Updated for COG members on 3/16/'20
I wanted to post the outline to the seed starting workshop I started to do mainly for those that asked I post the info- in case they missed something and also for anyone that wasn't able to be there. All this info is just a culmination of what I've figured out over a few years of experimenting. Take what tidbits are useful to you, tweak it to your needs, ideas, and situation- and then share that knowledge with others. I'd love to hear any experiments you've done!
For COG members- we'd also like to remind everyone, if there is something you know how to do and have had success with doing, here in CO, host a free event! Let us know if you'd be interested in this- it can be anything. Bee keeping, trellis building, water features, seed starting, you name it! Offering an event to the group is just another way we can share information about things we've had success with doing. Give it some thought, because proven techniques come from your experiments and they are just as valuable as any class. It gives people options to try and that is golden.
The workshop runs about 2 hrs. counting set up and depending on how many questions come up after. We've combined the annual seed swap with this class and it's been great! We also go over anything COG related- thank you guys for helping us keep our group free of drama. It's our goal to be a helpful, effective and free resource and you all help us to do that.
So here is the outline-
The benefits of starting your own plants from seed-
- Saves money 😏 uh- huh...
- You can choose the varieties - which should be short season varieties that are bred for our night time temperature dips, for heat lovers, especially.
- It's fun!
- Saving seed - an important part is SAVING seed...from big, bad gmo companies.
- Being as close to self sufficient as possible is a good idea
Seeds are special - they are a wonder, for sure. They are a tiny plant all packed in that tiny seed shell. They are alive but dormant or asleep. They need air, warmth, and moisture to germinate- not light, with the exception of some seeds, most seeds don't require light and some seeds even need total darkness.
Some seeds need a cold, moist period to germinate (stratification) and some need to be nicked to break through a hard shell so moisture can enter (scarification.) Most of this info can be found online and seed packets will give you an idea. There are different ways to accomplish these methods. For instructions, I found this site to be simple and helpful. Click here 👉
Stratification and scarification. Just remember that if there is a seed you're having difficulty germinating, you may discover some of these methods could solve the issue. I did, with pansy. I give them a dark, cold, moist treatment for 2 weeks and then move them inside in a warmer spot. Once they germinate, they go to the lights. I get close to 100% germination when I do it this way. I start this in January.
Once they germinate you'll see the seed leaf or cotyledon and next, true leaves. But under that soil the first thing that breaks through is a root. Cotyledons are important to the first week or so of the new baby's life. The leaves after that are needed for making the plant's food from that point on. The plant has everything it needs for about until that true leaf shows up- it's all in the seed leaves. If your seed starting mix is full of nutrients- not much will be needed as far as fertilizing goes until you have to pot up. Potting up is simply moving from a cell to a pot (not to be confused with up potting which is moving up a pot size.) Just add amendments to all your mixes and you'll be good.
Fertilizers - or if there's a problem
With seedlings, I focus on the middle number phosphorus- which is for roots and blooms. I focus on roots as the root is the first thing to come out of the seed shell and I want a strong plant going into the ground- a good root system. I use nitrogen only if the need arises and the leaves are not greening as I expected. I've not had a problem with this one usually, most likely because of my soil mix - I add alfalfa meal to my mix which is a slow release nitrogen source (and has some good calcium as well,) but note that nitrogen washes through the soil- so keep an eye out, if using synthetic fertilizers - again it's not a problem I've had a lot. Yellowing leaves can signal a need for nitrogen, but yellowing leaves can also be a sign of over watering, and that's one of the most common mistakes we make, so I back off on water first, if I know that there is plenty nitrogen in my soil mix and it's slow release. People often recommend fish emulsion for a quick nitro boost- but, well, it stinks...and you're growing indoors...no bueno. You can use a product called Dyna Gro recommended by Solomon. It has some nitrogen in it. This is again only if you see the plants need it. Bone meal does have a bit of nitrogen as well, so that is another option, and it will give you the phosphorus.
I want my starts to put some effort into root growth before going in the ground, as I said, which is why I focus on giving them phosphorus. Any fertilizer high in the middle number will do. Now since you're starting inside your soil won't be too cool. In the ground phosphorus can get tied up in cold soils- which makes it unavailable to plants. Again, I know you'll read most others telling you to fish emulsion like it's the answer to everything, but I've found if you have your seed starting soil right, adding a slow release source of nitrogen, you probably won't need anything until you up pot (moving to the next size pot or block.) Purple undersides on your tomatoes, on the other hand, is something I've seen- more than leaves needing greening, and that is a phos deficiency. I just automatically add bone meal or rock phos to my mix and call it good. I found these (below) in Eliot Coleman books - Four Season Harvest and Winter Harvest Handbook. My quick and dirty recipe is in there as well- and the soil block recipe is what I use most of the time that uses Black Gold Coco Coir.
