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Old 08-02-2012, 04:01 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Posts: 149
Default It's about time ...

For me to get started with the plants I want to set out at the end of
March . Last year and the year before I tried those peat disc things (wet
'em and they expand into a little barrel shape) with absolutely dismal
results . This year I'm going to try something different , using potting
soil or starter mix .
I have a decent plastic tray but I need to divide it into compartments . I
was considering shoebox-type cardboard , or maybe some plexiglass strips .
Or I could just go buy some small plastic cups and put holes in the bottom
for drainage .
How do y'all start your sets ? I'll be doing tomatoes , peppers ,
marigolds , and maybe some zucchini and cantalopes . I usually do the stuff
with bigger seeds directly to the ground ...
--
Snag
And this yeear I'll be
proactively treating for
borers and other pests .
DE


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Old 08-02-2012, 05:44 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Default It's about time ...

On Wed, 8 Feb 2012 09:01:08 -0600, "Snag" wrote:

For me to get started with the plants I want to set out at the end of
March . Last year and the year before I tried those peat disc things (wet
'em and they expand into a little barrel shape) with absolutely dismal
results . This year I'm going to try something different , using potting
soil or starter mix .
I have a decent plastic tray but I need to divide it into compartments . I
was considering shoebox-type cardboard , or maybe some plexiglass strips .
Or I could just go buy some small plastic cups and put holes in the bottom
for drainage .
How do y'all start your sets ? I'll be doing tomatoes , peppers ,
marigolds , and maybe some zucchini and cantalopes . I usually do the stuff
with bigger seeds directly to the ground ...



These are what I usually use for starting seeds. I start seeds in the
72 cell ones and then transplant into the 36 cell ones. Right now I
have 5 of the 72 cell ones almost full. I need to check my supply of
36s.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/garden/p...=2,44713,40757
--
USA
North Carolina Foothills
USDA Zone 7a
To find your extension office
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html
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Old 08-02-2012, 06:07 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Default It's about time ...

The Cook wrote:
On Wed, 8 Feb 2012 09:01:08 -0600, "Snag" wrote:

For me to get started with the plants I want to set out at the end
of March . Last year and the year before I tried those peat disc
things (wet 'em and they expand into a little barrel shape) with
absolutely dismal results . This year I'm going to try something
different , using potting soil or starter mix .
I have a decent plastic tray but I need to divide it into
compartments . I was considering shoebox-type cardboard , or maybe
some plexiglass strips . Or I could just go buy some small plastic
cups and put holes in the bottom for drainage .
How do y'all start your sets ? I'll be doing tomatoes , peppers ,
marigolds , and maybe some zucchini and cantalopes . I usually do
the stuff with bigger seeds directly to the ground ...



These are what I usually use for starting seeds. I start seeds in the
72 cell ones and then transplant into the 36 cell ones. Right now I
have 5 of the 72 cell ones almost full. I need to check my supply of
36s.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/garden/p...=2,44713,40757


Those are really nice trays , but I'm looking for a cheaper alternative .
The clear plastic cups that sell for like a buck a hundred are more where
I'm looking . Cardboard and plex I already have , just need to cut it into
strips and notch it for interlocks .
--
Snag
Learning keeps
you young !


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Old 08-02-2012, 06:31 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Default It's about time ...

On Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:01:08 -0600, Snag wrote:

For me to get started with the plants I want to set out at the end of
March . Last year and the year before I tried those peat disc things
(wet 'em and they expand into a little barrel shape) with absolutely
dismal results . This year I'm going to try something different , using
potting soil or starter mix .
I have a decent plastic tray but I need to divide it into compartments
. I
was considering shoebox-type cardboard , or maybe some plexiglass
strips . Or I could just go buy some small plastic cups and put holes in
the bottom for drainage .
How do y'all start your sets ? I'll be doing tomatoes , peppers ,
marigolds , and maybe some zucchini and cantalopes . I usually do the
stuff with bigger seeds directly to the ground ...


I use plastic pots, I have a million of them left over from plants that
I've bought at garden centers over the years.

