I'm growing some Guam Boonie's this year too. I started some in rockwool and some peat pellets. Ive since moved the pellets into beer cups with coco coir and perlite (70/30 ratio). I use two cups, one with drain holes, and an outer cup without. I think I could go for a week if I just set the inner cups in an inch of water and kept them away from strong lights.

Have your plants come up yet, or are you still waiting for germination? Either way, you could probably put them in coco cups, but you'd probably have to go to a hydro shop for the coco, and that's not so cheap.

A cheaper DIY method could be to buy some loose peat and fill a larger try up. The more medium you have the longer it will stay moist. Assuming your seeds have sprouted and you don't need a dome anymore, I'd feel pretty good about a shoebox sized container with moist peat surrounding the Jiffy pellets.

Another diy option could be a bubbler system. You fill a container with water and add an airstone. Just above the water line you put the pellets on a screen. The bubbles from the water will pop and keep the pellets moist, but not wet.

Another option is a wick system with perlite and vermiculite. You need two trays, one for water, one for the mix, run the wick to the water and put the pellets in the mix.

Google will bring up a lot of these diy designs. Many times they are used for cloning plants from cuttings as well as seed starting.

Good luck

They haven't germinated yet, so if I can keep a lid on them I'd prefer to. I think my mother germinated hers by throwing away a couple peppers she thought had gone bad into a compost heap and then spotted the plants after they came up. But Lousiana is, in general, warmer than here.

I did buy perlite and vermiculite today, some wetting sheets, and I was wondering just how well something akin to your 2 cup system would work with a slightly larger pair of containers.

If the container is too large to sit on the windowsill, would it be worthwhile to get a florescent lamp? For that matter, the florescent bulbs that replace incandescents, are they a good choice for plant lighting?

David.

If they haven't germinated yet, keeping the dome on should keep them damp enough. Once those Peat pellets are soaked, they stay that way a long time under the dome.

When did the seeds go in the pellets?

If you keep the lid on snug, then they shouldn't need any watering. The lid will keep all moisture inside. The problem is that once they emerge, you need to start removing the lid or the sprouts will yellow and die after a few days.

If the windowsill gets cold at night, that's probably delaying germination. You might be just fine keeping the lid on, keeping them cool (~70) and hoping they don't sprout. This won't work for too many weeks, but I've had sprouts come up in cooler temperatures many weeks after planting.

The seeds don't need light, but the sprouts will. A florescent lamp or some CFL bulbs are great for growing the plants inside before planting, but the heat will also increase the need for watering.

It's really hard to predict whether your seeds will sprout while you are out. If they sprout as soon as you leave and the dome is on, you'll likely lose some of them. If some sprout a day before you return, then no problem.

Without having an idea when they'll sprout, I'd consider trying different things at the same time:
-Leave a few in the dome with the lid on
-Put some in cups with a mix of perlite/vermiculite. Put the drain holes an inch up from the bottom so there is a bit of a reservoir. Cover some with sandwich baggies and leave some open.
-Try a diy wicking tray. If you use a cover, don't make it airtight.

In all of these cases, try to give them a bit of light, and keep the temperatures as steady as possible in the ~70 degree range.

When you get back, you might find some have sprouted. The ones that haven't can go back in a sealed Jiffy tray in a warm location. The ones that sprout should be watered only when the pellet just turns light brown. They should get stronger light such as filtered sunlight, or very close to a floro/cfl bulb.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. As long as they don't get totally dry or suffocated most of the 12 should make it. Be careful that any of these systems don't make the pellets totally wet, because they need some air too.

Thanks for the link to IGS! I've been looking for some small sized trays and domes, and they've got a nice 4"x8" that looks perfect.

zanderspice, you're welcome. They looked like a nice little company to me. I've been trying to find cheap fluorescents near my house and I may have to go back to them, if the local stores go belly up.

Then I just have to buy things small enough to elevate, because my dog thinks anything he can reach is food (and he's rather athletic for his size).