Soil Mix Recipes
Light set up
Next up is the light set up- you can use a south or east facing window if a light setup is not feasible right now (it certainly wasn't for me when I first started, so don't let that stop you.) Your seedlings won't get the light they need early in the year, however, and you'll need to turn them as they bend and reach for the light that is available. Consider putting them outside on good days in a bright area, not in direct sun, and protected from wind.
I use a 5 shelf unit I purchased at The Home Depot for about $30 on sale. I have 2, 4' shop lights running parallel to each other hanging from each shelf. I drilled holes in the sides of the shelf unit to add 'S' hooks so the lights could be put on chains for easy raising and lowering, as needed, as the plants grow. The lights I use are full spectrum- I do not use fancy grow lights as I didn't really see a difference in the growth of my plants when I did experiments- and that was back when I used one cool and one warm florescent light in each shop light fixture.
 |
| Mizspoona! |
I use 40 watt T12s with a
6500k bulb . It's the Kelvin that really counts- for starting seeds, you're concerned with green growth, not blooms, so you want the blue part of the spectrum (or the cool) and red spectrum (warm) is for flowering- which doesn't apply with starting seeds- it's vegetative growth. You'll read conflicting info online about this- but this general info has proven true for me. As of recently, however, they will no longer be manufacturing T12s. Starting next year I'll be updating my shelves- at a cost of about $70/shelf for T8s. And I'll be converting to a 4 bulb, t8 light fixture instead of 2 shop lights side by side.
Update- I've purchased one light fixture instead of the 2 shop lights- jury is still out weather I like it or not. It's easier to raise and lower it- yes, but the outer plants lean in just a bit so I'm thinking the coverage isn't as good ('15).
Update- '18 lights are fine- plants are beautiful. Time to get another shelf.
Update- '19 beautiful green growth. Time to put another shelf together.
Keeping the lights just above the plants after germinated is important, using fluorescent lights. Once I see about half the seeds have popped up, I remove the dome (important) and get the lights closer. Otherwise they'll go looking for light and that is why you get leggy plants. I keep my lights no more than 2" above the plants- as close as possible, without touching, is best. There is no concern with heat as fluorescent lights run fairly cool. I also try to group plants together with a similar grow rate and germination time.
I only use heat mats with heat lover crops- tomato, pepper, etc, if I do use them at all. I've had decent germination without them- so again don't let not having one stop you. I've found ambient temperatures inside my house are just fine- so heat mats are used mainly for perennials that germinate faster with bottom heat. The time they took to germinate was the same- with or without the heat mats for crops when my light set up was inside the house. My lights are on a timer as seedlings need about 12-15 hrs of light/day- and then I have no worries remembering turning them on and off 👍. I set them for 15.
 |
| Lights are close! |
Update (2015)- Upon more research, I've learned some interesting things. I've always read and have been told for years from a science geek friend, that Lumens don't have anything to do with it, where plants are concerned, and now I know why. I've also learned a bit about Kelvin and CRI. If you are setting up a light system, or updating your current one, these are good reads!
To explain- scientists who study plants do not measure how much light a plant is getting in lumens or footcandles. They use special equipment to measure it because measureing using lumens is inaccurate where plants are concerned. Lumens are used to measure brightness for us. How bright a light is or how our eyes see it is measured in lumens. Plants 'see' light differently so measuring that brightness, and more importantly, how well it's being utilized- these can't be measured in lumens. And after looking at bulbs, I noticed the higher the lumens went, the kelvin went down. There are only a couple high k bulbs with different lumen numbers even available anyway- and, well proof is in the pudding...(first photo updated from 2018 COG annual seed swap, plants started two weeks before.) As you can see the below plants are healthy and beautiful and the resulting harvests.
