This post will mostly be a show and tell for my seed starting progress. If you haven’t started your seeds yet you still have time to get them going. Starting from seed is an easy way to save a few dollars in your vegetable garden budget. A pack of tomato seeds might cost you $2-3 and you get 20-30 seeds where a six pack of tomatoes will run you about $2-4. I always get much more for my money when I start seeds!
The Vegetable Seedlings:
Tomatoes and Peppers Growing From Seed
The peppers and tomatoes are doing OK. The tomatoes if you consider them by themselves are doing great with high germination rates but the peppers are dragging behind. Peppers are slower to germinate than tomatoes so patience is required!
The peppers on the right which have just started to come up are Cardinal Hybrid seeds that I’ve had for a couple years. The peppers turn purple then into a nice shiny red color if you leave them on the plant long enough.
I use compressed peat pellets to start the seeds. They seem to work well. It won’t be too long before some of the tomatoes will need transplanted into larger pots. If you are working with lights (I just use fluorescent shop lights) it’s good to keep the tray close to the lights then gradually move the plants farther away as they grow larger.
A tomato close-up. I can almost taste the tomatoes!
The Herb Seedlings:
Basil Growing From Seed
Here we have basil, Dark Opal basil. I like the plants that have unusual foliage colors. They work fine in pesto and add an extra visual element in the garden. Purple basil and tomatoes are great companion plants!
Dill Growing From Seed:
Dill will be new to the garden this year. What’s your favorite use for dill?
Here’s the biodegradable flat of seedlings. When it’s time to plant outdoors I’ll cut the individual pots apart with scissors and plant everything in the ground – or a raised bed.
The Flower Seedling:
Daylily Growing From Seed
I’m not sure of the parent varieties of my daylily seeds although I am sure that most are from ‘Stelle de Oro’. This is more of an experiment to see how quickly they grow from seed. One day I’d like to try some daylily hybridization. This little daylily is the first one to emerge and so far the only one but I’m hopeful that more will join it. I usually make more daylilies from division.
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I am not doing something quite right with my indoor seeds this year…peppers germinate faster with bottom heat, sure you already know this though. Is it true that when you start a Daylily from seed it may not be true to the parent and it can take up to 4 years to bloom?
One more benefit of growing from seed is that you are less likely to suffer from any diseases that spread in large grow operations. That was one theory put forward for why last year's tomato late blight was so widespread. So many people were buying from so few large operations (think Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart), so a single bug could be disastrous.
Darla,
Bottom heat is great for vegetables! I just haven't invested in heat mat yet. One of these days – maybe after the Greenhouse is finished I can set up a proper seed starting station.
Naseer,
That is an excellent point! I'd forgotten about that last year, but then since I start from seeds I wasn't really effected by those problems. It's a very good reason to start from seed!
You've really got a grand start, Dave!
And I was just saying how I don't start tomato seeds. Oops:) They look very good. I tried the peat pots but no luck with them.
It was very nice seeing you guys today. I'm so glad you all came!
I haven't started any seeds yet as it's been unusually cold & wet. I think I'll just wait & catch the volunteer tomatoes. Usually they are equipped to handle the outside situations by then.
First year for me growing indoors by seed. Almost gave up on the peppers (they did take a long time to germinate!) Next year I'll remember that. Thanks!