Ellyn (00:07.358)
Starting plants inside is a great idea for many reasons. Today, we're going to talk a little bit about those reasons and our setups for starting plants. First and foremost, starting your own plants, and we're more talking about plants for your garden or maybe your annuals. It saves money, a lot of money.
lauren (00:30.302)
A lot of money.
Ellyn (00:36.102)
Depending on the seeds that you buy, you might buy yourself more expensive organic seeds, and you still save money doing that too. You can buy a packet of seeds for a couple of bucks and start 30 plants, or you can buy six plants at the greenhouse for $5. So, depending on your area, it might even be more than that.
Ellyn (01:05.406)
That's about typical for here. it was last year. inflation is higher this year than it was last year So who knows what they'll charge this year and I don't blame greenhouses. They have to charge what they have to charge But if I can start my own plants, then I don't have to buy their plants no matter how much they're charging So, yes it does it saves a lot of money
lauren (01:32.094)
A simple cost comparison for here is you get 20 seeds for $1.25 or two plants for $5.
lauren (01:44.238)
So, and you know what? I'm not again, talking negatively about the greenhouses or even saying that you should never buy plants at a greenhouse. I would never say that because you should, if you want to,
Ellyn (01:57.263)
And I do. I almost always buy something there. Something I forgot to start or sometimes at the end of their season, they'll reduce their plans. I'll buy a bunch.
lauren (02:12.05)
I just like going to greenhouses. It's nice. It smells good. It makes me happy
Ellyn (02:16.202)
Mm-hmm. It does. And when it's cold outside and you walk into a greenhouse and you can just feel the sun's rays hitting you, I'm like, take my money. I don't care. I just wanna stand in here.
Another great thing about starting your own seeds at home is that you know everything about them. You know what kind of fertilizer was put on them, you know what kind of dirt was used, and you know where the seeds came from. Which is not really going to be true of pretty much any plant that you buy from someone else. You just can't have all the information.
It also really quick, I didn't put this in the list, but it also gives you time to research the plant a little bit and know what the best conditions for it are going to be. I've found that at times when you're out someplace purchasing things, the item that you're purchasing isn't necessarily suited to the climate that you live in.
lauren (03:36.098)
and lack of time and understanding are the reason that people buy that stuff a lot of the time.
Ellyn (03:46.212)
There is something for you be aware of, especially if you're shopping in big box stores, know your zone. They will often sell things as perennials, which means it comes back year to year, that aren't, that isn't hardy in your zone, in the zone where you are. So I'm in zone four, I often in stores will see things that are only hardy to zone six or seven here being sold as if they're going to come back next year, which they absolutely will not. They will die.
lauren (04:24.834)
Yep, and that happens to me all the time too. I'm in zone seven even though we're much further south, there's still plenty of things that I can't plant here and have come back the following year. It just isn't going to happen. Starting your own seeds can prevent some of that as well. But, yeah, just knowing your zone and being savvy because sometimes they don't even put it on the label. You just have to know, which is kind of a bummer really.
Ellyn (05:00.966)
A Google search in the store will save you money, honestly, because you can find out whether something is hard in your zone. Another thing about starting your own seeds. So this is the time of year when you wanna be going and getting your seeds, because any later than this and things are going, they're gonna run a stock and you just won't have as big of a selection. But also if you're looking for seed catalogs, you can compare. let's say you're looking at butternut squash, you can compare five different types of butternut squash. And often in a seed catalog, you're going to get a nice long description of each and what they're suited to, what they're resistant to. Some kinds of squash are more resistant to diseases that affect squashes. So if you know you have a particular disease, in your area, you would avoid certain kinds of squash. And if you just go to the store, go to the greenhouse and pick out some squash, you have very little information about what that squash can handle or what the fruit will look like when you're when you come to harvest time. Not all butternut squashes are the same. Some are little, some are big. And so you want to know well before the season starts what you're going to get at the end of the season.
So buying your seeds and starting them yourself will give you that information.
lauren (06:43.134)
Another great thing about it is you can expand on a shorter growing season. So here we actually have a perfectly adequate growing season. I don't really have any complaints about how long our growing season is. It's pretty good. But I can't grow everything.
