Random Acts of Living


Monday, March 22, 2010

Getting Started

My seeds arrived in the mail Saturday. Sunday afternoon I spent out in the studio making paper starter pots and filling them with dirt. I made a tray to set them in from a box the lunch size potato chip packages came in. I used a big black trash bag to make it waterproof. The round planters are flowers for the front porch. On the table is my chart for what is planted in the paper pots.
It took me a couple tries before I decided to use a pop can to make the pots. So I have two larger pots and 45 smaller starter pots. The video I watched said not to water the pots from the top but to pour water into the tray and it would be absorbed up into the soil. I did this yesterday and today when I went to check on them the water had all been absorbed and the soil looked wet on top. So I'll let it dry a bit before I water again.
Can you see my two tomato plants over the back of the tray? These I have nurtured all winter in my living room window. The little one started coming up about the end of summer. All the seed packets on the table are from previous years. Some were purchased on sale, close outs, at the end of the season. I'm sure there are seeds that are still good. Just not as likely the older they get. I'll let you know how my starts progress.

3 comments:

KansasA said...

Wonderful to see! I so have to get my butt in gear and get stuff started, where do I find the extra hours though? lol I too have old seed packets and I plan to use them this year because they are starting to pile up. A few years ago whenever I bought new I would grab a sharpie and write the year on them so I do have somewhat of a clue as to how old some of them are. :)

Anita said...

Awesome :)
I got my seeds too, but I don't really have a place with sun to start them where the cats cant get into them... unless I take over Isaiah's room and we keep the door shut, lol... Hope I can get something started soon - at least for the ones that take the longest until harvest...

Moonshadow said...

Kansas - Good idea with the sharpie. One year I found packets of flower seeds I'd stashed in a can. Not a clue as to how old they were, but I planted them anyway. A lot of them came up, so I'm game to try old seeds, just don't depend on them to all come up.

Anita - Sounds like you need a cold frame. I wonder if I cold use my van for starting seeds. No source of heat other than the sun. Something I'll have to think on. I use that van as a storage unit as it is.