First, I assume you're talking about Jiffy-9s and Jiffy-7s. Yes they can work fine given the correct use. I don't use them but have many years ago. One example of improper use is anything with a tap root (carrot) or other root crops. They are more suitable for fibrous rooted plants. Any container has a time limit for how long the plant can grow well in it, when the roots start coming out the sides (air pruning) and bottom, the time is near to transplant them. Transplant shock is greatly reduced with jiffy pots. They also do better if placed properly in a tray. after soaking and expanding completely, space them so they are touching but not smashed together. Too much space between them will cause them to dry quicker especially when the seedlings are very young. My main complaints with them are cost and the growing medium is much to fine textured which can cause fine seeds to die from too little oxygen.

It's hard to say whether or not it's warm enough, since that depends on what kind of stuff you're starting. People put plastic on pots/trays to raise the humidity and to keep the soil from drying out too fast. In dry conditions, or under lights, small pots can dry out very fast, which is detrimental to the seedlings. (not as big a deal before germination, but it will slow things down). Peat pots dry out even faster than plastic, so keep an eye on 'em. I've found that putting the peat pots into a plastic tray, tight up together, they'll dry out less quickly (and it catches water that leaks out). If you're worried about mold, but find you can't water the pots often enough, just tent some plastic lightly over the top and take it off for half an hour to an hour a day.

Unless I get some major problematic evidence to the contrary (on this thread), I plan on taking everything I have left in the Jiffy peat pots & potting them up after work today. I'm not sure yet how i'll remove the plants from the peat pots though. That probably depends on size of the plant, type of plant, etc.. I imagine i'll use a big spoon & just dig the plant out with most of the soil, so as not to disturb any roots. I don't want to leave them with any part(s) of the pots when potting up. I'll let you know how it turns out. - Steve

Convenience has value and peat pots are really cheap here locally. But then IÂm not running a large-scale operation. They come in a number of sizes that work well for just about anything you want to grow. Peat pots are very practical in general terms, because they allow me to start everything indoors. I do not direct sow anything because small sprouts are too vulnerable when gardening without pesticides. The plant is not disturbed at all during the sprouting or planting process. Plants can grow new roots, and they can grow new leaves, but they cannot grow new stems that have been damaged by grabbing and pulling during transplanting. IÂve not seen any of the problems that people point to concerning peat pots. The wicking action of the pots allows them to be easily watered from the bottom rather than the top. This virtually eliminates damping off and other foliar diseases derived from having water on the leaves. You have to work a lot harder to over water peat pots.