Do you grow vegetables from seed or starter plants ,What do you grow ?

   / Do you grow vegetables from seed or starter plants ,What do you grow ? #1  

Grumpy Old Man

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Tennessee foothills
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This year most all of our garden will be planted from last years best performing plants starting in the green house What works for you ? And what grew best last year ? 2 years ago our green peppers were not great , Last year they were the best yet !
 
   / Do you grow vegetables from seed or starter plants ,What do you grow ? #2  
Last year I started tomatoes and pumpkins in doors. Both did pretty good ... eventually. We had a cold, wet spell just after I set them out and they barely hung on through that. Cost me two weeks of maturity time. Grow tunnels or hoop house would be the best thing here.
 
   / Do you grow vegetables from seed or starter plants ,What do you grow ? #3  
I've never had much luck starting them inside so I start about everything outside. They always get that splindly look when I start them inside, even when having them moved by a fan. I guess I've got a bit of a brown thumb with garden plants (but do OK with trees). Fortunately the growing season is long here and allows me to screw up once or twice :)
 
   / Do you grow vegetables from seed or starter plants ,What do you grow ? #4  
Almost everything I plant in my garden I start from seed. For a few years I used a rubber shelf with grow lights in my den. Three or four years back I built a small greenhouse and started tomatoes, peppers, egg plant, and even beans and okra. Our winters are mild so I do not have to add much heat, but I do have a 100 lb propane tank and heater just in case.

Couple of pictures of this year's start:
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IMG_0949_zpsbfed0112.jpg


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   / Do you grow vegetables from seed or starter plants ,What do you grow ? #5  
My paternal grandfather started garden plants in the basement of the house, but I never had a greenhouse arrangement, so I bought onion, tomato, cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli plants in the Spring to set out in the garden. The rest of the garden, potatoes, corn, green beans, squash, zucchini, watermelon, cantaloupe, carrots, etc. was just seeds in the garden.
 
   / Do you grow vegetables from seed or starter plants ,What do you grow ? #6  
I start inside on a window and this year I bought on of the 20 dollar patio green houses from harbor freight. I have that in my basement right next to a door to let the light in. I figure the plastic canopy will trap in light and heat.
 
   / Do you grow vegetables from seed or starter plants ,What do you grow ? #7  
I started doing both last year. I found a great buy on a 14'x14' greenhouse and started everything except greenbean and peas from seed. Tomatoes, peppers, squash, and watermelon did great.

Since this was the first greenhouse I have had I planted every seed I could. I also sow seed so I can have plants producing at different times. I transplanted squash and watermelon and also sowed seed and this worked great.

This year I will do the same and also sell some plants. I have 1900 tomato seed and several hundred pepper and squash to plant and sell. Last year I gave away all the extra plants, couple hundred tomato and pepper and told those who received them I would sell the plants next year. This year I have people already asking to buy.

One other good thing about the greenhose. This weekend it was 35-40* outside, temp in the greenhouse was 78*...I have a nice chair in there...it is a good place to take a nap:D

The date on the pictures is wrong, this was from last year 2012.
 

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   / Do you grow vegetables from seed or starter plants ,What do you grow ? #8  
Start off with seeds,, I only raise tomatoes and peppers now... We have a hot tub room and I use it in Feb as my green house,, it has a sky light window,, plus I can turn on the hot tub and get all the heat and humidity I need,, I plant my outside garden around the middle of March.. Lou
 
   / Do you grow vegetables from seed or starter plants ,What do you grow ? #9  
I use a water proof heating pad below my seedling trays. This keeps the soil temperature around 70* +. which is what most seeds need to germinate. My seedlings get a lot of sunlight, but the garage isn't warm enough. The heat pad plus clear plastic covers on the trays work pretty well.
 
   / Do you grow vegetables from seed or starter plants ,What do you grow ? #10  
We use commercially started plants for broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, pepper and tomatoes. For everything else we plant seeds-corn, canaloupes, water melons, peas, beans, beets, potatoes, and greens. For our tomatoes we plant slips rather than plants in a peat pot or plastic trays. The slips are plants that are started in a bed and pulled. They are packaged in 50 plant bare root bundles. They cost a fraction of the started plants in peat pots or trays, plus I don't have the space to start the 150 or so plants (tomatoes+others) we use.

I'd love to have a greenhouse or good cold frame but that's down the priority list.
 
 
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