This year I think I'm going to try growing some turmeric and ginger. These are tropical plants. You can't grow them here in the ground anyway. I mean you could but I'm not going to. I'm going to do them in a pot, in a really big pot, and I'm going to start them soon because they have a very long growing season.
Ellyn (07:37.27)
Interesting. I'll be interested in your results on that.
lauren (07:39.262)
I'm just trying it. Yeah, I wanna see what's gonna happen. How about you? I know you need to expand your growing season.
Ellyn (07:49.678)
We do. And so for us, we have to start a lot of things inside because if we just planted the seeds straight in the ground, we wouldn't get a harvest. So things with a longer growing season in my area must be started well before the last frost date. So for anyone who doesn't know, your last frost date is the last time frost is expected in your area. It's usually a guideline.
Sometimes you can push it and plant a little bit earlier than that, but you just have to keep an eye on the weather and make sure that your tender seedlings aren't going to get frosted between whatever your plant date was and the end of your last frost date. But you can always run out and cover them up and they'll be okay. So just something to keep in mind.
lauren (08:49.814)
So, sister, what do you plant yours in? When do you start yours in?
Ellyn (08:56.338)
I usually start mine in old six packs from seedlings I've bought in the previous couple of years. I have probably 50 six packs downstairs. And so that's usually what I start mine in. And then I have big trays underneath my grow lights to catch any excess water. And that works out really well for us. How about you?
lauren (09:18.181)
Yep, I have trays too. I, well, I use containers. I start in, I actually start my seeds in old tomato containers.
Ellyn (09:36.082)
So like tomato that you would buy tomatoes in the grocery store. Okay.
lauren (09:41.474)
They have lots of holes in them and they, but they're still a container. So they still hold. soil and they're flat and you can put a lot of seeds in one any that germinate, you can then move to a small container on their own. It's just the way I do. I usually just do tomatoes that way.
because I usually plant several and just keep the strongest plants. I don't necessarily keep all the plants or if I do I give them away to people, friends, stuff like that. And then I also use little plastic containers like from yogurt or other disposable
Ellyn (10:38.782)
sour cream.
lauren (10:40.294)
Yeah, yeah, I'm, I use the big containers from yogurt too. Like the plain Greek yogurt that comes in the larger containers. I use those as well. A lot of times I will transplant my small tomato seedlings into those larger containers to wait to go outside. They just, I actually transplant quite a bit with my indoor plants. I find it gives the roots some place to grow and it just extends my time with them inside.
lauren (11:19.662)
that way I have a really big hearty plant to put into the ground outside.
lauren (11:34.129)
many greenhouses will give you those six packs at cost. So our local place, they hardly charge for those at all. I think I've gotten like 10 for a dollar or something like that because they plant there. So they've already got them and they don't charge profit margin on them. They just charge what they paid.
Ellyn (12:05.726)
Mm-hmm. Or you can save them from when you purchased plants the last time. Like I said, I've got bunches down there. I should probably just throw some away or give some away because I have so many down there more than we can possibly use. But they're handy. They're great for certain seeds.
lauren (12:28.834)
They are. I save them, but they don't last me more than one year or two years or three years. Like, you can't keep using them. So I'm surprised that you have a lot.
Ellyn (12:43.13)
Well, I always end up buying some stuff every year. Like I don't start flowers in the house, but I love flowers. So I buy flowers for my pots every year. So I always have those containers left. And I actually like, I think it was maybe Walmart last year. There they had containers that were really deep. And so the roots have had a long way to go to get to the bottom of those six packs. I hung on to those just because I liked the shape of them, because I felt like the plants had farther to go to fill up that vessel.
Ellyn (13:28.286)
So another thing to consider when doing your setup, you can buy seedling mats, or if you have your plants up in your living space, kind of find a warm spot for them, because they do like to be a little bit warmer, especially right in germination time. They want a nice warm spot. For me, we keep ours in the basement. So it's kind of a cold spot. I get seedling mats, they're plug-in heat mats that you put underneath your plants. And they just warm it up a little bit so that they're not too cold and you get a better germination. And we'll put a link to the things that we talk about tonight on our show notes.
lauren (14:32.198)
It also, if your plants are a little bit warmer, it speeds their growth a little bit. So if the packet says that you need three weeks or something like that inside,if you've got your plants in a cold spot, they may germinate and even look healthy, but they are not growing to grow fast in a cooler spot.