 |
| soil blocks |
 |
| nice harvest! |
Seed starting method 1- cells
Now we'll get down to methods of seed starting. I cover what I know- so I'll start with the most common. 4packs, 6packs, then on to 32 cells, 72 cell, 200 cells, and finally 288 cells. I use the 200 cell flats a lot, and 72. 4 packs and 6 packs I use for larger seeds- unless they don't do well with transplanting (I'll get into what I do then later.) If I want a lot of plants I'll use the 200 or 288 cell flats, or if I'm starting something that takes forever to germinate. I start lettuce or things that will only be inside for about 2 weeks in the 200 cell and plant in every other cell so each plant has the space around them they'll need- as I won't be potting these up, they'll stay in the flat for 2 weeks, get hardened off, and planted in the high tunnel or outside (depending what time of year it is.) What I use is often dictated by how much time I have to devote to doing this in the first place too. My tools used to get the little babies out- a 4 penny nail for the tiny celled flats and a great tool called a widger- it's like a mini shoe horn, kinda. Someone at my workshop one year told me there is a tool you can find in any auto shop that is very similar- can't recall what he called it- but I plan on checking it out so I have some info on how anyone can get the tool locally.
 |
| Widger |
 |
| Using a 10 penny nail to pop the seedling out of a 200 cell flat |
Common problems and questions -
Over-watering is common as the babies are in plastic and water holds pretty well in these- or better than expected, at least. As the plant grows, however, watering has to be done more often- if too often, that's a good sign you've needed to pot up or go up to a bigger cell maybe a few days to a week before that. Some plants do fine though. You also want to be sure to put these flats in a tray that has holes in it for 2 reasons- one, it's easy to water by setting it in a tray of water- I almost always bottom water. The second reason is you want the roots that will come out the bottom to get air pruned- this will help with root wrapping, which later helps with transplant shock.
|
| Roots coming out the bottom need air pruning. You want them to come out the bottom instead of wrapping around inside the cell. Take your cell flat out of the solid flat and into a mesh bottom flat unless watering. When the roots hit the air they die off but this benefits the plant-they start more instead of continuing to grow and wrap. |
One question that always comes up is - how in the heck do you label a 200 cell flat if you're sowing more than one kind of plant in it? Over the years I've tried a few things and now I keep it simple. One end of the flat has a number (or letter) on it- I use a chalk or paint pen to mark it. I always start on that end (kept on my left) when putting in the seeds (one seed to a cell.) So the 1st row is row 1, and on down. I have seed starting sheets that I made in Word years ago that I still use today and I include that information. What row number or rows for each variety. This way I have no flags, toothpicks, labels, etc, getting in the way of the dome that is put on the flat to keep in the moisture, or the lights, and I have a way to record how long something takes to germinate and where it is in the flat. That and labels always wash off. This helps narrow down seeds that all take approximately the same number of days to germinate- I can then group those together. I do use a toothpick to mark what row I'm on when I'm sowing though, or I will lose track just picking one up! I use the fine soil shaker to cover seeds if necessary- and done.
Up potting-
We also discuss when to pot up to the next sized pot, cell or soil block. A good rule of thumb is when you see the first set of true leaves developing, for the young ones. Remember, these are not the first leaves that come out- but the very next ones. They are easy to tell as the seed leaves or the first leaves you see don't usually look like the true leaves. So if you need to pot up- that is a good time to do it- this is in the small celled flats. The bigger the cell or block, the longer you have until they need his. Waiting until they get bigger is okay, but can invite some issues. And it does depend on what you're starting them in in the first place- obviously starting things in a 6 pack means the plant will have more soil for a while, unless they grow really fast, so use common sense. You can up pot pretty young and honestly, after they germinate. I've had more issues waiting too long than up potting too early. Again, a good time is when you first see those true leaves though for good results, or wait a bit so those are stronger.
With some plants- like tomato, when they are potted up or get moved to a larger pot, I take off the lower leaves and bury them up to the top leaves. They'll develop more roots along the buried stem and be a strong, stocky plant.
Keeping things clean - And how about cleaning those cells and pots. Some suggest putting them in the top rack of the dishwasher- but that's a lot of loads for me and I've ruined a couple that way. What I do is at the end of a big potting up session I take them all and spray them with a hose and set them in the sun to fry any pathogens- that sun is powerful so I just let it do that job.
