I bought 4 large bags of potting soil last week. They were on sale, and I have storage space for the extra for next year. A single bag almost filled up a large trash can. The stuff isn't perfect. It is designed for large containers and established houseplants. There are bits bark and some clumps that have to be hand crushed into fine soil. But it works with a little effort. Really fine starting soil costs 3 times as much, so I am willing to put a little labor into improving it.
So, I pulled out my planting trays and the 6-cell-packs that fit them from last year. They are clean, of course. Each Fall, I fill up the basement laundry tub and add ammonia and soap to the water. I let the trays and 6-cells soak overnight and rinse them a few times. So today was my first major scheduled planting (10 weeks before last likely frost date).
The light stand is GREAT! Each shelf has a combination of "daylight" and "plant-grow" fluorescent bulbs, and I made supports of various heights so that I can easily keep the growing seedlings close to the lights. And I built the stand so that the shelves are all 2" lower than the shelf above (i.e. shelves are 10", 12", 14" and 16" apart).
Today (week minus 10 to last frost date here), I planted mostly annuals; 35 salvia, 6 wave petunias, 12 perennial ruddbeckia, 35 impatiens, 12 forget-me-nots, and 11 leeks.
Why the odd numbers on some? Because I want to water the trays from the bottom and that requires an open spot.. Six 6-packs fit in each tray. I cut one cell out to leave an easy watering spot. You don't want to water from above.
My schedule has nothing to plant in week -9. But week -8 is the BIG ONE! Tomatoes, peppers. 4 flowers, cole crops. I can hardly wait!!!
Pictures later when the seedlings start to grow...
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