If you're in zone 6, hold off starting the tomato seeds. They grow far more quickly than peppers and herbs and don't do well in pots like peppers do. I don't start mine until Easter or later. I think you could swap the heat mat because your "greenhouse" will keep the new sprouts warm. I created an "incubator" with a cardboard box that only has one heating pad on one side. Because I use shallow containers to sprout pepper seeds, I take them off right away and repot them in a cup. They stay in the box with a fluorescent light on them until they grow the first set of true leaves. When out of the box, I make sure not to over water and have a small fan on them to prevent dampening off. Hope that helps!
Jennifer

daryl,
As soon as they sprout you can turn off the mat.

You do not need to rotate the mat but if you cover everything with a large carboard box then the mat should keep everything inside pretty warm. If you put the pots in direct contact with the heat source they will dry out quicker. If you go through my pics it may be of some help and give you some ideas on a means to set up your heating system. Mine is a little more complex than most but the end results are the same. The pics are not in any order so you may have to click through a few pages to get to the germination stuff.

Dale

Here is a link that might be useful: Hope this helps

Hi daryljurassic,

Trying to stretch a single heat mat to a larger area is cheap, itÂs smart if you can pull it off.

IÂll attempt to answer your questions by posing one first.

When you say "large/shallow/clear plastic tote box" are you referring to the Rubbermaid type boxes that are designed to slide under beds? IÂll assume you are until you correct me.

OK,

"How long do I need to keep the heat mat on after the pepper plants have sprouted/emerged?"

You can safely take individual start cups/cells off after they sprout, peppers and tomatoes.

Could I rotate the mat? - get the peppers & herbs going/emerging, and then a couple weeks later(or less?)

Yes, I did the exact same thing for a couple of years. Depending on your last frost date and plant varieties, your starting time is going to be different anyway.

I read in another post about using metal cookie sheets to help distribute the heat

I believe it was rockguy who referenced the cookie tin. HeÂs the best one to answer this question. It makes sense though. Think about putting a 12" fry pan on a 7" element. YouÂll still burn your fingers on the side of the pan not directly over the heat source.

I had planned on putting this heat mat underneath the totebox - like outside of it vs inside the totebox. Is that okay or should the mat be in direct contact with the pots

If my assumption about the box type is correct, then I think the enough heat will get through the relatively thin plastic bottom. Take a look at my recent post in the "other heat mat" discussion. You should be able to pump up the heat by sitting the mat on a Styrofoam sheet and then placing the box on top.

the thought of pouring water over the mat(bottom watering) doesn't seem too bright...It says its waterproof but still...

No, donÂt believe everything you read. If you do try it, do a video and post it ;-))

Incedently, I use small styrofoam coffee cups as pots

Styrofoam and expanded polystyrene are poor heat conductors. You'd probably be negating the heat from the mat with the insulating properties of the styro cups. If my assumptions about your box are wrong and you can cover it with the cups in, then the mat may raise the overall ambient temp within the box to help with germination, even in styro cups.

ThatÂs my brain dump. IÂm sure others will offer advice based on their experience.

Bill

p.s. IÂm truly not trying to be an ass but, having two related posts on heat mats going at the same time can get tedious. I know posts go off topic at times but your best bet for getting responses from folks who are interested in / knowledgeable about a topic is to post your questions in the currently active discussion. Peace.

Holy crap Dale,

That's a pretty impressive setup you've got going. Can you feel the envy from here?

Bill

Dale, I was just going to say that after looking at your pics again. You've got one hell of an operation now at your home. Your stuff blows away any nurseries I've been into and I've seen them all!

Thanks Chris and Bill, As you guys know I have germinated a lot of seeds and have always done it in seed trays, well this year so far I have done all my germinating using the damp paper towel in the baggy method (about 300 plants so far) and I have to tell you that I may never go back to using the seed trays again. There is no hassels with misting the medium, checking them every day to make sure they are moist. I just wet the towel fold it put it in the baggy and in 5 days go open the baggy. I have to tell you I'm hooked on this baggy thing.

Dale

Dale, wouldn't it be hard to start 100 different varieties like this though?

daryljurassic, sorry, when I said "Trying to stretch a single heat mat to a larger area is cheap" it should have read "not cheap".

