before i get going i know everyone has their style and system on starting seeds, this is just my way and just want to share it. with the size of our gardens had to make a table the would hold 4 trays of 3" pots. sorry for some of these photos window 10 decided to loss many of the better one...grrrr first you need a good table you can control light, heat,moisture..especially during the seeds most critical time. germination for soil a good organic potting soil mix is all you need, your seeds have everything they need to get started built into them. save your money and spend it on your garden soil. here are my best friends personally heater digital meat thermometer spring thermometer timer dc fan half bricks/ racks explain why as i go. once you have sowed your seeds you need to control the heat in the soil. have tried heat mats, but they too unreliably for a constant 70-75* soil temperature. once you have sowed your seeds they do not need light, just heat<lights on for photo> but you need a area that will stay a constant temp. all 4 sides covered to keep the heat in. will need to dial in the heater, this might take a couple hours hence the use of digital meat thermometer <left tray>. keeping the trays off the table will give you a better all around soil temp. ok now for the lighting question florescent or led..... whichever way you go use a good quality fixture. personally been using a 6 bulb t-5 highbay using 850 bulbs. it's all about watts, lumens, cri without getting totally scientific. the more watts= more lumens, plus the higher cri<color rendering index> the closer to true sunlight... led 235w highbay 5k 80 cri 60-100k lifespan cost appx 230.00 t-5 highbay w/850 bulbs 6,500k 85 cri 30k lifespan cost appx 177.00 limited on space this is why i went with a highbay. seeds are starting to germinate..... time for the lights to be on set the fixture around 5-6" above the seedlings and set the <timer> for 12-14 hours on. at this time you need to remove the front plastic cover, otherwise it will get too hot inside, set the timer to come on as you get up in the morning and off as you go to bed, at this time lower the front plastic the personally heater with come on once below your set temp. will cull the leaser one once the third true leaf set have developed with a pair of scissors.<do not pull the one you want to remove, it might damage the tender roots of them once they start out growing the starter trays will transplant them into 3" pots watering... always water them from the bottom, keep the soil damp, not soggy. this where the dc fan comes in, air movement is very important. keeps algae from forming as well controls damping of the seedlings. hardening off.... now after all your work, it's time to slowly acclimate them. a couple hours everyday to start with, leave them out more everyday. a week is a good guideline. a little cold frame greenhouse works great if your night time temps stay above 65* after all your hard work you should end up with this... dang windows 10 lost so many photos....again i apologize for a patch work of photos..
A very detailed and informative post majorcatfish. Photographs always help others so I'm pleased to see that you've incorporated them into your post.
Great set up there !! Plants are so inexpensive here that I almost never start anything myself !! For my garden I would need an entire room for seeds which I do not have !! Cool weather plants are here already as well as onions and seed potatoes !! I usually use my own seed potatoes from last season !!
same here the box stores have already put out the displays.. never had any real good luck with potatoes here, as for onions/ garlic thats off the list for awhile due to purchasing some infected garlic bulbs while back, so now have "onion rot" spores in my soil...
