>> Makes perfect sense to raid the kitchen for tools
Yup. For pricking out seedlings, I have some shrimp forks (cocktail forks?) with three prongs. I bend the middle prong down and then back striaght so that it forms a triangle with the other two prongs. That lets me surround a seedling's roots and lift it out without dropping it.
But too often I don;t pot up until the cell is very rootbound and the seedling is suffering.
>> usually I am slow to get them planted outside!
Me, too! That's why I long for some kind of cold frame, so I could move trays out of my bedroom to somewhere they can get natural light. I only have one shelf in my bedroom, and the lights are kind of jury-rigged.
>> Larger seeds like peas, beans and corn are ideal for starting in the pots.
What do you use to hold the paper pots until planting out? Some kind of plastic tray? The only cheap thing I've found for that purpose are the free cardboard trays from Home Depot, lined with plastic from heavy trash bags.
