Yesterday I kicked off the 2016 seed starting season. I sowed seeds for early plantings of arugula, lettuce, parsley, mizspoona and kale. I’ll be starting more seeds as soon as the new seed orders arrive, but yesterday I was able to use leftover seeds and get some things going.
128 cell plug flat filled with Pro-Mix
I am a fan of using plug flats for most of my seed starting activities. I have them with several sizes of cells, and I have found they help me conserve space under the grow lights and let me grow a large number of young plants that way. Yesterday I used one with 128 cells which is a good size for salad greens and herbs. I got all my plug flats from Johnny’s Selected Seeds, and they usually last me for four or five seasons of heavy use before I have to replace them. I’m using Pro-Mix potting soil as the growing medium.
128 cell plug flat showing size
Since parsley usually takes a longer time to germinate (sometime up to two weeks), I sowed those seeds separately in 3.5 inch plastic pots. Then I covered with plastic film to help keep the soil moist until germination. I will remove it once the seeds are up and growing, and eventually transplant the seedlings into individual pots.
container for parsley seeds
Back in 2013 I covered the basics of seed starting in my Seed Starting 101. And last year I shared a look at my indoor Seed Starting Setup. For the general timetable I follow every year check out my Seed Starting and Planting Schedule. I’ll be back with more updates on my seed starting activities as they happen.
Have you ever planted Galleon Overwintering Cauliflower?
you can google it…..
I want to try it here in Northern IL (near Rockford)
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to pick fresh cauliflower in early April and May!
What do you think??
I’ve never heard of it before, but it certainly sounds interesting. I doubt we have enough snow cover down in Southern Indiana for it to make it through the winter, but it could work for you.
It’s always so interesting to see when people start their seeds in different parts of the country.
I’m expecting some seed orders this week, but first up for me will be the onions & leeks, followed by the peppers. I won’t be starting any salad greens yet, but parsley is not too far off as it seems to take forever to get to a nice size.
I’m not growing my own onions, so they aren’t on my list right now. Parsley does seem to take forever to grow, so I like to get an early start for it. By the time the salad greens are a few weeks old, the weather should be favorable for me planting them in either the cold frames or the greenhouse.
I have some Parsley and Baby Leaf Salad growing under lights, but that’s all at present. I’m trying hard not to be impatient! This year I have lots of “engineering” to do – making new raised beds – so I may not immediately have as much space as usual.
We will still be hanging on for a while before any sowing.
My non-gardening friends (so most of my friends) would think nothing of this, but ooohh, I’m getting excited to see that someone, somewhere, is starting seeds!!
Your use of 128 cell size seems very small.
How long do you leave your seedlings in these cells?
Where do you put them when they outgrow their little “homes?”
When do you move plants to the outdoors garden?
I have found the 128 cell size is plenty big for salad greens. I’ll leave the seedlings in there for 3-4 week after they germinate, and the plant them out directly in the ground or in the greenhouse.