Dale, I've never had much luck with the paper towel method the few times I've tried it. If you're saying you'd never go back to the seed trays again then I've got to give it another shot. I'd love to be able to skip the starter tray hassles.

Bill

Chris, i quess it would all depend on how many seeds of each you would be starting, since I am now selling plants i will be starting anywhere from 15-100 seeds of one variety than it would be done in the paper towel but say under 10 seeds maybe the seed tray. Chris I thought I would never use the towel method but I'm loving it......... After further thought, I believe that if i was going to start 100 varieties and 10 seeds of each I would still use the paper towel method. Having the germ box makes it easy too because I can just throw the bags in without worrying that they are one the heat source,the whole box inside is at between 80 and 90 degrees.

Dale

Dale, that's what struck me after reading your earlier post. You could start a large number of seed in the space taken up by one starter tray. I gotta give the paper towel another shot. I'll be starting some tests today.

Thanks for suggestion.

Bill

Thanks for answering questions. I started a second thread because I didn't want to take over that one...The totebox IS the kind you would slide under a bed. It has a clear lid and I keep it on until the seedlings get a few inches tall, so maybe that would help retain some of the heat from the heat mat. Good point about the styrofoam pots potentially being insulated from the heat mat... It sounds like plastic pots might be better. I don't have any of the fancy digital thermometers to monitor... I use the coffee cups because they are sterile(new), easy to label/write on, cheap and readily available. I also use a fan on my plants after the cover comes off. I generally start mine in mid Feb, and then a second smaller batch in mid March for insurance... The 1st batch eventually goes into a much deeper clear totebox(16") that can go out on the deck when weather permits. I know some people do there's(toms) 4-6 weeks before the last frost date. I don't like to wait that long...The actual last frost date can vary by a couple weeks around here and I have never had a problem with leggy plants. I prefer to plant a bigger plant(tomato) DEEP than plant a 6" little fellow. Also, I have some Walls-of-Water that are fun to experiment with - I had a few experimental toms survive a late snow a few years ago. Since this is a pepper forum though..., when would you folks recommend starting(germ) a pepper plant in zone 6a - Cincinnati? I do jalapeno, problano and giant marconi. Last year, of the three, the problano took the longest to germinate. I'm curious, with the zip-lock method, would ontop of a fridg or water-heater be suffice for heat?

Thx again,

daryljurassic,

Hey, donÂt sweat the new thread thing. After I posted my original response I kind of felt bad for acting like some kind crusty forum cop LOL.

If you can initially close the lid then it would help keep some heat in. It would also help reduce watering as IÂm sure you already know. You donÂt really need fancy digital thermometers, any old thermometer (as long as it reasonably accurate) will do for monitoring the temp in your tote box.

I fully understand why youÂd use the Styrofoam cups. A couple of years ago I picked up a huge box of 6 oz cups on sale at Costco. I think I still have 3,000 left ;-)) I transplant a good number of starts into them. I always end up starting way more than I could ever use so family and friends get the ones in Styrofoam cups. I donÂt have to bug people for my plastic pots back.

Yep, I use fans too. TheyÂre great for reducing the risk of damping off. I also think they help produce plants with stronger stalks.

Regarding the zip-lock method, IÂm going to try to set up a heater box for the baggies. In the past I tried the "on top of the fridge" thing. I found it didnÂt cut it for warmth. Fridges built in the past 10-15-20 years are much better insulated than older ones. I guess it all depends on your fridge. I canÂt speak to the water tank thing, never tried it and now I have a tankless system.

Someone closer will be able to answer your when to start in 6a question.

Bill

dj, you are a couple weeks ahead of me i'm guessing (I'm in detroit area)and you are doing annuums and they grow the fastest so I would go no later than 3 weeks from today. As far as the toms go, a 3" tom plant will catch up to a 6-8 inch plant in a week or two after transplant. Its more about how many you start and how much room you have under the lights that is the determining factor for starting the toms.(IMO)

Your water heater would work fine or your router for your computer or the modem in some cases. If you have a LCD TV you could put it on top of that. Another thing you could use is the top of your fluoro light or turn them over and put the baggies right on the lights. Anything that is warm to the touch will work.

Dale