Ellyn (15:03.782)
Right, yep. I'll be curious to hear what you say. I turn off my heat after they're pretty well germinated. So maybe an inch tall, I turn off the heat. What do you do?
lauren (15:21.018)
I don't have any heat. I know. I don't have any heat, but I know that I need to leave my plants more time than the packet says to get to a bigger size. So I need to plant earlier than the packet says because it's cold. The place in our house where we have the plants is a cooler place.
Ellyn (15:23.15)
Oh, well, never mind then. That was an easy answer, then.
Ellyn (15:41.374)
So after you've got your plants nice and warm, you're also going to need to provide them with light. A sunny window just isn't going to be enough.
lauren (15:51.07)
so the plants are not going to grow as fast. The seeds germinate in warmer soil because plants like warmer soil and in real life when the seed falls off of a plant in fall it germinates in spring when it warms up so that's why plants just don't grow as fast in a cooler environment.
Ellyn (16:18.715)
Right.
lauren (16:22.966)
What grow lights do you use? Ha ha ha.
Ellyn (16:29.402)
I like to use ones I bought on Amazon. I actually can't remember the name of them. What makes them interesting is that they have a pink light, which I don't know if it's better, but it is what I have. When you look at them, you'll see that mine are pink.
lauren (16:37.142)
but we'll put it in the show notes for this episode.
Ellyn (16:55.37)
My plants grow really well under them, but I haven't done a whole lot of research to be honest, to know if the pink light is better for them or not. how about you?
lauren (17:07.29)
I use a shelving system that has lights on each level. And it just gives me, it's small, like it doesn't take up very much floor space. But it still gives me lots of shelves to put plants on. And it has a double light on each one, so it's got plenty of light. I also use some smaller lights that you can just clip on close to your plants and point in any direction that you want. And I've got several of those. And I put those in areas that are missing, missing out on light from my main light source. But you can also, I have at least two friends that start their seeds in a sunny spot. So in a window somewhere in their house. I have one friend that has a, it's like almost a reading nook in a window that is outset from her house. So it's light shines in all day long in that spot.
lauren (18:29.066)
I'm kind of jealous. And she starts, she starts her seeds there. And I mean, it's warmer too, because it's got sunlight in a window. it captures the heat from the sun as well. So it's very useful. Good spot. So if you have anything like that, that's also a good spot to start your seeds.
Ellyn (18:53.626)
And you do have to be a little bit careful about starting in a sunny window. It truly has to be something that is sunny 10 hours a day. It, otherwise your plants are going to get leggy and not be as strong as plants that are started underneath grow lights. Even grow lights have to be put super close to your plants and then just keep moving them up as your plants grow, because what you want to put in your garden is a strong bushy plant. And if you get the light too far from your plant, it's gonna make your plant stretch toward the light, which isn't what you want. You want your plant to be short and bushy and full. And then another thing too that I do for my plants, because again, my plants are in the basement where it's very still. Once my plants get an inch or two tall, I put a fan on them to run a few hours a day to give them some stress. Honestly, they need a little bit of stress to get strong. And like all of us who get to have a little bit of stress, they're stronger if they have something to push against.
lauren (20:18.77)
Yeah, that's the basis of my throwing some plants away. Why I plant too many, really, is because, I throw away some of them that just don't look like good, sturdy plants or. They're browning or they've gotten too tall without getting any leaves. Like any that don't look good. I just toss.
lauren (21:40.675)
and that's something you can do when you're growing your own.
Ellyn (21:44.862)
right. And I do the same. I try to save as many as I can. And sometimes I'll just chuck those out there maybe not in quite so desirable a spot just to see how they do if I have a little extra space. But I definitely throw away stuff too if it doesn't look like it's going to prosper. Nobody's got time for that.
lauren (22:13.102)
So let's talk a little bit about timing. So we talked a little bit about this already, but with timing, all you have to do is look at your seeds. And a lot of times the person, whoever came up with the seeds and put them in the little packet will put a little blurb on the back that says when you should start them outside and when you should start them inside according to your zone.
lauren (22:43.106)
And you do need to figure out when your zone is. You can do that on the internet or, okay, just the internet. I can't think of any other practical way to figure out what zone you're in.
lauren (22:56.61)
And I like to make a little calendar of when each one needs to be planted. I don't plant all my seeds at once because that's not practical. I don't know what Ellyn does.
