Mossy flats, seeds not germinating

Hi,  New to your website but really like what I see.  Maybe you can help me.   I have searched and can't find an answer.  I have a greenhouse with gas heat, fan, etc.  I am bottom watering my flats but now they have moss.  If I don't water as often, they dry out and won't germinate.  HELP!!!!  What am I doing wrong?  My seeds won't germinate and I'm having a family reunion this summer!

--Thanks Brenda H.

Hello, Brenda! Thank you for visiting my website.

I find bottom watering to be fine for young plants, but not for seeds. Seeds want moisture, but not to the exclusion of air!

Are you using a potting mix that drains well but still retains moisture? The right balance of ingredients such as peat (moisture retentive) and perlite (drainage and air) makes a difference. Seeds prefer a light mix. Try combining 4 parts peat, 2 parts fine perlite, and 2 parts fine vermiculite, OR try just using vermiculite (fine grade) alone. Remember that your little seedlings will need some weak fertilizer as soon as they show true leaves, as there is no food for them in perlite or vermiculite.

I water my potting mix with warm water, plant the seeds, then COVER THE FLAT with one of those clear dome covers. Most flats I place on a heat mat. I check the flats daily and water only where needed using a bottled water bottle with a squirt top (usually the cells on the edge dry out a bit first. Using the dome is important-- it retains the original moisture longer. You could also just use a plastic bag and support it above the flat with small sticks or wire arches (so any sprouts don't touch the plastic directly).

IMPORTANT: As soon as the seeds sprout, prop up one edge of the dome (or open the end of the plastic bag) to let some air circulate; otherwise you will have trouble with damping off fungus.

As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle (having 2 true leaves-- just enough to hang on to as you transfer the seedling), you can pot them up in regular potting mix and continue to feed a weak fertilizer solution often.

Plans, photos and materials list for a small inexpensive greenhouse.

(Photo from sd1new.net garden pages.)

greenhouse tasks

For me, this month has involved many tasks outside the greenhouse, not necessarily even gardening. One big job involves improving the drainage along one side of the area of our back yard (between the house and greenhouse) that I paved with flat basalt stones.

I lifted one row of stones, dug the ditch (which will become a sort of French drain), placed the drainage pipe and an upended large old clay pot, and poured 6 bags of river rock into it, hardly making a dent. Obviously, a large truck needs to bring some more river rock and gravel, and I need to summon the energy to haul it all up our steep driveway, fill my drain and reset the pavers.

The photo above does not represent the depth of the ditch well. It runs about 14" deep to 20" deep where the pot is. The plastic is there to keep the hens from scratching dirt into the ditch before I finish it. The beautiful golden leaves you see hanging over it are Acer negundo 'Kelly's Gold'.

There is another of the same type of drain behind the north wall of the greenhouse already dug and set with a pipe which has never been finished and trips me up whenever I walk through there.(I would be embarassed to tell you how many years it has been that way.) Completing both drains will bring the back yard forward considerably.

Projects like that mean that the greenhouse has been running on its own much of the time. I was just dashing in there long enough to water and feel guilty about not getting my tomatoes transplanted, noticing several orchids in bloom and a bumper lime crop coming on, and harvesting some lemons.

To solve my transplanting problem, I gave away many tomato and cucumber plants just as they were needing to go into gallon pots. I always overplant.

I thought I was a bit behind on my seed starting, but realized that I ususally start the basil, squashes and melons too soon anyway. You, too, can start your warm weather crops this month in plenty of time to get them of good size before planting outside.

Succession planting of lettuce can continue in the greenhouse or out. (This is where I have failed. I have a crop of beautiful lettuce ready outside and no seedlings ready to plant in its place.)

If you feel you are also behind schedule, don't worry. Just jump in and plant seeds starting now. A well grown plant will usually catch up as the weather warms. Any crop that doesn't care for cooler temperatures is just going to sit and wait for better conditions, so there is no point in setting them out too early.

See "Starting Seeds" in the column at right.

For the cheerful sight of blooms in the greenhouse this winter, some seeds should be started now. See "Planning for Winter Flowers" at right.

The website upgrade of SHERRY'S GREENHOUSE isn't just a fantasy. It will happen. Meanwhile, I have some websites to work on for others.

You can use this link to the old website to access its contents. I will keep everything up until I have remodeled and organized the rest.

If there are particular subjects you would like to see addressed in this website, please write to me with your suggestions.

Thank you --Sherry

35 uses for plastic milk jugs

In this Popular Mechanics web page, a greenhouse kit from B.C. Greenhouse Builders is assembled. Helpful details in the text and 16 photos, and a list of greenhouse kit suppliers at the bottom of the page.

Mother Earth News article detailing an earth-sheltered greenhouse.

Visit

You'll find this site very useful.Typing in a plant name (I looked up Tomato 'Juliet') brings up its entry and a thumbnail image. Clicking on either brings up more detail such as height, spacing, days to maturity, reviews from other gardeners, and more images that you can click on and enlarge to get a really good look.

Nonmembers may only search 10 times, but membership is free. Perhaps you could join and add to the database.

"The Plants Database currently contains 62,053 plants, 34,154 photos, 15,467 comments, representing 356 families, 2,416 genera, and 5,407 species.

This database was collaboratively developed by gardeners around the world. It is the result of the efforts of 4,718 individuals. It is the largest of its kind in existence.

You may search for entries in several ways: by name (common or botanical); by characteristics (height, hardiness, etc.) or browse the database by category."

Use a timer to control your lights, which should be on over your seedlings no more than 18 hours a day.

Salad all year  by Karen Platt