My problem is that I have no Sun lit window. Right now, I have my already started
seeds in my only available picture window, facing North. They are basically in
a holding pattern, until the outside temps warm up a bit. They were originally
raised
in my crawl space, where I don't mind the mess involved with this kind of project.

I do have a small cold frame which I use to acclimate the plants slowly to the
outside conditions. I really need to start my seeds no later than April to get a
jump on the season, and it is still too cold to try and germinate seeds outside
with a cold frame. I may try germinating my tomato plants without heating pads,
as they are more inclined to start the soonest. Flowers and certain veggies are
another matter, and I'm skeptical that they would start without some form of
heat. I could be more diligent about turning down the heating pads once the seeds
start showing growth above the soil line. These are all measures I never thought
about when energy was cheaper. I'm not giving up on growing from seeds, but I'm
going to be more careful about how I use energy to do so.

Sherwin D.

Janet Baraclough wrote:

The message
from sherwindu contains these words:

I kind of figured it would affect my electric bill, but a recent
increase from
ComEd
in the Chicago area has made it more evident that raising plants from
seeds can
be
very costly. For about one month, I had two double flourecent shop
lights and
about
six small heating pads going to germinate my seeds. My electric bill almost
doubled.
Guess there is no way around it, but makes one think twice about
growing veggies

and flowers from seed.

Why? Chicago (42N) is not nearly as far north as me (55N), so I must
have lower daylight-levels than you, and yet I never use artificial
light or heat to start tender seedlings. I do mine outdoors in what we
call a cold-frame, which is about 3 ft by 2ft by 18" high.The walls are
wood, the roof is an old window. No heat. Otherwise, I would just start
them inside the house on windowsills.

Hardier annual veg and flowers, like peas and nastutriums, can just be
sown outside in spring in the place where they are to grow, with no
protection at all.

Janet (Scotland).