Method 2- Paper Pots
On to paper pots- using a paper pot mold makes it easy. Although, you could use a can from your kitchen cupboard. These take a bit of experimenting to get the hang of it, but they are useful for larger seeds that don't like their roots disturbed- Asian greens, fit that category. They do dry out a bit faster- so keeping an eye on them is a must. I prefer using phone book paper- it's thin, readily available and a good thing to do with a phone book when you don't use them anymore- I can find things online in 5 seconds- so they're obsolete in my opinion and dex really doesn't know anymore. I also make extra long paper pots for my beans and peas- beans because until my soil is balanced, I have problems with my beans getting eaten as soon as they stick their little heads above soil- so I start them in long paper pots and grow them to a good size before planting out- I start them about when my soil temps outside get close to 60- if I'm growing them inside a tunnel a little before that.
 |
| Beans in long paper pots |
I demonstrate how to use these so no tape is needed. They do come in handy for some things, as I said- things that grow fast and don't like roots disturbed.
Method 3- Soil blocks
So the last method discussed is soil blocks, and it's by far my favorite as the plants end up being the most healthy of all the methods. Zero transplant shock- they are planted and they take off. I've been using them since 2006 and love them! I purchased mine at Territorial Seeds but now you can get them pretty much anywhere, even Amazon, and they have more sizes- and even ones for market gardens that you use standing! I have several market gardening friends that use this modular system and have successfully done away with a lot of plastic pots, it takes more effort but a little dedication and it's worth it.
I use 2 different sizes- the micros (3/4" squares) and the 2". Even though it's by far my favorite, they have a bit of a learning curve and require some experimentation. Getting the soil right is critical or they'll fall apart- so I either mix in peat moss to some sifted Black Gold with Coco Coir, or if I have time and supplies, I make my own. I don't add any amendments to the micro mix, but I do to the 2" mix. Usually organic alfalfa meal, rock phosphate, greensand, etc. The combo I use most often is alfalfa meal, rock phosphate, and greensand and a bit of kelp meal (
Soil Mix Recipes )The 2" block molds have different inserts- one for seeds (actually, they offer two sized of those too- long ones for larger seeds and short ones for smaller seeds) and a 3/4" block size insert. So starting seeds in the 3/4" blocks will fit right in the 2" blocks when it's time to up pot (or in this case up block.) A genius modular system.
3/4" soil block (or micro soil block) I use the micros in these instances:
1. Tiny seeds that take a long time to germinate or are started very early in the year (8-10 weeks b4 last frost)- saves space. Lobelia is a good example.
2. Any plant that benefits from being potted up a few times before planting out into the garden- tomatoes and peppers fit in here.
3. If I'm short on room.
4. Any seed that is small enough and doesn't do well with transplanting.
The plants started in the 3/4" are moved on to the next size soil block or a pot, etc. 7-10 days after germination. They'll dry out easily and need to be watched. I put them on a wooden flat that has one open side- that I made. The tool I use for moving is a small spatula found at an art store in the paint section. Then they go into a standard flat with flutes to hold water- and then the dome goes on. Each mold is 20 plants. All this I picked up from Coleman. He's a genius!
 |
| Micro soil blocks and 2" |
 |
Micro soil blocks in flat
|
I use the 2" cells for these reasons:
1. Any plant in a 3/4" block needing to be up potted.
2. Large seeds, especially if they don't like transplanting- so read the seed packets, they'll often include this info and a lot of times it's a fare assumption that they don't do well if it says to direct sow.
3. And as a general rule, if I have the time to devote to this, the plants that come from using this method are far healthier- zero transplant shock, stockier plants. That means I'm putting the healthiest plants I can into the ground- couple that with healthy soil they don't get attacked...maybe just nibbled.
I space the 2" blocks apart a bit to allow root air pruning- very important as this has everything to do with transplant shock. I also put them on a flat with holes (mesh bottom) for the same reason- and ease of watering- bottom only. Some people water as usual and they stay together, but I prefer bottom watering because I can walk away and do other things (um, timer set!)
They hold together well as long as your mix is right. I have an old video from years ago demonstrating how to make them on YouTube, if you need any help- but I have made changes over the years and it really needs to be updated. You can hold the plants over in this size longer, of course, than the micros, but they need to be planted out in about 2.5 weeks or potted on, etc. And if you have the next size soil block maker - the 4"- that's great... It's on my list! Believe it or not, it's easy to over water these- it takes practice, but you'll get it.
 |
2 inch soil blocks ready for a 3/4 inch block
|
 |
| 3/4 inch blocks in their now home |
Update! I purchased the 4 inch block maker in '19 but haven't experimented...yet!
 |
| Coveted 4 inch soil block maker |
Timing-
Ahhh, timing. First things first. When is your last frost date? Have you tracked it using a digital thermometer? I don't mean a last frost date for your area- Here in the high desert, we have many, many microclimates- even in your own yard. This can affect timing. So we recommend tracking the lows in your yard. Set your last frost date (and first frost date if you want to grow year round) and know that every year in can and probably will vary a week or 2 on either side. Just set it and adjust as you go- starting second sets of crops doesn't hurt and with a lot of crops succession sowing is the best option for having food continuously.
