oohhh that might work... thanks... dollar store here I come... LOL

I use an old serving tray to catch messes in my basement as I plant. I don't think it was a cheap one, a gift from a friend many years ago but I never really used it much. Now it gets lots of use!

Karen

works for me

I've used the disposable aluminum roasting pans successfully. I can reshape them to accomodate an extra pot without wasting any space and they come in so many different sized that I can use up ALL the space on the shelves. When they get too beat up I poke holes in the bottoms and use them for the actual planting pot, especially for ground cover type seeds that just get picked up in clumps and set in the beds when they're mature enough. After the Christmas holiday last year I bought up all the serving trays from the dollar store at half price and used them to set under larger pots when they went into my kitchen or sun room.

Yes, those would work well, too.

Karen

yeah, they would. thanks for the idea of the roasting pans. i have been racking my brain wondering where i could get trays for cheap. and trays that were big enough to hold a tray of plants.

Just keep in mind those cheap disposable tin pans work well for small light weight plants or seedlings. But they're not very sturdy if you're thinking about any bigger plants.

Karen

yeah I thought of that too.. will keep an eye on it ... just in case a hole develops

My standard 1020 trays keep getting pinholes in them and leaking all over. I finally found another type I'm trying--they seem sturdier, so we'll see. I'd love it if they'd last more than a season. I guess I could just bite the bullet and buy the PermaNest trays, but it would be a significant investment for as many as I need.

can't beat the permanest... I get my trays at novessel .. never had a leak

Thanks, Allison--I will check their pricing. I'm probably better off just buying them now rather than continually replacing the cheap 1020 trays.

Allison, do you mean you buy permanest trays at Novosel? Or regular flats? I've never seen permanests there...

Karen

is novasel the cheapest place we have ever found for pots and trays?

ALSO, on the shop lights........do those really work good on seed starts? i have a metal shelf unit. heavy duty. i was thinking of installing shop lights in the top of each shelf. the shelves are prob. 24 in. deep. would one shop light cover all that distance or would i need 2 shop lights? and do you keep the lights on 24/7 or just for a certain number of hours?

sorry I meant the standard flats... not sure if it's the cheapest.... but pretty good and can't beat the shipping... fast & always secure...

I think one set of double lights would work for 24"... but you can always add a second later if you feel you need it... but I have both regular shop lights from HD and some made for plants.. I see no difference

that's good to know as i am sure regular shop lights are a lot less expensive.

do you also use heat mats?

I keep my lights on 16 hours/day when starting seeds. I think grow lights give better light than shop lights, but I've used shop lights for my established plants that I overwinter.

If you havea 24" wide shelf, I think you'd want to 2 sets of shop lights. Most grow lights have wide reflectors that let you get away with one fixture (3-4 bulbs, though).

I have a couple of heat mats... for seeds that need a warmer temp... would like a few more but I did buy a heat tape for the GH this year.. hoping to keep all that stuff outside now

I have a question for you guys - I've noticed on my peppers and tomato seed packets this year that it states for e.g. "78 days after transplant" I looked at last year's seeds and it didn't say that - does that mean that it won't yield fruit until 78 days AFTER you have planted it up (in pot or ground)? Or??

Yes, I think DTM means from transplant outside.

DTM really is only a general reference. Weather varies too much, as does soil, nutrients, etc, and these things will all affect the seedlings/plants. I use the DTM only as a general guide: I get fruit earlier from shorter DTM types. The longer DTM types won't ripen for weeks after that. Using a few early, mid, and late season ones gives a better supply of fruit for a longer time.

Karen

Thanks for the reply Karen that helps clarify what I was thinking. Need to get my peppers & tomato seeds sowed asap if I want some delicious crop! Ivana