The beginning

[ksmith]

...of the tomatoes.

I planted the seeds in something called a "Propamatic 24" seed propagator thing, which consists of a water reservoir, a capillary watering pad, a tray for the seeds, and a lid. It's self watering--I just need to add water once every five days, along with any fertilizer. Set it up outside, since the week promises days in the 70s/80s and nights in the 50s/60s.







So technical.

I will need to construct some sort of cage/lid to keep out the birds and squirrels because the plastic lid comes off after the seeds sprout.

Comments

[e-moon60.livejournal.com]

You might want to stick a thermometer into the soil at the depth of the seeds--with daytime temps in the 80s, greenhousing could raise your soil temp well over 100F. A planting container like this doesn't have the thermal mass of ground, so it'll heat up (and cool down) faster than the ground itself.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

They do tell you not to set the thing inside an existing greenhouse.

I checked the soil this morning, and it's really wet. If soil gets overwet, I'm supposed to pull the edge of the watering mat out of the reservoir, which I just did. I'll leave it out for the day.

[windrose.livejournal.com]

I haven't started plants from seed in years. It's a lot of work, but it's even more satisfying than starting a garden from established seedlings.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I hope at least a few of them take.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I have one of those. It's 36 little chambers, and still contains my strawberries (it's a little too cool to set them out just yet). Best $1.99 I ever spent. *g*