So lets talk about the most common crops- as an example, I'll use my last frost date, which I've set to June 1st based on tracking my lows, in my yard, for 2 years in a row.
- Tomato- 6-7 weeks before last frost (that's about mid April)
- Zucchini or melon- 2 weeks before last frost
- Cucumbers- 2-3 weeks before last frost
- Beans- inside in long paper pots when outside temps are about 56 degrees
Cool weather crops are a bit different. We live in a cold weather climate and growing these year round, without heat, is very possible. If it's cold, say to yourself- That's awesome! What likes it cold? Using the methods I found in Eliot Coleman's books, Four Season Harvest and Winter Harvest Handbook, I've done this successfully with just a small, cheap, high tunnel. So these things can be started more often than you think.
I start sowing cool weather crops, inside and out, starting mid August with the most hardy crops, and go until the high tunnel is full. Around mid November we lose light hours to below 10 hrs/day so growth slows. During the winter things are still growing but slow enough you don't notice it- but you'll be yummy, fresh salads to eat. So really it's winter harvesting. You can still sow a row when a space opens up- just know germination is slow too. Once our daily light hours go above 10 hrs, in mid February, things take off like it's spring! About mid January I speed up direct sowing in the high tunnel. It's amazing. About this time, I'm just finishing up crops sown from fall and into winter- that grow much slower. So it's starting again. If temperatures drop to below 25 degrees, I cover the beds inside with light weight row cover, held above the crops with 9 gauge wire.
 |
| early March |
I start up direct sowing radishes in late January. There is only about a month gap of not having them from late summer into winter. And along with that are spinach, kale, lettuce, mache, claytonia, and more. I do this every 2 weeks.
Inside I start sowing cool weather crops as well, every 2 weeks, to go out in two weeks.
I threw this high tunnel together with inexpensive materials. The first trial year I only used regular 6mil plastic. After it succeeded, I purchased 6 mil greenhouse plastic. I have a wood base and use 1/2 inch pvc attached to that to attach the plastic. Pvc ribs, snap clamps and a zip door...the only other thing to consider is making sure the beds are in full winter sun that is lower in the sky. I have a video I made for a friend to show how I attach the plastic if anyone is interested, just drop me a note.
 |
Transplanting in Feb
|
 |
| Late march |
It really is all about light hours and protecting things from a combination of winter conditions- wind and freezing temps, for example.
 |
| Feb harvest |
If you don't have a high tunnel, you can do a lot in a cold frame. I've even put the cold frames inside a high tunnel as Coleman did. Outside, you'll need to figure out a way to protect them with that second cover- easy to do, just get creative. Cold frames are a useful thing in their own right for these reasons-
To extend the season
As a nursery- start seeds in there to cut out like brownies and transplant out.
To harden off seedlings started inside
You can start many cool weather crops early or transplant out much earlier than you'd think- just like in a high tunnel...just don't forget to vent!
Go pick up Coleman's books! Because it is so very true that if you don't have to heat to eat...why would you?
Common problems
I've found that one of the hardest lessons is starting too early and starting too much. Starting too much is no biggy- just give them away. I've tried it both ways and have found that there is no benefit to starting tomatoes earlier than 6-7 weeks before last frost, as an example. Tomatoes always come up in the workshop. There is an exception of the series of Indigo tomatoes that I start at 7-8 weeks before last frost date and I'm sure there are more. Starting real early, what you will end up with is an unhappy plant not getting enough light. An unhappy plant going into the garden will get munched as that is the way of nature. Unless you've been feeding your soil and getting it amended well it'll continue to be unhappy.