Unless you have a greenhouse don't jump the gun, if you start the plants
too early they will just keel over and die on you. I make that mistake
over and over again. Especially when we have a severe winter I want to
start growing something so I start a bunch of plants in early March and
they always die on me long before I can plant them in the ground in late
May or early June. I'm not feeling the urge this year because we haven't
had a winter at all in New England. Aside from the storm in the fall that
wiped out our power for a week we haven't had a single snowflake and the
temperatures have been well above freezing.


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Old 08-02-2012, 06:39 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Posts: 149
Default It's about time ...

General Schvantzkoph wrote:
On Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:01:08 -0600, Snag wrote:

For me to get started with the plants I want to set out at the end of
March . Last year and the year before I tried those peat disc things
(wet 'em and they expand into a little barrel shape) with absolutely
dismal results . This year I'm going to try something different ,
using potting soil or starter mix .
I have a decent plastic tray but I need to divide it into
compartments . I
was considering shoebox-type cardboard , or maybe some plexiglass
strips . Or I could just go buy some small plastic cups and put
holes in the bottom for drainage .
How do y'all start your sets ? I'll be doing tomatoes , peppers ,
marigolds , and maybe some zucchini and cantalopes . I usually do the
stuff with bigger seeds directly to the ground ...


I use plastic pots, I have a million of them left over from plants
that I've bought at garden centers over the years.

Unless you have a greenhouse don't jump the gun, if you start the
plants too early they will just keel over and die on you. I make that
mistake over and over again. Especially when we have a severe winter
I want to start growing something so I start a bunch of plants in
early March and they always die on me long before I can plant them in
the ground in late May or early June. I'm not feeling the urge this
year because we haven't had a winter at all in New England. Aside
from the storm in the fall that wiped out our power for a week we
haven't had a single snowflake and the temperatures have been well
above freezing.


I'm in Memphis Tn. , in zone 7a/7b . Usually by the end of March we're
past the danger of a freeze , though it can happen . I'm figgering on
planting seeds in a couple of weeks , which will give me about 6 weeks until
they're ready to plant .
--
Snag
Learning keeps
you young !




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Old 08-02-2012, 08:46 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Posts: 149
Default It's about time ...

Derald wrote:
"Snag" wrote:

How do y'all start your sets ? I'll be doing tomatoes , peppers ,
marigolds , and maybe some zucchini and cantalopes . I usually do
the stuff with bigger seeds directly to the ground ...

I don't, LOL! Most years, I just buy bell pepper, tomato, and
eggplant sets from a local nursery or from a big box store. This
year, though, I have three "better boy" daughter plants from cuttings
taken in December. I grow jalapeños year-'round by bringing them
indoors on cold nights. I just direct-seed the few curcurbits that I
grow sometime around Valentine's day; maybe earlier, if I'm feeling
lucky.
When I plant marigolds, I just direct-seed them but they're such
nuisances:
If not constantly deadheaded, marigold seedlings come up for years
afterward. I've found them ineffective in repelling nematodes, their
reputed "wholistic" gardening value, and see little point in
attracting pollinators -- honeybees, in particular -- to blossoms
other than those of my food crops.


The marigolds are purely decorative , I set 'em out among the wife's roses
..
--
Snag
Learning keeps
you young !


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Old 08-02-2012, 08:54 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Posts: 408
Default It's about time ...

On Wed, 8 Feb 2012 11:07:45 -0600, "Snag" wrote:

The Cook wrote:
On Wed, 8 Feb 2012 09:01:08 -0600, "Snag" wrote:

For me to get started with the plants I want to set out at the end
of March . Last year and the year before I tried those peat disc
things (wet 'em and they expand into a little barrel shape) with
absolutely dismal results . This year I'm going to try something
different , using potting soil or starter mix .
I have a decent plastic tray but I need to divide it into
compartments . I was considering shoebox-type cardboard , or maybe
some plexiglass strips . Or I could just go buy some small plastic
cups and put holes in the bottom for drainage .
How do y'all start your sets ? I'll be doing tomatoes , peppers ,
marigolds , and maybe some zucchini and cantalopes . I usually do
the stuff with bigger seeds directly to the ground ...



