My 2 cents on starting seeds indoors!

What a PITA!

Last year I seeded directly in the garden but it took quite some time to get veggies.

So I wanted to start the seeds indoors. Tomatoes, eggplants, cucumber.

And since I wanted all organic I even got organic seeds so I would control the whole thing.

This is REALLY NOT convenient. I have trays everyone on my countertops in my kitchen. Then I had to transfer to bigger pots. All of it in my kitchen. Where else could I put it. It's not warm enough yet outdoors. It's like 2 months of inconvenience. Our garage is not insulated so it's too cold to be seeds there.



I might have to get those portable greenhouses next year (like a bookshelf type) because I am not sure I can deal with this mess again.

That was a good idea (in theory!) but the mess is hard to deal with.

Re: My 2 cents on starting seeds indoors!

My next door neighbor did this last year and his plants never did well at all...by the end of summer he had decided never again...he's buying the plants at a nursery this year...

Re: My 2 cents on starting seeds indoors!

Last year, I used seeds for my zucchinis, summer squash and cucumbers. But I had bought eggplants as plants and those were VERY convenient!!!!

I just wanted to get veggies with some chemicals. The one at nurseries usually have fertilizers.

Message edited 4/24/2009 9:00:01 AM.

Re: My 2 cents on starting seeds indoors!

I've tried it before. Takes to long and it's just easier to buy them as plants.

Re: My 2 cents on starting seeds indoors!

We did the seeds and I agree what a PITA! We planted them outside too early and killed all of them so we had to start all over

My mom bought hers as plants and her garden is beautiful and she will have veggies before the season is over. I feel its going to take forever for us to get some veggies

Re: My 2 cents on starting seeds indoors!

Can you get these portable plastic greenhouses? They cost about $15, and they have lots of shelves and they zip up.

Re: My 2 cents on starting seeds indoors!

Re: My 2 cents on starting seeds indoors!

haha yup! my parents own a garden center and grow 17 greenhouses full of plants every year. they start the seeds in january and don't stop until the end of june. Even though the greenhouses are heated, theres still a chance the heater could break and the plants could freeze and my parents could loose all that money. plus, they all need to watered, have the right sunlight, etc,etc,etc. its a TON of work!
AND its funny because they have customers who come in looking for a certain color plant or something, and don't understand why my parents just can't "get more in stock" for the next day. ummm- they've been growing since january!! haha its a lot more work than people realize! good luck if you decide to try again!!

Re: My 2 cents on starting seeds indoors!

I had one of those portable greenhouses, for the same reason. I also had heated pads to put under the trays to keep them warm. It's not that much easier, trust me! There will be condensation under the plastic regardless of whether they're heated or not, it's a little clumsy to get in and out, messy, and mine was in my living room!!

I haven't bothered starting from seed since. I know it's so much cheaper, I know I should, but I'd rather spend my time doing other things.

Re: My 2 cents on starting seeds indoors!

DS & I are working on one tray of marigolds using 2 egg cartons in a cake pan with a cover. We keep it on a counter in our kitchen under a skylight so far so good. Now we have to transplant them to larger containers for the next few weeks. He is loving this project but honestly I cant see doing any more than this. If we had a greenhouse window it would be another story.

Re: My 2 cents on starting seeds indoors!

i had the plastic stand-up greenhouse that I used for a few seasons until DH built my real greenhouse. Seedlings are like any other infant, alot of work.
I have a few flats that I started in my greenhouse several weeks ago, I will transplant them soon.
I never start tomatoes from seed, its take way too long for them to mature. They are harder to find but you can buy organic plants. I've ordered them online in years past.

Re: My 2 cents on starting seeds indoors!

Posted by smdl

Posted by racheeeee

Can you get these portable plastic greenhouses? They cost about $15, and they have lots of shelves and they zip up.
IMAGE

Yes, that's what I was talking about. That would take less space.

But it's about $100 here in the US.

Message edited 4/25/2009 12:52:20 PM.

Re: My 2 cents on starting seeds indoors!

Posted by KellyFG

i had the plastic stand-up greenhouse that I used for a few seasons until DH built my real greenhouse. Seedlings are like any other infant, alot of work.
I have a few flats that I started in my greenhouse several weeks ago, I will transplant them soon.
I never start tomatoes from seed, its take way too long for them to mature. They are harder to find but you can buy organic plants. I've ordered them online in years past.