As the plant grows under the lights, it requires more space, obviously- something we fail to think about, sometimes. So just remember that if you start a six pack, once you pot up those 6 plants they'll need twice as much space or more- ideally, the leaves really shouldn't be touching each other under your lights. When it's all said and done you'll have a huge plant taking up a ton of space under your lights that you could be using to start stuff that can go out a lot sooner or now, and you'll not see fruit any sooner for all that work. Not happening- I grow way more things than a couple tomatoes per light! So,
figure your last frost date, and learn when to start the crops you want to grow which should be short season for the heat lovers, for the best success.
 |
| Nice tomatoes taking up one shelf! |
Fungus Gnats- yep, you know those irritating little buggers hanging out in your house plants that like to fly up your nose as you're relaxing? Yep, those little bastards. Well, they come in with the soil. The eggs. Once they hatch, if you're over watering you're giving them what they love- wet soil. Nope these aren't the same thing as fruit flies which are attracted to, well, fruit. Those can be trapped using vinegar in a cup. Fungus gnats like wet soil. So trap them that way. First thing is you need to cut back on watering- maybe even put up a little fan. Next take a cup and fill it 3/4 full of soil and wet it really well. Cover that with plastic and poke a few holes in it. Then treat soil surfaces, trays and outside of pots with neem oil if it's bad. Truthfully, when once I've cut back on watering they've died off. This is true if it's my seed starting set up or house plants. The first thing though, is not over watering in the first place, of course. Easier said then done at first- I think ever. We all do it at some point.
If you have a favorite and efficient way of dealing with these pests, let me know what's worked for you if you'd have problems with them.
Thinning! I know you don't want to- but I cover thinning seedlings to the best one if you sow more than one per cell. Sometimes I do if I'm using up older seed- but thinning needs to happen and then I have micro salad makings! Nothing goes to waste and the plant left in the cell can thrive. It's a labor of love- I used to hate doing it but have seen the results of not doing it vs doing it and I now look forward to micro greens- just don't eat your tomato seedlings!
Keeping Records-Keeping Organized
At the workshop I usually bring my notebook that has calendars, crop info, price/location sheets (if I'm selling my excess, or donating to food banks- which one needs what.) Garden drawings on graph paper for planning and more. Everyone does it differently but I need to stay organized to keep sane. As with everything else this has evolved over the years. I think for future workshops we should have those interested bring their record keeping ideas so everyone can get ideas.
Update ('15) I now keep my seeds in a binder in the fridge. They are inside sleeves similar to baseball card sleeves. I got them on Amazon. Binder Sleeves
The seeds are easily filed any way you want by putting tabs in- say seeds that are succession sown, annual flowers, or winter hardy crops. You can organize or file them by what time of year you sow them. Adding a little bit of sowing info to the pocket is easy too, on a file card. When I use all seeds in a packet, I put it back in there backwards, so I know come Jan. exactly what I need to order.
 |
| 4 pocket sleeve |
 |
| Sleeve with 3 pockets - for bigger envelopes |
We talk about the importance of keeping records- the main reason I do is I really dislike making the same mistake over and over! This year I went on a search for a better way to keep a diary. I use to use a software called Garden Tracker, but the dev stopped updating it quite a while ago. I'm pleased that I found a great way to do it now. Not only do I keep a written book- with seed starting logs, etc. But I also use
Diaro. This is both online and an Android app. So I can write a quick entry out in the field, images included! Using your Dropbox account you can export entries too, pdf form, if I remember right. So even if Diaro bites the dust you're golden, it's all backed up in Dropbox.
Favorite Tools- Widger, sharpened chop stick (for easily sowing one seed per cell), 10 penny nail to pop out plants in 200 cell flats, etc. Soil block makers, toothpick- to mark which row of cells I'm on when sowing, glue stick- to close seed packets, tiny nail scissors- for thinning seedlings (a must for healthy transplants!) Small soil sifter, cheese shaker (dollar tree) to cover seeds if needed.
So there you have it. If you have any questions feel free to drop me a note or leave a comment. Just so everyone knows locally, this workshop is offered annually, but I'm hoping to open it up to doing one in August when I start my plants for fall/winter growing in the unheated high tunnel. This one will be geared more for winter growing without heat, of course, but the basic info is the same other than this- if you miss the one in March catching the one in August for the next year will work.
So take this info and experiment! Remember this is just what's worked for me. If you have info with other methods and systems (using LEDs for example,) share it! Sharing what has worked for you, especially locally, is so very important these days. We can help each other freely- and you never know what might work for someone and solve a problem. Your experiments, knowledge, successes, failures are very valuable! As valuable as any class. So please share it.
Observation is your best friend- nature is the only expert. Never give up.
Happy growing!
Tessa
