When to plant seeds for transplants near ATL.?

14 years ago

I am thinking of putting lots of fresh manure into a very deep layer inside covered strawbale beds to creates a hotbed and then setting the plants trays atop a thinn straw bed. Normally, by the time my indoor started plantlets are ready to go outside, I find the plants from the plant farms are healthier, thicker, greener and far larger. Traditionally, I plant my transplants outdoors after Good Friday, the last frost, and blackberry winter...guess that covers all the traditions. Assuming starting in covered hotbeds, when do you think I should plan on starting the seeds? Too, is there some magic soil medium so that my plants will look as good as the commercial greenhouses. I have been using the best planting soils for seed starting from LOWES etc. but it has a lot of pinebark and perlite. Maybe you have some secret that the commercial nurseries know? I am tired of spindly, tiny plants!

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Comments (7)

fredt7
14 years ago
The commercial greenhouses can grow good-looking plants because they have better control of the conditions plants need to grow - temperature, light, nutrition, water, disease and insect control, etc. My guess is that your most limiting factor with your indoor-grown plants is light. Insufficient light will definitely cause spindly plants.
I don't have any experience with a manure-heated covered hotbed, but my biggest concern would be overheating if the cover was left on during a warm, sunny winter day.
Good luck,
Fred
esthermgr
14 years ago
wish I could help you- I've given up trying to start from seed things like peppers, tomatoes, etc. I just plant them outside as early as possible. Have to wait longer for harvest but at least I don't waste a lot of time and money.

A side note- the commercial plants are often bigger but in my experience they are often also rootbound and have other issues. So maybe there is virtue in transplanting smaller stuff you start yourself.
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Why are you so hung up on when nurseries plant their seeds? When nurseries plant their seeds is an impossible question to answer. Some seeds can be planted as little as 5 weeks early and some seeds need to be planted months ahead of time. The info on the seed package tells you when to plant. Nurseries probably start theirs the same time that's recommended to you on the package or they may start theirs a week or 2 earlier than that but that's about all. The nurseries know about plants and theirs are grown in optimal conditions too. Each variety is given it's best light, water and temperature and growing conditions for that variety. Some plants germinate at 60 degrees some require 80, Some like dry conditions and some wet, some like the shade and some hot sun. The same when you plant them outside. You have to know which plant to put in the sun and which likes shade. Planting out little seedlings is not a good practice. They need hardening off and a big enough root system to tackle the adverse outside conditions. A tiny root system and the plant will dies the first time the soil dries. Yah you say but plants do grow outside from seed. True but that seed comes up slowly and is aclimatized to it's growing conditions and with some seeds only a few of the seedlings will survive. The long and the short of it is you have to learn what and why you are doing things and what each plant requires
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girlgroupgirl
14 years ago
Fred is right. There are many secrets to growing in greenhouses commercial style, however, you can do this organically and do it at home.

I start my vegetables in February, in a cold frame. The trick: PINCH! Give them lots of light (days are getting longer in Feb), the problem with starting seeds in the straw is that light only gets in the top. I tend to put larger plants into that situation, that I've recently pinched back.
I start my seeds in a plastic cold frame that was given to me. It's made out of traditional greenhouse plastic with the channeling in it. One could EASILY be made, and I might make a few of my own like this. They could even be sat on table tops or risers of some kind if needed to be more easily reached. http://apartmentharvest.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/cold-frame-wooden.jpg

Actually you could totally make this from scrap except for the plastic.

But no matter how you grow, PINCHING is the trick to thick, well branched peppers and tomatoes and basils (and many annuals grown from seed). Pinch back after the 3rd set of leaves, pinch that set off.
lrvjim
14 years ago
What kind of plants are you trying to grow? Tomatoes? If so I agree with Fred that you need light and plenty of it from the time they germinate. Warm temps can also contribute to spindly growth in tomato seedlings.

I saw an episode of 'Georgia Gardener' where Walter visited a Bonnie Plant tomato growing facility. The one thing that struck me as being different than what I do ( other than the obvious, I don't have a greenhouse and state of the irrigation and temperature control ) was that they transplanted 2 times before they sent the plants to market. They have a pretty good FAQ on growing from seed in the 'Growing Tomatoes' forum right here on GW.

And I will have to disagree with GGG about pinching when it comes to indeterminate tomatoes and peppers, I just don't see where the benefit lies.

JIM
girlgroupgirl
14 years ago
I said do not pinch your tomatoes! I was pretty clear on what to pinch.

Transplanting twice is a waste of time and money. I work in a greenhouse on small scale. There are so many ways of planting that save time, energy, and resources with start to single potted transplant. It will be the way of the future, the green industry is often one of the least green industries right now. It needs to catch up!
lrvjim
14 years ago
I'm sorry, I understood this;

*But no matter how you grow, PINCHING is the trick to thick, well branched peppers and tomatoes and basils (and many annuals grown from seed)*

to mean that you favored pinching tomatoes.

JIM
brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
"I said do not pinch your tomatoes! I was pretty clear on what to pinch."

Hmmm, I must have missed something too.

When to plant seeds for transplants near ATL.?

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fredt7

esthermgr

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