Hello all - I joined this site for numerous reasons, and one was to share my tip for germinating pepper seed. It's very rudimentary and very simple -- works for me, although I'm sure I may get some negative feedback -- which I gladly welcome. Knowledge is golden!! I plant the seed in trays (my first planting was in January). Then I found some heavy cardboard boxes that would hold several trays each. I cut round holes into the sides of each box, then I used the goose neck lamps I have with 40 watt bulbs and placed them in the holes, the closed the tops. Can also be done with the round ceramic type lights I'm told. Nevertheless, the boxes stayed around 75 - 80 degrees and seeds germinated -- tomato and pepper. They are now in my garden, all but 2 out of 34 have survived and thrived -- once they got big enough to transplant, I put them in styrofoam cups with holes punched in bottom with a sharp pencil. Hope this helps and I welcome and comments / suggestions. Suny moderator's note: split this post into it's own topic
I have put a drop light on a bottom shelf, and germinating pans on top shelf with a light above. This is on an old microwave cart. I think the deal here for us both is a touch of bottom heat.
Tomatoes and peppers seeds to starts Seed starting tomatoes and peppers ( photo / image / picture from Farmer_Dave's Garden ) Greetings I want to say thanks for the post on starting seeds in boxes with lights. I am teaching organic gardening at the local school and it has been so cold we need a way to heat up the seeds as they don't have a cook stove. The way I do it at home is to soak the tomato and pepper seeds on a damp cloth above my stove until they have a tiny sprout then I plant them in thin flats above the stove until they sprout and if it is cold until they put on true leaves other wise I just put them in the green house as soon as they sprout. This year it was so cold they had to wait until going into the green house and got leggy. But I am sure they will be ok. They are already looking better and soon I will pot them out into gallon pots to live in the green house until mid may. Happy planting and thanks for the tip. Farmer Dave
I sometimes start seeds with a cardboard skirt sealed around a tray with a low wattage bulb below the tray. Trapped heat warms the tray. Excess heat flows under the skirt and into the room. Jerry
