Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

[heidiiiii]

I need help.

I have never ever been successful growing seedlings indoors. Never. They always get to a certain point in growing and then they get damp off..is that what it is called?

I do not have the cash to buy one of those lights or warming pads for the seed trays. I have put seed trays on top of my fridge. There is a big window up there that gets good sun...My aloe vera and Christmas Cactus love it up there.

I have used soil..I have used those soil pods, I have tried everything. I have spritzed them, I have watered them...Still never successful.

What am I doing wrong?

We are doing a BIG veggie garden this year and I dont want to break the bank buying already grown plants. I havent bought anything yet meaning seeds or supplies.

Why are they kicking the bucket after they start to grow their true leaves? I think that is what it is called.

Any help you can give me will be so appreciated. If I could, I would send you a bushel of veggies in the summer!

[KathieB]

I have spritzed them, I have watered them

Are you overwatering them? If they're too wet, their little roots will rot.

My understanding is that true damping off is the result of a soil fungus that lies dormant until the nutrients given off by germinating seeds wakes it up. The warm, wet conditions that are required for the seeds to germinate and grow also help the fungus to thrive. (It doesn't affect larger plants as they have developed a barrier that helps keep the fungus at bay.)

One approach would be to prevent the intrusion of fungus before planting.

Make sure the seeds aren't infected. (Ie, use packaged seeds, not donations from a friend's garden)

Where are you getting the soil that you're using to germinate the seeds? Pasteurized soil from a garden center is preferable to some dug out of the back yard.

What are you using for flats? The same ones you used in previous years? They should be sterilized. The items can be cleaned in hot water (160 degrees F for 30 minutes) or in a chlorine bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water; soak for 30 minutes). It is important to use fresh chlorine bleach-water solutions.

[Wolfie]

Perhaps they are just suicidal Heidi... Actually all of the above is very good advice! Just try again. Too much sun is not a good thing with baby plants either. Burns their little leaves too. Think eastern exposure.....soft sun in the morning only...and great light the rest of the day!

Wolfie

[alycemina]

I gave up starting seedlings years ago for the same reasons - no matter what I did, they died. I have better succes just planting seeds in the garden in late spring or buying little plants. I have some weird seeding tents that you fill with water and they keep them warm in the outside soil in the early spring - solar. They work well but do require some diligence.

[heidiiiii]

The window above the fridge gets good sunlight in the morning and dabbled the rest of the day. I think I am not doing the watering correctly. Do you take the top off at certain times to regulate the humidity?

I only use sterile new soil, and I did wash the trays.

I will give it another try this year and cross my fingers. We want to have a good variety of plants and it would be too expensive to just buy all the plants.

[chesterfieldzoo]

I take the lid off as soon as the plants open the first set of leaves. Otherwise they get too wet and fungus appears. I used to start 20 flats of plants in the basement every year. I just used 4 foot flourescent lights hung very low over the flats. I laid saran wrap over the flats till they sprouted then took it off and used a spritzer as needed. As they got bigger sometimes it was twice a day. Have you tried sprouting seeds in the fridge and then planting them? (2 wet paper towels - seeds in between - in a ziploc bag)

[heidiiiii]

No, I have never done that one.

Interesting..I think I will give that a try.

I have to go over the seed catalogs soon and make my choices and send out the payment. Then I will begin again. I have to start with the colder plants of course first since I am dealing with the cold of New England.

[chesterfieldzoo]

Walmart used to have seeds for 10 cents a pack. Lowes has seeds as well. They may be cheaper than ordering online. What are you going to grow????

[heidiiiii]

The majority of the seeds I buy will not be in a catalog. But I do want to try and grow some heirloom tomatoes and I haveto get those out of a catalog.

Tomatoes (grape, beefsteak, heirloom)

Cucumbers

Pole or bush beans

Summer squash and zucchini

brussel sprouts

eggplant

bottle neck gourds

and we want to try to grow some lettuces.

Also re-do the herb garden by replacing the annuals and some of the perennials.

That is not a complete list. We have a large plot to fill and it is going to be a family garden. Going to can and freeze most of what we grow to last thru the year.

[chesterfieldzoo]

Very cool. Gardens are a lot of work, but SO worth it. Do you use organic fertilizer? Got any farms nearby? A friend had rabbits and would toss - uh - rabbit pellets into a bucket of water and would use that to water with after it fermented for a day or so. He said it worked as well as the cow manure formula if not better. And don't forget to use the compost dirt mixed in the soil. I can't use artificial fertilizer in my yard because of the tortoises who walk around and eat everything, so I rely on organic methods of pest control and such.

[heidiiiii]

I am happy today. I went to Ocean State Job Lot to pick up a few things and I went to look at their seed selection.

They had Burpee Heirlooms!! Yeah!

So I picked up way more then i needed but this is trial and error again to grow inside.

I bought:

French Breakfast radishes

Triomphe De Farcy Bush Green Snap beans

Bloody Butcher tomato

Pink Brandywine tomato

Mortgage Lifter tomato (2-4 lbs per fruit!)

I also picked up two packs of organic seeds..Burpless English cucumbers and Early straighneck summer squash.

That is a good start.

I do not use chemicals to ward off pests. I have a book that gives me different recipes to ward of pests organically.

We need to purchase (ugh!) a composter. Every year we say we are going to do it and every year we dont.

[chesterfieldzoo]

Why buy a composter? You could make one. Just use 4 4x4 posts (dig holes and set them in) and staple chicken wire all around to make a cage. You can make it as big or small as you want. Or you could use old chain link fence posts and do the same thing. That way you have air circulation and stuff doesn't fall out all over. Use a pitchfork to turn it every 2 weeks.