These are what I usually use for starting seeds. I start seeds in the
72 cell ones and then transplant into the 36 cell ones. Right now I
have 5 of the 72 cell ones almost full. I need to check my supply of
36s.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/garden/p...=2,44713,40757


Those are really nice trays , but I'm looking for a cheaper alternative .
The clear plastic cups that sell for like a buck a hundred are more where
I'm looking . Cardboard and plex I already have , just need to cut it into
strips and notch it for interlocks .



I consider these to be a reasonable value. I bought these in Jan 2007
and have used them every year since -- this is beginning my 6th year.
I paid $15.50 for 3 of the 32 cell ones and $14.50 for the 72 cell
ones. I figure that over the past 5 years they have they have cost me
$1 per tray per year. I have 6 of each size. They are still in good
shape and I don't have to fiddle with setting them up.

Right now I am using 312 of small the cells to start plants. Then
they will go into the 32 cell trays as they get larger. And that is
just the beginning of the year. As I move things to the larger trays
I then reuse the smaller ones. It is going to take about 4 or 5 of
the 32 cell trays to transplant my 72 seedling beets. Each seed
produces anywhere from 1 to 4 plants. With care I can separate them
and get 150+ plants from my 72 seeds.

I start most of my plants in the greenhouse so I know how many plants
I have without having to replant except for weather and critters.
Either of those are possible regardless of how the plants are started.
I do direct sow beans and corn but not much else.
--
USA
North Carolina Foothills
USDA Zone 7a
To find your extension office
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html
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Old 08-02-2012, 09:04 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Default It's about time ...

On Wed, 8 Feb 2012 11:39:49 -0600, "Snag" wrote:

General Schvantzkoph wrote:
On Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:01:08 -0600, Snag wrote:

For me to get started with the plants I want to set out at the end of
March . Last year and the year before I tried those peat disc things
(wet 'em and they expand into a little barrel shape) with absolutely
dismal results . This year I'm going to try something different ,
using potting soil or starter mix .
I have a decent plastic tray but I need to divide it into
compartments . I
was considering shoebox-type cardboard , or maybe some plexiglass
strips . Or I could just go buy some small plastic cups and put
holes in the bottom for drainage .
How do y'all start your sets ? I'll be doing tomatoes , peppers ,
marigolds , and maybe some zucchini and cantalopes . I usually do the
stuff with bigger seeds directly to the ground ...


I use plastic pots, I have a million of them left over from plants
that I've bought at garden centers over the years.

Unless you have a greenhouse don't jump the gun, if you start the
plants too early they will just keel over and die on you. I make that
mistake over and over again. Especially when we have a severe winter
I want to start growing something so I start a bunch of plants in
early March and they always die on me long before I can plant them in
the ground in late May or early June. I'm not feeling the urge this
year because we haven't had a winter at all in New England. Aside
from the storm in the fall that wiped out our power for a week we
haven't had a single snowflake and the temperatures have been well
above freezing.


I'm in Memphis Tn. , in zone 7a/7b . Usually by the end of March we're
past the danger of a freeze , though it can happen . I'm figgering on
planting seeds in a couple of weeks , which will give me about 6 weeks until
they're ready to plant .



Except April 4 - 10, 2007 when the night temperatures were in the mid
20s. We are in zone 7a.
--
USA
North Carolina Foothills
USDA Zone 7a
To find your extension office
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html
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Old 08-02-2012, 11:57 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Posts: 3,036
Default It's about time ...

Snag wrote:
For me to get started with the plants I want to set out at the end of
March . Last year and the year before I tried those peat disc things
(wet 'em and they expand into a little barrel shape) with absolutely
dismal results . This year I'm going to try something different ,
using potting soil or starter mix .
I have a decent plastic tray but I need to divide it into
compartments . I was considering shoebox-type cardboard , or maybe
some plexiglass strips . Or I could just go buy some small plastic
cups and put holes in the bottom for drainage .
How do y'all start your sets ? I'll be doing tomatoes , peppers ,
marigolds , and maybe some zucchini and cantalopes . I usually do the
stuff with bigger seeds directly to the ground ...


