Need Advice...First time Sowing Indoors

10 years ago

Cross Post from the Growing from Seed Forum:

Hi all! This is my first year trying to start seeds indoors and I am looking for some suggestions. Seeds will be tomatoes and maybe some Snap Dragon flowers. I have a couple of options, but I am hoping I can make the first one work as it would be a space saver and out of my way...

I live in a tiny basement apartment...it is a studio, and we share a basement laundry room with our landlords. Anyway, we have a basement egress window in the laundry room area that is actually covered with a clear glass dome. Similar to the one pictured below. My landlord has said I can use it.

I have a self watering seedling tray and I am wondering if now that we are past frost danger if I could simply place my germination tray in the egress window?

I do have a heat mat if that would be necessary? There is an electrical socket right underneath the window. I could also line the bottom with Mylar emergency blanket material as well.

My other option is to use a grow light and the heat mat and try and find somewhere in my tiny apartment to tuck it until they germinate and then move them to the egress window during the day???

Later when the plants are bigger I have a small porch they can hang out on until I am ready to plant.

I do have growing experience...I have just always either bought seedlings...or when I was still living with my parents eons ago, we sowed directly into the garden. I only have room for about 5-6 tomato plants so this isn't a big operation by any means. I was gifted and have bought/collected a variety of different tomato seeds that I would really like to try...so hence the trying to grow from seeds!

Any suggestions or advice is appreciated!

Featured Answer

northerner_on

10 years ago

Hi lillivewire87:

I would like to tell you a little story which may help you. Last spring, I lost all of my tomato seedlings due to an infection of some sort. I have been pre-sprouting my seeds and growing them on under simple canadian tire fluorescent lights for many years, so I thought I would have to head to a nursery, but a friend of mine told me not to. He said tomatoes grow very fast so you should be OK starting them now. It was May 17 when I set my seeds to sprout in paper towels on my TV box. Over May 21-25, they were all well sprouted, planted up into 4 inch pots and placed OUTDOORS. I planted Yellow Italian, Sophie's Choice, Red Beefsteak, San Marzano , and 42 Days. By June 24, they were healthy little seedlings, and were planted in the ground. My harvest was a bit late, started mid-August, but I had a full harvest, lots for salads and sauces, and still have some canned. I don't know what zone you are in and what your frost dates are, but I am in Zone 5a Ottawa. But that experience saved me lots of hassles: daily trips to the basement to water; making sure I watered with chamomile tea to prevent damping off; sprinkling cinnamon to keep fungus gnats at bay; and that most time consuming task of hardening off!! I have lost seedlings to hardening off because I forgot the seedlings out too long. I will not be growing tomatoes under lights anymore. You may want to consider this as an alternative and save yourself lots of work and worry. Good luck!!

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Comments (6)

User
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
This worked good for me this year, saved space & was easy:

I placed seeds in damp coffee filters, folded the filter and put in a ziplock bag. I stacked up the bags in a plastic container and set it by a heater vent which was a consistently warm spot. You can see right through the filters to check each day for germination which was rather fun to look forward to each morning. Once they germinate, simply unfold the filter, use a toothpick and gently plant in a small pot. Makes it easy to germinate seeds needing only warmth and its a great space saver. Once its warm enough you can try that space outside, perhaps during the day depending on your temperatures but not if its still freezing. You'll need a light situation for indoors if thats the case.

Some people winter sow these kinds of seeds outdoors, I don't see the point of it myself because all they need is about 7 days or so of warm temps. & I prefer to get a head start on them indoors.
caryltoo Z7/SE PA
10 years ago
Why are either of you posting on the winter sowing forum? And we sow our seeds outside in containers in winter because it's easy, doesn't take up indoor space and it works.
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User
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Excuse me for breaking your rules.

It was a straightforward question from someone who lives in a basement apartment, no doubt they have no outdoor space like some others probably do. I believe its more courteous to answer than correcting people for not strictly sticking to WSing. I winter sow but also sow indoors as well. Both methods work and the type of seed determines which way I sow.
lillivewire87 thanked User
docmom_gw
10 years ago
Please everyone try to ignore negative posts. The wintersowing forum has shrunk since the growth of Face Book and the switch to Houzz. So, we need to invite and encourage all comers, no matter what they are asking about. Part of what has made this such a fun place to visit is the wonderful variety of people and information we get to share. Let's try to be welcoming to all. If a topic isn't interesting to you, you are free to ignore it, but please don't chastise those who are seeking advise or want to share their gardening adventures.

Martha
User
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Spoken like a true diplomat doc. Here here.

To keep on point, my WS pots are showing zippo, meaning zero germination. My ones sown elsewhere are now outside being hardened off, they are annuals I wanted a head start on and some are starting to form blooms along with some perennial bush type salvia plants that are now nice sized, I'm so proud, they look store bought in size etc. If a person has a south window, I can't see not taking advantage but I digress, to get back on point...

WS shrub seeds needing cold stratification-- show nothing, but oh well, it was worth a try. One pot sowed with bush penstemon has a tiny plant, maybe its a single penstemon which means one successful seed in the whole lot. I'm not tossing anything for quite a while but I'm pessimistic. I WS the tricky native stuff outside, the easy needing only warm to germinate indoors but please don't hold it against me.