Week 3: Indoor Seed Starts

This week I have begun indoor growing to prepare for spring planting. I have read that it is best to use grow mediums such as seed start mix or pellets made of peat or coir, but I decided to use a mixture of soil amendment and compost that I already had on hand to experiment with. This is the same mixture I used when making my raised bed. I want to experiment with different types of grow mediums in the coming weeks, but because I am low on funds this week I thought I would use what I already have on hand and this week try different mediums. I purchased plastic multi-celled containers from a local aquaponics store and the seeds were ones I had previously bought from a local retail seed bank. I already had the grow light and the shelving so all I needed to purchase for this project were the multi-celled containers.

I filled each contained with the mixture of soil amendment and compost and soaked the soil. I then added 1-2 seeds per cell. The seeds I added to the multi-celled containers are: Marketmore 76 cucumber, Swiss chard, cabbage, brown onion, mammoth dill, scallop summer squash, Anaheim chili, romanesco broccoli, Oregon spring tomato, flamenco tomato and cantaloupe.

I placed the seeds on the shelves and put the selving in my old wash room that is currently not in use. This room gets fairly cool at night, so I keep the plant light on to help keep the seeds warm. I am going to be purchasing a heating mat to place under the multi-celled containers to help keep the seeds warm enough.

The average last frost date for my region is March 1st - March 20th. Once my seeds have sprouted and grown their first true leaves I will slowly start placing them outside to get them used to the weather so as not to shock them once I plant them in my raised beds.