Transplanting....

Different people do things different ways.  I have fallen into this pattern of using dollar store keg cups for transplants so that I can move them around easily and keep them healthy until it is time to go outside.

I use a mix of 75% Light Warrior and 25%Ocean Forest by Fox Farm for this stage of the game but it can get pricey if you have a lot of plants.  I choose this time and time again because of the crazy amounts of food already in this mix as well as the ridiculous air/soil/water ratio it holds.

Here is where you want to be diligent.  You want to get your plants into a larger container before the seeds become root bound or run out of food.  If you are using peat pellets or seed starting medium this can wait for a week but with my Rapid Rooter cubes the tap root shoots out the bottom pretty fast and I like to get them into something more substantial before that gets out of hand.

This is also the stage where I start introducing light to the little boys and girls.  You can use whatever is at your disposal but I would suggest at minimum at least a good Fluro or CFL collection with good blue spectrum.  I use a Philips AgroMax 400w HPS hybrid bulb with my new Lumatek digital ballast (yes I love this thing).  This is all set up in a custom mylar lined box with 180cfm inline exhaust fan and various air circulator fans.  Do not feel the need to copy this setup as it is largely overkill but I own this and always put it to use when possible.  Light schedule is now 18 on and 6 off because I want them to grow grow grow.

This is another stage where you want to temp and humidity on the high side.  The plants that are not so heat tolerant will not start to be effected until about another week of growth when the humidity dome comes off anyway.  Right now we have Tomato (6 varieties), Greens, Salad, Onion, Eggplant, and Peppers started.

Germination.... round 2

So you've got your medium, you have your seeds, you are stoked for veggies.... but where do we go from here.  Settle down now and get ready for the long haul.

Firstly, you want to make sure you can provide a stable environment in terms of humidity and temperature on order to gain the maximum potential from all those precious little seeds you bought.  I want to start out by saying that my word is not written in stone.  I am a novice and would not recommend gardening based solely on my recommendations.  However, you will see the direct results of my decisions and hopefully can take the good with the bad and learn something in the process.

Ok.... I am cheap and did not want to but a new heating pad for my seeds this year.  I am using my actually heating pad for physical pain which is proving to be an actual pain because it automatically shuts off after 2 hours!  Anyway, get your heating pad or some other sort of heating mechanism and set up your flats.  Cover the flats completely with plastic wrap so that the humidity stays nice and high.  This is a good part of the process to invest in a digital thermometer so you can know what the kids are sitting at.

After you have figured out how to get the temperature you like (I do over 78 but under 86 fahrenheit), go ahead and plant your seeds in accordance to the directions on the package.  Cover these bad boys, cover them again to keep out light (I use 3 trashbags layered) and wait.

Once you see little cotyledon leaves you are almost ready to put under light.  Keep in mind that all plants, as well as seeds from the same plant, germinate at their own pace.  Do not get discouraged at the time it takes because this is nature spacing out the harvest/flowering times for these plants in order to keep them surviving through time and space.

Once they sprout you should begin to see images like this:

Choosing seeds....

A note on seed selection.  Last year was my first year in this zone and I went with the typical big box supply chain seeds as well as some pre-started tomato varieties and various produce.  Most were good producers and did ok considering the rain level we had.

This year I am opting for a totally different approach. I will not be purchasing anything pre-started other than some Onion sets for a specific harvest.  I am going with ONLY heirloom varieties sourced from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  There are multiple reasons for this decision but basically I want only rare stuff in my garden that I cannot get at any store. I want heirloom varieties so that I can learn how to manipulate and care for plant strains that are close to wild if not completely wild varieties.  This decision is also directly related to building skills needed to survive a post-apocalyptic world where super markets do not exist.  Crazy.... yes.  Smart.... maybe.  Fun.... for sure!

Germination...

This year I am using these Rapid Rooter cubes by General Hydroponics of which I have had experience with.  Other good alternatives are Jiffy Pellets and my all time favorite Light Warrior (we will talk about this again later).


Basically what you want to do is get whatever seed starting medium you can afford and take your time with prep.  You want to soak pellets or cubes for at least 30 minutes to guarantee water uptake. TIP- use around 80 degree water for this as it helps create a good core temperature for the seeds.

Since I am a sucker for freebies I wanted to post this pic.  Got this from my local hydro shop All Seasons as a gift and I am very happy with the quick results.  Keep in mind that over feeding and over fertilization are common mistakes for the novice gardener so I would not recommend any feed until the seeds have germinated.  However, since I was starting in Rapid Rooters I used some Thrive Alive in my soaking solution in order to give them a little boost.

After soaking you want to place cubes/pellets/seed started into small seed flats with a drain pan underneath.  These can be found at any good nursery or garden supply on the cheap.  This system is under $8 with the super large humidity dome I got with it (not necessary).

To begin....

So to start with you will need some sort of growing medium, sanitizer, seed flats, some heat (if you live north), and as with all gardening patience and good vibes.  Since I have been playing with home brews I have this Iodophor on hand and I chose to use this as my sanitizer this year.  If you are on a budget bleach is a good alternative at about 1 cap/gallon.  Make sure to sanitize all equipment that will touch plants and soil as well as tools and hands.

Welcome

So in response to my friend Travis' request to post up stories and tips based on my gardening, I have created this blog in leu of constantly updating Facebook. If you have any questions or want specific pictures of growth stages please feel free to contact me and I will do my best to oblige.