My little Germination Station.
It's started. The seed starting madness. Here I have geraniums that have already germinated which need to be started about 12 weeks before the last Spring frost. Geraniums are germinated in complete darkness before being moved under the light. Peppers and Petunias have just been started here in the tray under the dome. Peppers should be started inside in March or at least 8-10 weeks before the last Spring frost. Last year I started my Petunias a little later and was wishing I had started them earlier so I tried a few earlier this year to compare the results. I need to get my other light set up when the real madness begins.
Celery, Leeks and Artichokes- 8-10 weeks before last frost.
Tomatoes, Ground Cherries and Sunberries- 6-8 weeks before last frost.
Onions and Shallots- 6-8weeks before transplanting.
Hollyhocks- 6-8 weeks before last frost.
Asparagus seeds-8 weeks before last frost.
Marigolds- April
Broccoli can be started indoors about 6 weeks before moving out.
Most broccoli will tolerate cooler temperatures and can be started outside in late spring.
Cucumbers and Squashes like Pumpkin, Butternut, Zucchini and Acorn can be started inside 3-4 weeks before the last frost, however they also do really well when direct seeded after all risk of frost and soil has warmed sufficiently as the seeds won't germinate in cool soil.
For best results Melons should be started inside 4 weeks before transplanting.
These are general guidelines.
Soon enough my attention will be on all the things that can be planted as soon as the soil can be worked with the protection of a cold frame.
I have some questions in regards to the peppers. Many questions. Should I only sow one seed in each compartment of the seedling tray? And do I need a dome or will saran wrap do in a bind?
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you have your station set up in a shop or the basement. Last year I was told to put the tray on top of the fridge to germinate - so warm and dark. Have you seen better results in a cool, lit environment? My peppers took weeks to sprout last year, so maybe that's why. And finally, do you leave the tray under the light 24/7? I am a novice veg gardener who had mixed results last year (and peppers that were too small to harvest), so I need this spelled out for me!
Hey Krista. For the peppers I'd try 2-3 seeds per compartment. They are planted only 1/4 inch deep in your cells and I use a sieve to sift the soil that lightly covers the seed. The dome keeps the environment moist for germination but you remove it as soon as the seeds germinate to prevent damping off. Saran wrap would work in a pinch. Mine is set up in the basement on a heating pad simply because my petunias need bottom heat as well as light to germinate, the peppers do not. It's a fairly nice and warm environment from the wood stove and you can't really see that they're on a heating pad. On top of your fridge sounds like a great place to start them, peppers like temperatures within 21-30 degrees celcius, I love that idea for saving energy since you're running your fridge anyway! Peppers can take 1-4 weeks to germinate, So they can be pokey. Mine only took about 3 days before I noticed some action, however all of my seeds have been incredibly fast to start this year. After they have germinated you leave them under the light on a schedule that mimics the light cycle outside.
ReplyDeletePeppers are tricky, they require a long, warm growing season. I found the last few years that we got a cool snap while the fruits were maturing that they didn't exactly dig. I started mine 2 weeks earlier this year to see if it makes a difference. Some people even keep pepper plants from year to year, digging them up in the fall to live indoors during the winter months and planting them back out in the summer.
Hope that helps!
Phall
Haven given it a second thought here, I wouldn't start my peppers on top of my fridge. I put my hand on the top several times over an hour. It was almost cold to the touch during the whole hour. I had opened and closed it many times but it still hadn't needed to run. I think it is a great idea but may not provide the consistent temperatures you will need for consistent germination. Every fridge is different though of course and mine may be running a bit cool, your fridge may be perfectly suitable.
ReplyDelete