For small seeds that have seedlings that transplant well I use trays. I
divide the tray into 4, 6 or 8 little plots. If you don't plant similar
types next to each other there is no need for dividers. For bigger seeds
and especially those like cucurbits I use tubes. The type about 15cm (6in)
high with a square section that stand in a rack are best. You can put one
melon (pumpkin, zucc...) seed in each and transplant the whole content
without disturbing the roots at all.

D

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Old 09-02-2012, 06:24 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Posts: 82
Default It's about time ...

"Snag" wrote in message

Last year and the year before I tried those peat disc things (wet 'em and
they expand into a little barrel shape) with absolutely dismal results .


I've always found them to be about as useful as boobs on a budgerigar.
They're a waste of time and effort and money.

This year I'm going to try something different , using potting
soil or starter mix .
I have a decent plastic tray but I need to divide it into compartments .
I was considering shoebox-type cardboard , or maybe some plexiglass
strips . Or I could just go buy some small plastic cups and put holes in
the bottom for drainage .
How do y'all start your sets ? I'll be doing tomatoes , peppers ,
marigolds , and maybe some zucchini and cantalopes . I usually do the
stuff with bigger seeds directly to the ground ...


One technique I've read about, not tired, but always wanted to try, was to
grow seedlings in strips of old house guttering. The idea is to get the
seeds growing strongly with some newspaper serving to block to ends and then
when it's time to plant to just scour a gutter shaped groove intot he soil
and to shove the seedlings out in a strip. Sarah Raven (and English garden
writer does this and it looks very effective).

Mostly I just start things direct in the bed they[re foing to grow in. It
usually works but then I live in a more temperate climate than much of the
US (although counted as cold in this country) need to get a jump on the
summer.




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Old 09-02-2012, 05:14 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Posts: 3
Default It's about time ...

Hi All,

"Farm1" wrote in message
...
"Snag" wrote in message

Last year and the year before I tried those peat disc things (wet 'em
and they expand into a little barrel shape) with absolutely dismal
results .


I've always found them to be about as useful as boobs on a budgerigar.
They're a waste of time and effort and money.

This year I'm going to try something different , using potting
soil or starter mix .
I have a decent plastic tray but I need to divide it into compartments .
I was considering shoebox-type cardboard , or maybe some plexiglass
strips . Or I could just go buy some small plastic cups and put holes in
the bottom for drainage .
How do y'all start your sets ? I'll be doing tomatoes , peppers ,
marigolds , and maybe some zucchini and cantalopes . I usually do the
stuff with bigger seeds directly to the ground ...


One technique I've read about, not tired, but always wanted to try, was to
grow seedlings in strips of old house guttering. The idea is to get the
seeds growing strongly with some newspaper serving to block to ends and
then when it's time to plant to just scour a gutter shaped groove intot he
soil and to shove the seedlings out in a strip. Sarah Raven (and English
garden writer does this and it looks very effective).


It does work, I made ply wood ends in stead of news paper.
I have planted broad beans and peas in gutters.hope this helps you.

Richard M. Watkin.

Mostly I just start things direct in the bed they[re foing to grow in. It
usually works but then I live in a more temperate climate than much of the
US (although counted as cold in this country) need to get a jump on the
summer.



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Old 10-02-2012, 08:57 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Default It's about time ...

"Richard Watkin" wrote in message
"Farm1" wrote in message


One technique I've read about, not tired, but always wanted to try, was
to grow seedlings in strips of old house guttering. The idea is to get
the seeds growing strongly with some newspaper serving to block to ends
and then when it's time to plant to just scour a gutter shaped groove
intot he soil and to shove the seedlings out in a strip. Sarah Raven
(and English garden writer does this and it looks very effective).


It does work, I made ply wood ends in stead of news paper.
I have planted broad beans and peas in gutters.hope this helps you.


Thanks for the feedback Richard. I've got the guttering sitting under a
bush but need to get a hacksaw and cut it into more manageable lengths - it
must be at least 12 ft long ATM and that is way too long. Thank you for the
heads up.


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Old 10-02-2012, 09:16 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Default It's about time ...

On Wed, 8 Feb 2012 11:07:45 -0600, "Snag" wrote:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/garden/p...=2,44713,40757


Those are really nice trays , but I'm looking for a cheaper alternative .
The clear plastic cups that sell for like a buck a hundred are more where
I'm looking .


