 2-4 weeks. Once they start puting out true leaves, they really, REALLY want full-strength sun.

Brocolli and tomato, maybe 6 weeks, or 4-6? I would look up each vegetable that you're considering, in the Territorial Seed catalog or online, and see how many weeks they are willing to spend indoors under lights. Also look up whether they can be transplanted outside before average last frost date, or only after weather is settled and warm, and soil has warmed.

My signature block has a link to a Web site for last frost date by Zip code.

Dee, its a she!!!! her name is Diamond and she is Allison's granddaughter!!! her Lilly is the proud mother and the dad is a tiny thing of a Yorkie... so yeah, Allison is family!!!! She is a real gift... I was so depressed in 2010 after loosing my Shit-zu Lilly (she was 14 years old and had diabetes... ) it was so bad that I did not think I was going to survive... I said good bye to her for months, since she was blind and I had to carry her everywhere but she was my baby...

Diamond came in on the very right time... I saw her picture and feel in love with her... I went to get her in Allison's house and she would not really come with me, but we got in my car, she threw up on me and we bonded after that... and it was the most interesting night I had in a long time... she woke up every hour and looked at me and went back to sleep... and few days later she had everyone wrapped up on her little paw... needless to say she gets away with anything... and she smiles... honest to God! It's the weird-ts thing ever.... she will get all excited and show her teeth... and just wiggle herself in such an exuberant way... we keep trying to get that on pic or recording but no success yet....

ok Allison, I will give them some light... I actually have to move them up... my turtle have the only lamp I have but I will figure out a way...

Rick is right about putting something UNDER the heat mats, too. I use styrofoam, since it comes free with so many things I order online! And get a thermometer, so you can monitor temps. Those indoor/outdoor ones are great because they have a probe that you can tuck around the soil level.

I have all my trays next to the baseboard heater in my den right now... I have been reading a lot about veggies because I plant to really get on it this year, so I have been using the Territorial Seed online as well as Jonhny's Seeds site and they also have tons of good information on starting seeds... I am totally impressed and overwhelmed....

I got the tomato seeds and I am so itching to plant them... I know I have to contain my enthusiasm for a few more weeks... I got a big gardening book Reader's Digest New Illustrated Guide to Gardening and they say that broccoli should start indoors 4 weeks before sowing outdoors (2 weeks before last frost date) keep seeds covered until germinating.... ok, I am too curious to see if things are sprouting, it's that ok if I peek during the time it has to be covered???? why books never tell you the little things???

Oh, yes! Peeking also allows fresh air to get in there - a very good thing. I open all of my covers at least once a day.

I asked Johnnies if the propagation info in their paper catalog can be gotten in electronic format with all the categories together in one place, and they were very polite, saying just "not yet".

They hav e several nice video clips, demonstarting gadgets like a metal hoop bender, a broadfork, how to clean dozens of gallons of tomato seed all at once, and a nifty seedling planter that lets you cut through a plastic ground cover, dig a hole, and drop a seedling down a chute into the hole, all wothout bending over.

Kassia, if you don't have lights, what are you using for a light source? A window? Those babies need light badly. But they don't need the dome after germination. If they're in a hot sunny window, the dome could cause them to fry so you might want to get that off there.

I think it would be really hard to grow seeds inside unless you have really nice bright windows maybe. I don't have any good window light so I wouldn't know.

Karen

Even using fluorescent lights indoors, I had problems with things getting a bit leggy. I even use fluorescents on a timer in my GH, too, just because the days aren't long enough yet.

Well, I have the dome on more so it will keep them moist... they have openings and the temp on my den (where they are) it gets to be 67 the most... I like it cold... here is the new set up...

they are so cute! I gave them some sticks so they can wrap themselves... I am waiting for true leaves so I can plant them in bigger pots and hope for the best... when I think that they have to wait at least another 2 months to go outside... oh I hope they will make it...

would be better with the dome off Kassia... if you can keep them moist.. more light will get to them and they need fresh air as well