[KathieB]

We had a chickenwire composter behind our garage for years. Dad turned it with the pitchfork periodically and it served our garden well. I'd forgotten about it. Thanks for the memory. :lol:

[heidiiiii]

Crossing fingers.

I planted my tomato seeds in the growing flats yesterday. I am going to follow the instructions to the T..I want these babies to grow nice so I can plant them when it is warmer. I have 2 months for them to get nice and big for a Mid-April planting.

I hope they work out because Chelsea and I LOVE heirloom tomatoes but they cost so much at the farmer`s market.

Mortgage Lifter

(beefsteak)

Bloody Butcher

(early harvest)

Pink Brandywine

(these are the ones we buy)

I still need to get some Lemon yellow plum tomatoes.

Now you are probably wondering what we are going to DO with all those tomatoes...hehehe

Eat them, can them, freeze them, give away!

[Anna]

Ohhh, nice going Heidi, love those tomatoes!!!

Hmmm, now I got thinking about that "killer" tomatoe jam with a dash of chilli peppers in it... I will just have to wait a little longer for my own tomatoes I suppose...

Hugs

[texasbuilder]

Gardening can be addictive.........just like doing doll houses. Some years ago I bought a start for a Plumeria (frangapani) plant while in Hawaii. It grew so big I cut it back and then "tried" to start the cuttings. Start they did.....now I have 73 plants and have been giving them to neighbors and friends. They grow great here in Dallas during the summer but then have to be wintered over. Fortunately they can go completely dormant and all the leaves fall off and you can just stick them in the garage. They are nice plants and smell good too.

[heidiiiii]

Oh yes Jerry, gardening is addictive..inside and outside.

I am a pro at perennials. I can bring back to life just about anything. My yard is full of stuff. It is just seed starting that has me stumped.

Give me a half dead lilac bush...i can have it blooming in a couple years. A pack of seeds and it is like teeny tiny murders.

[Intrinsicat]

I did pumpkins, gourds and sunflowers last year and started them in the inst-pod soil pellets from WalMart and they did good - only a couple got a little white fungus on them before I planted them. Are you planting the seedlings at the recommended time (or maybe too early?) or letting them sit in the planters until the roots are choking on themselves? I came close to that because I couldn't get around to planting them, fortunately they were all hearty seeds!

Maybe you could look into a small aluminum clip light from lowe's and a single sunlight bulb... I would imagine that combination wouldn't be too pricey. (Plus you can use the clip light and a regular 100 watt bulb diffused through fabric for miniature photos too!)

I highly recommend this natural fertilizer I got at the local nursery called Cockadoodle doo. Which is exactly what it sounds like - Fowl Fertilizer! I live around a lake, so they are particular about nitrates and other chemicals in fertilizers and weed killing agents around here.

[NannaMc]

Hi Heidi,

I wonder if you keep your seedlings too warm. Most seeds want to grow, and do really well at just room temperature. They like light, but just like the babies they are, can't stand to be left in the sun. DH has gone to bed, but I will find out his secrets tomorrow as his are like little trees when he sets them out.

Shirley

[Wolfie]

Good luck Heidi! Sounds like you are doing all the right things!

Gina

[heidiiiii]

Shirley,

Thank you. Any information will be greatly appreciated.

Tell him that I have the flat on top of the fridge. There is a window above the fridge that gets good sun in the morning and noon time then it turns into dabbled sunlight the rest of the day (there is a tree out there).

I have learned one thing..Once they get leaves..take the top off! I never knew that!

[NannaMc]

Dear Heidi,

DH starts his tomato seeds in peat pellets, because they are easier to handle for the amount he plants. If yours are already in other soil, it will be fine. Sounds like ideal growing conditions for tomatoes, but check the temperature on the top of your fridge, the last one we had was very warm. If it is warm, you will have to move them, as they will be very spindly and may not make it. When they have the first set of true leaves, he tranplants them into cut down 2 quart milk cartons with holes punched in the bottom. He uses a mixture of 1/3 sand, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 vermiculite (you can substitute soil for this but it saves on watering). Make sure they are not too wet. DH goes by the weight of the pot, if it feels light, he waters, making sure that they drain well. They sit on a rack for a few hours. When they have 4 or 5 leaves he starts fertilizing with 10-52-10 about every 3 weeks, and continues this after they are set outside. The rest of the season, he uses 20-20-20. Temperature and watering seem to be the 2 biggest problems to raising tomatoes. No wonder he never leaves me in charge of them. Hope this helps as he said you seem to be doing everything right. Nothing beats the taste of fresh tomatoes right out of the garden. If you have any other questions, please ask.

Shirley

[heidiiiii]

Thank you Shirley`s Dh!!

I have the part once they are outside covered. I used to just buy the plants. I need to write down this information and I will check the temp on top of the fridge.

Thank you again!

[NannaMc]

Hi Heidi,

DH says you are welcome and hope this works for you. If the top of the fridge feels warm to your hand, it is too warm. I guess I have been retired too long as I missed this part. The other reason that he likes the peat pellets is that you don't run the risk of dirt borne diseases, easier to maintain the moisture level and when you transplant, the roots don't get disturbed.

Shirley

[Wolfie]

I like peat pots too! I also have a little heating pad under my seedlings.....and they do well with that....and oh yes, remove the cover when the leaves come out......I swtch to a well ventilated talled cover as my cats love "fresh greens." This keeps them out and doesn't let the moisture build up inside.

My orchids are now blooming and some are getting 2nd stalks. My amaryllis is also blooming again! It feels like spring here today....the air is fresh with pine scent so heavy it smells fake almost! The sun is shinging with no clouds and it's lovely outside!