I do have lights but no aquarium or heat mats, ingenious idea. The only thing I don't like about it is that you have to harden the plants off starting them like that. I start most of mine outside when the last frost is over except set a lot out in February when I read the winter sowing technique. Unless you are growing very large, deep-rooted plants, I don't see why you can't cut the tube in half other than your aquarium light might not be adjustable. Plus if you are planting in the tube, you have to dig a pretty deep hole. I do use my bulb planter for some that end up in plastic cups. I explained how I start most of my seeds on the lavender thread. I had figured most of it out before I found the winter sowing forum, but have learned a lot from that, too. I've been reluctant to only put 2 seeds in a slot, some are so tiny you can't and the failures take up a lot of room. I do prick some out and put them in 6 packs, but that is only for plants I want to control the spacing. With your tubes, you can do that.

Last year, after amending the soil with compost, II sunk my Wows about 6 inches into the ground. I laid an empty Wow loosely in the trench. I planted my tomato in the middle and buried it up to the first set of leaves. I placed a bucket over the plant, then filled the WoW 3/4 full to use in the teepee mode. When the weather had warmed up and the plant had grown, I filled the tubes, then turned the top 5 inches or the WOW over to the outside all the way around which made a collar that made a sturdier pot and sealed the tubes so dirt could not get in them. I had to squeeze some water out of the tubes to do this but it was worth it as I had no moldy awful Wows to contend with this way. Then, I filled the WoW with soil up as high as the first leaves on the plant so the Wow was functioning like a regular pot. I continued to fill the pot as the plant grew until the pot was almost full. At this point, I placed wire cages snugly around the WoW to support it and the plant as it grew on out. I watered into the pot and misted the tomato plant lightly with Messenger every 3 weeks. I had Celebrity tomatoes that ripened with the Early Girls. This year I am going to try this system with squash, melons, and cukes. Good luck with this year's garden.

Hi, I've never actually tried this but read of it several times. Think they used a purchased (wouldn't you know) form of wood for a can. Have most everything going now but will try it when spring work lets up. This is the time of year I wonder about my brain____ 70 daylily, 60 other perennials, rasp and rose beds. Oh well, it will be nice when it is all cleaned off and shining in the sun.

Hey guys....I went to Craigslist and went to the FREE section. I grabbed up any couches that were being given away and managed to get 3 in a week, and those were just the addresses close to me! So I took the cushions and cut them up into cubes, and ripped off as much foam from around the arm rests, sides, and back, and I ended up with thousands of cubes from just 3 couches. Obviously this isn't for everyone. You need to live close enough to a large city to find free couches, AND you need to be able to dispose of all the wood, staples, and fabric left over after you strip them down. After hours of cutting and being very careful to make prefect cubes, I just started ripping off pieces and then cutting them into small pieces, and I stopped caring if they were square, round, or shaped like the face of baby Jesus. Not counting my labor, I now have thousands of foam starter cubes for free!