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Our seed organizing system |
7 1/2 gallons peat
1/2 cup lime (mix with peat)
5 gallons perlite
5 gallons compost
1 cup blood meal
1 cup phosphate rock
1 cup greensand
Mix well
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Flats full of soil blocks |
One seed (two if it is older seed, then thin to one plant) gets planted in each indentation. I do not even cover my seeds. I used to cover them lightly with soil, then I started just gently pressing them in with the end of a pencil, now I just put the seeds in and it works fine. As I plant each flat I place a small sticker with a number on it at one end. This number gets noted on my flat planting record sheet. I keep track of each flats number, crop, variety, date planted and I am supposed to record germination rates and dates but usually forget. This year we have also been taking stickers and putting them on the side of the flats with the name of the varieties. We always plant in even rows so that it is more straightforward. The stickers that we use are the leftover edges from our labels for our lip balm, scrubs, etc.
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The flat number |
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The flat planting record sheet |
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Keeping records |
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The varieties marked on the side |
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The flats on the shelf. The bottom shelf without lights hasn’t come up yet, the shelves above have two lights each. |
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Pepper seedlings |
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Onions, basil, and tomatoes, in the addition. The shelf with the tomatoes has one light on it. |
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Tomatoes after being potted up into 4″ pots |
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Basil under lights |
i put plastic over top my seeds until they germinate. Then I remove it soon as they are up. It kept them nice and moist this year without constant watering. I am trying without lights except sunlight and you are so right that lights help. Being solar though we don’t have that option any more.
One thing thad I think would work if you can’t use lights and depending how many flats you have would be a protected area outdoors such as a could frame. By this time of year most of your crops, like broccoli our lettuce could even stay out there at night. Tomatoes and peppers and anything else sensitive would need to be brought inside for the night.