Starting seeds indoors

    Last Thursday we started our first round of vegetable seeds inside. We planted Artichoke, Broccoli, Roma, San Marenzo, and Sweetie Tomatoes and Lettuce. We built a temporary table and installed florescent lights in a room that we don't use very much. We started with two trays that are 22" by 11" and that have a removable plastic cover that is used during germination only. Above the trays are two 4 foot florescent lights that are adjustable. It is best to keep the lights a few inches above the tops of the plants. The table was built with some scrap wood found in the garage. It measures 2.5' by 8'. This gives us plenty of room for planting and the trays.

    The germination time on the seed packets for all of the seeds was between 1-2 weeks. After 3 days we found the broccoli was the first to sprout and the San Marenzo Tomatoes were on day 4. The Artichoke and remaining tomatoes sprouted on the 5th and 6th day. We kept the temperature in the room about 70 degrees and watered about once a day with room temperature water. The lettuce required temperatures between 55 and 60 degrees to germinate, therefore, we kept them in another room. Our florescent lights are on a timer and remain on 16 hours a day.

    We feel good with our germination success. After 1 week:

Above: First Broccoli Sprout, 3 days old

Below: First San Marenzo Tomato 4 days old

Below are our veggies after 1 week

Top Left: Artichoke

Top Right: Broccoli

Bottom Left: San Marenzo Tomatoes

Bottom Right: Lettuce