I was going to call this post Seed-Starting 101, but I still have a lot to learn on the subject myself, perhaps most notably how to follow directions...
So all of my annual flowers are up. All of my yellow pear tomatoes. Most of my beefsteak. One basil. One eggplant. No bell peppers. I read that a four-bulb lamp is vastly superior to a two-bulb, and I believe it. After a day under my (two-bulb) lamp, the seedlings on either edge of the trays are straining to lean inward. This can't be good for long-term growth.
Also, I read (but ignored) that eggplant seeds required a good bit of heat to germinate. It's a lot warmer in my storeroom than outside, but I wouldn't call it warm. I don't suppose you can use a heating mat with a self-watering/wicking setup. Any ideas on making it warmer in there? Scott wanted the eggplant seeds, and I am so excited that he's excited about growing something that I really want them to thrive!
The Lone(ly) Eggplant
So all of my annual flowers are up. All of my yellow pear tomatoes. Most of my beefsteak. One basil. One eggplant. No bell peppers. I read that a four-bulb lamp is vastly superior to a two-bulb, and I believe it. After a day under my (two-bulb) lamp, the seedlings on either edge of the trays are straining to lean inward. This can't be good for long-term growth.Also, I read (but ignored) that eggplant seeds required a good bit of heat to germinate. It's a lot warmer in my storeroom than outside, but I wouldn't call it warm. I don't suppose you can use a heating mat with a self-watering/wicking setup. Any ideas on making it warmer in there? Scott wanted the eggplant seeds, and I am so excited that he's excited about growing something that I really want them to thrive!
The Lone(ly) Eggplant 
3 comments:
I think you are good with Seed starting 101....in a few months you will be at Seed starting 202! LOL!
Hi Ginger,
Thanks for visiting the ToadShed, I enjoy meeting new people in the gardening world.
You have a nice blog and some great pics! Gardening here in the south ain't easy is it?
On the subject of bottom heat for your seeds, We went to Lowes, in the lighting section and bought one strand of the decor rope lights. I think they were like six bucks. We mounted them on my plant shelf with tie wraps and there you have it, bottom heat! They don't get hot just slightly warm and I can tell you it really made a difference in the germination time of my seeds.
good luck!!
Hi, came over from Heather's blog. Nice seed starting set up. It looks like your light could be lowered a little, to bring it closer to the plants...that way they won't stretch too much and get leggy.
Happy Growing! :-)
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