Re: [CH] Starts, Ak.

Hobby Farmer (hobby.farmer@carrinter.net)
Wed, 04 Feb 1998 02:50:51 -0500 

Shawn wrote:

> Has anyone used cardboard egg cartens for seed starting?...... Will the seeds
> be ok to travel?......

 Haven't used the cardboard, but have used the foam egg cartons.  We cut off
the lid and use it as a tray for the bottom half.  We then punch holes in each
of the dozen compartments with a sharp pencil and fill the compartments with
seed starter mix.  We put wood strips in the part we use as the tray to keep
the part with the seeds in it about 1/4" off the bottom for drainage.

In go the seeds and the trays go onto an old commercial bakery tray I hauled
home from somewhere.  Some newspapers or plastic wrap on top keeps in the
moisture and warmth and on top of the fridge they go to germinate.  A card
table with a sheet draped over it and a lamp underneath - a 60 watt bulb with
18" between the bulb and the table, we don't want a fire - makes a cheap and
easy bottom heater to aid in germination if the fridge isn't available.

 We usually plant 3 seeds per compartment and thin to the best seedling with a
scissors so as not to disturb the roots.  When the first true leaves appear, we
add some plant food to the waterer.  We let the soil get dry to the touch
before watering, and make sure water in the tray doesn't get up to the holes in
the bottom of the compartments.  This seems to help prevent damping-off
disease.  We like to transplant to a larger container when we see roots start
to peek out the holes in the bottom.

As for travelling - We live in Michigan.  When we were in Southern California
last spring, we stocked up on chile plants not available in our rural area.
The wonderful folks on this list directed us to the best places in the area we
were staying.  4 flats of pepper plants made the 4 day, round-about drive
home.  The got hot, they got cold, they got blown around a bit, they got
wiggled and jiggled and bounced.  We didn't loose a single plant.

Those plants were outside at the garden centers - the breezes had a chance to
toughen up the stems.  If yours have to travel at a young age, you might want
to toughen them up with the breeze from a fan or some time outside on warmer
days.

Good luck with your plants and let us know how the move goes.

Hobby Farmer