The nifty trays that The Cook posted a link to are heavy duty,
expected to last several seasons. Unless you're overpaying, the
standard 10.5 x 21" 72-cell starter trays are in the sub-dollar range
(IIRC, about $0.79 or thereabouts at the local farm supply, and I'm in
the San Francsico region where everything costs more as a rule). They
handily have a matching size water tray and dome (additional
purchases, but reuseable - moreso than the germination trays
themselves). I splurge on the more rigid water trays, not the light
duty ones - they'll last much longer, and that means you get your
moneys worth out of them.

I make a written "cheat sheet" to identify what I planted where in the
trays - put a tray ID stake in the "home cell" (upper left corner),
and ID the columns as A-L, and rows as 1-6. i might plant the same
variety of something in A-C, then just 2 cells of something else
(D1-2), etc. I've also madea more graphical chart (cells for each of
the cells in the tray), but that was too much repetition of writing,
though was handy for noting different germination dates.

Cardboard and plex I already have , just need to cut it into
strips and notch it for interlocks .


Yea, I did that as dividers for a set of wooden seeding trays I made
(with weed barrier fabric and hardware cloth underneath). A neighbour
constructed a 3-car detached garage, and I glommed onto the cardboard
sheets which were used to separate the individual panels of the
segmented rolling doors - nice flat undecorated pieces of corrugated
cardboard. if you need a supply, consider contacting a local garage
door installer. MUCH nicer than messing around with breaking down
cardboard boxes of varying thicknesses and dimensions. When zipping
them across the tablesaw, bear in mind that cardboard is tougher on
the blade than oak...

I save TP and paper towel rolls, and cut them to length equal to half
of a TP roll (paper towel rolls = 5). These I arrange into the above
mentioned seeding tray, then fill up with soil. See following:

http://www.professional.org/snaps/in...ing/20110326a/
http://www.professional.org/snaps/in...ing/20110326b/

Aviary screen frame above the germination box so they don't get raided
by birds:
http://www.professional.org/snaps/in...ning/20110327/

The bean seedlings were transplanted into the garden just 4-5 weeks
after I seeded them in the tray.


I don't have the nifty ribbed trays like "The Cook", but I have about
_400_ of the circular plug trays (got them for free from a local
premium olive oil producer - they'd stacked a lot of them and they
stuck together, and when time is money, the effort to separate them
was more than they were worth - but I only need 10 per season, and
know that chilling them will separate them easily enough).

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Old 10-02-2012, 09:28 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Default It's about time ...

On Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:23:53 -0500, Derald wrote:

When I plant marigolds, I just direct-seed them but they're such nuisances:
If not constantly deadheaded, marigold seedlings come up for years afterward.
I've found them ineffective in repelling nematodes, their reputed "wholistic"
gardening value, and see little point in attracting pollinators -- honeybees, in
particular -- to blossoms other than those of my food crops.


Not all marigold varieties are effective against nematodes. French
Marigolds are more effective than Aftican Marigolds for instance.

Seeing as my saved seed doesn't cost me anything, I see no problem
replanting them each year.

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Old 11-02-2012, 05:09 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Default It's about time ...

On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:04:20 -0500, Derald wrote:

Let's just say that I no longer plant marigolds or nasturtiums for any productive purpose and if I'm ever
caught in possession of neem oil it will be because I lost a fight.


I grow nasturtium not for any claimed beneficial process, but rather
because they're wholly edible - the leaves add a spicy zing to salad,
the flowers some colour, and the fresh seed pods are also spicy. The
fact that they're mildly attractive is a plus.

FTR, we have sandy loam where I'm at - nematodes would go nuts here.

"dwarf" marigolds require cutting back and, of course, constant deadheading.
Otherwise, I'd soon have marigold beds instead of vegetable beds! LOL

I had a dozen+ marigolds in the garden last year. Marigolds elsewhere
as well, but in the garden, each of the individual (not cluster)
plants grew to about 2' across. Nice blast of colour around the
beans, tomatoes, cukes, eggplant, and fennel.

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