Post date: Feb 16, 2020 11:30:54 PM
One easy way to sow, now that we are about 8 weeks to last frost, is under cover. Here are the tips:
1. Create a space outdoors that can be covered completely with translucent plastic sheet or fleece. A raised bed works fine.
2. Use low cost pvc pipes from HD to make frames. You need something to hold the sheet in place. Build a little hoop house.
3. Anything that will
Hold a plastic sheet or a fleece cover about 3 feet higher than the plants will work. You need warmth and air circulation.
4. Keep the flaps on one end openable, to place your seedling trays inside.
5. Fill your trays with medium, sow seeds, and place them side the hoop house/fleece cover/plastic sheets. All outdoors.
6. The sheets will enable diffused light and you need no bulbs or indoor lighting. They will also provide warmth and moisture from heating and condensation.
7. Seeds will germinate and plants will live happily until you are ready to transplant in early April. You can open the flaps to check moisture.
8. Use larger celled trays so your set up won’t dry out. You can also use holding trays for bottom watering if needed.
9. You risk fungal growth is there is too much heat and too little air. So design your set up for enough air inside.
10. This is way easier than indoor set up and involves little cost.
I have set this up by tucking a sheet over 6 large planters placed on the patio. Can be that simple.
Will set one up next weekend and post pictures.