Ellyn (23:10.586)
And you shouldn't anyway, because your tomatoes and your peppers are going to take a different length of time to get to the right level for outdoor planting.
lauren (23:21.954)
Yep, that's why it's not practical. Because some plants just take longer than others. I remember planting sunflowers at the same time as I planted my tomatoes. And boy, I hardly had time to get them outside. But like, they were just enormous. And they grew so fast. They were taking over.
Ellyn (23:42.131)
Yes. So your packet is going to say something like plant outside for after frost last frost date or six weeks before the last or three weeks before the last frost date, depending on what it is. And so you just figure out what your last frost date is. And depending on your conditions, If you have more challenging conditions, count on it lasting a little bit longer. Lauren and I were talking earlier and we both have kind of a cold setup in our houses. So we tend to give it a little bit more time before the last frost date because we are counting on it taking a little bit longer for our conditions and that's just experience. You'll learn after your first year what your house will allow for them to grow.
lauren (24:43.126)
What soil? I don't do anything fancy with my soil. I just pick out something that looks absorbent and on sale.
lauren (24:57.558)
How about you?
Ellyn (24:58.368)
I usually use a seed starter. If I can get my hands on it, I get an organic seed starter. I've had different results with different brands and again that's just experience. I guess it would depend even year to year the composition of the seed starter from the
Ellyn (25:24.734)
That's all I have to say about that.
lauren (25:24.85)
Yep. We believe in your ability to choose a good soil to start your plants in.
Ellyn (25:30.662)
Yes. But I do, I would recommend a seed starter because it's less likely to have like little sticks and stuff like that. You know, it's going to be a more soft soil for your tender seedlings. Do you use just plain potting soil or do you use a seed starter, Lauren?
lauren (25:52.182)
I really do use whatever looks good when I am buying. I think last year I bought at a local greenhouse and I got a organic seed starter.
Ellyn (26:16.03)
Okay. Another thing to think about is hardening off your plants, which basically just means that you are going to expose them to harsher, not nice conditions during the day and then bring them in at night when it might freeze for a few days or a week leading into when you're going to plant them outside.
Ellyn (26:45.15)
and that's called hardening up.
lauren (26:47.178)
Yep. I'd say if it's going to be in the 50s or above, that's a good time to start putting your plans out. I wouldn't put them out when it's still in the 40s. they won't like that. They won't die probably, but they're not going to be as happy as they would be.
Ellyn (27:08.275)
it might set them back some. So you just, you're exposing them to the outdoor elements, but not too harsh of outdoor elements, but definitely bring them back in at night.
lauren (27:24.326)
Yeah, one more small piece of advice is not to water too much. You can definitely get carried away with the watering when they're inside because it's not the same as watering outside. I feel obliged to water my garden every single day during the summer here, but I can't water my indoor plants that much in the winter because it's cooler, I water my regular house plants probably about once a week and your seeds like starting your seeds you just want to check the soil every once in a while and see if it's getting dry you don't want to let it become dry. you just don't need to water as much and conversely when you're starting to put them outside you need to make sure and water them much more than you were watering them when they were inside because the sun is harsher and the wind is greater they're going to dry out a lot more when you start putting them outside.
Ellyn (28:34.866)
Yep. And from back up above there, if you have a fan running on them a few hours a day, that's going to dry them out more than it was before you put the fan on them. So you just need to check them. I would say count on watering them inside maybe three days a week. Check them every day. Go play with your plants, talk to them, be nice to them, and they'll give you yummy tomatoes later in the season.
lauren (29:05.466)
And peppers! All kinds of peppers, but you do have to buy lots of different pepper seeds to make that happen. Well, this is a process that has saved me hundreds of dollars over the years, and therefore is something I strongly recommend. Starting your plants inside is also good for your well-being. Winter can be hard with the cold and lack of growing things. These little seedlings can give you a jump start on the spring feel goods. Until next time.