Scallions, Broccoli, Cabbage, Lettuce, Spinach, and Celery. (6 rows x 13 ea. = 78 seedlings)
We are germinating in seedling cups we made from toilet paper! The obvious benefit of using toilet paper as the material for seedling cups is that the paper is designed to decompose quickly so the plugs can be directly planted into a pot or garden. One unexpected but great property of the toilet paper cups is that they act similarly to Smart Pots (cloth pots) in that the roots will air prune when they reach the edges. For our first attempt we used Kellogg Organic Gardening Soil purchased from HD. We got decent germination rates with our setup by following the suggested depths on the seed packets we got from Burpee. In later rounds we used while only planting half as deep as the recommended depth and saw a notable increase in successful germination. My guess is that the Kellogg soil is heavier and since it compacts more easily it makes it harder for the coleoptiles to break the surface. It also contained far larger particles even after sifting than should probably be in a seed starting mix.
The germination tray we are using is a Gro-Smart tray by Grodan. While the product is designed to be used with commercially made pressed peat or coco cubes we split the difference of DIY vs Commercial Consumption (lol) by using the tray for its organizational and drainage functionality and making the ‘plugs’ ourselves. We like to be as self-reliant as possible without adding unnecessary work just for the sake of DoingItOurselves. The Gro-Smart tray fits into a standard 1020 tray which is very convenient. We also use a Mondi Mini Greenhouse 7″ Propagation Dome with Easy Vents and its mate the Mondi Mini Greenhouse Thermo/Hygrometer to elevate and keep track of humidity and temperature.
We eventually made a grow tent and with better lighting within a week of planting the seeds in the tray pictured. The setup shown is a jerry-rigged set of three fluorescent lighting fixtures from a middle school since project involving exposing plants to different commercially available grow bulbs. The bulbs in the fixtures shown are T8 and in the 5000k range. We will also be planting carrots, but those seeds will be sown straight into the garden to avoid a crazy crooked carrot. From what we’ve read, carrots don’t take well to transplanting. I think it is true for most if not all root vegetables as the taproot is the desired portion of the plant. In the next post I will detail our method of making toilet paper seedling cups.