Comments on: Query for the Hivemind

By: heatherB

heatherB — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 10:49:11 +0000

Hey Sharon, how about something like this?
http://www.thelostseed.com.au/page61.htm
I usually direct seed, or start my own, but I admit, this even had me tempted!

By: Heather G

Heather G — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:52:49 +0000

I mostly grow from seed outdoors, although I’ll be trying to start tomatoes again this year. Two years ago it went badly — something in the ‘organic’ potting soil, and last year I was too busy, so I opted to buy starts from a local farmer. Although strawberries I’ve always bought as starts, and most of my herbs, so I guess it depends on the plant.

By: homebrewlibrarian

homebrewlibrarian — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:32:19 +0000

I start peppers in January and tomatoes in February. All the rest of the non root vegies get started in early April. Here in Alaska unless you can spring for a heated greenhouse, you’ve got to start your warm loving plants indoors and early. I have a 4 ft wide, 18 inch deep set of four shelves with two sets of T-8 fluorescent lights (natural spectrum or one each cool and warm bulbs) on each shelf. As I start plants, more lights get turned on. I’ve got the lights on a digital timer for 13 hours per day. The lights are suspended on chains that start at just about the tops of the seedlings and gets moved upward as the plants grow. I find this helps to dramatically reduce leginess in starts. I also use electric heat mats for seed germination (I keep the temp in my place at 55 in the winter) and also for warm temperature loving starts.

An aside: I live in 600 sqft and keep my electricity usage to a minimum. My electric bill once I begin plant starting is between $29-$54/month. Once everything is out of the house my electric bill falls to about $27/month. I figure I can afford to use electricity for plant starting since I make reductions elsewhere.

After buying onion starts for the last two years (from a farm in Texas – remember I’m in Alaska), I decided to see if I could grow my own starts. So I started four types in February. I’m going to be trimming them pretty soon and I hope they’re big enough by mid-late May for transplanting. I have had nothing but excellent results when I used starts so I’d suggest growing onion starts or sets because both would be easy for gardeners to start with. There are lots of different kinds of onions many of which are not found in grocery stores so by having “gourmet” varieties, I bet you’d find a market for them.

Kerri in AK

By: Mark N

Mark N — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:33:04 +0000

If I may give some advice on low-cost seedling growing to Anne, after you have successfully germinated your seeds, move them to a south-facing window (no UV filtered glass) if you have one. Then when they are small and sturdy and before they get leggy, move them directly into a cold frame, which you must learn how to monitor and adjust correctly to outdoor conditions. Frost-tolerant plants go in first. Sensitive ones later on. You can make a cold frame easily, and you won’t need grow lights or greenhouse. Works for me, anyway.

By: Susan

Susan — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:38:17 +0000

I’m late to the discussion, but I actually have started all of my plants from seed this year. However, I will happily buy locally raised starts from people I know, or trust, to do them in a chemical free manner like my friend does. I bought tomatoes from her last year after I lost all too many to blight or something.

By: Anne

Anne — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:50:18 +0000

I am not yet expert at seed starting — somehow mine have never yet amounted to much — so I have been buying a lot of my transplants from my CSA, which sells off their extras. So yes, I would highly recommend this as a good business model.

Starting my own seeds *successfully* is this year’s learning project. Actually, that’s not quite true. They start fine, but they don’t get enough light and they don’t thrive. I’m going to try your foil lined box suggestion to see if it helps to make the most of the light available. I am tempted by grow lights but they are expensive, and of course, depend on electricity.

By: emmer

emmer — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:32:47 +0000

i wonder if the pizza grouping might not be called the spagetti or lasagna group. i think more folks make s or l than p. its really about the same herbs.
the farmers’ market here, nw oregon, generally has lots of plants. not always what i want and often later than i want to start. i use a few hybrids for the higher yield, but would surely appreciate more and earlier heirlooms known to thrive here.
good luck with your project. the more ways a cottager has to bring in income the better–and this dovetails well with your other ventures.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:30:22 +0000

I start a few things, but more because I enjoy the process than for real production- I don’t have a particularly good set-up and seedlings are cheap and in better condition than the ones I grow myself. I buy seedlings at the farmer’s market and at Honest Weight, but neither of them have fall starts that I’ve noticed, and I’d LOVE them.

There were fliers at the co-op last year or the year before from someone doing pre-orders like you’re talking about- I don’t remember the name, but if you talk to Gale at the co-op she might know.

By: MaryK

MaryK — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:23:45 +0000

I start all mine in the house by the end of March. I have a greenhouse setup in my attached garage that I use once the seedlings have developed two true leaves. I like growing many varieties of fruits and veggies. Many of the herbs I start are not available anywhere. Grouping the offerings in easy-to-visualize boxes is perfect. You could have a grouping of Thai basils (cinnamon, clove types) along with fennel and hot peppers for oriental cooking and offer bok choy or oriental spinich with it although they would wilt in the heat that the herbs require. I think I could do this too in my neighborhood. Good idea.
But, Sharon, how will you find the time? ( -;

By: Barry Brown

Barry Brown — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:59:24 +0000

I have a couple of German designed coldframes with lids that open automatically, great for starting all the lettuces, spinach, the hardy plants but not so great for tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, so for those I buy from a young family nearby who have a greenhouse. They have a high-fenced two acre truck garden from which they run a CSA and supply a couple of restaurants. They are starting Principe Borghese Tomatoes for several of us who want to try drying tomatoes(canning is a miserable chore in the Ohio River Valley’s heat and humidity in August). Provided local gardeners know you will start seeds as business you will probably have all the business you can handle – the local nurseries and big box stores around here sell a very limited variety of vegetable plants.