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Western PA

Anyone can feel free to give their input but I know that James starts his plants early, so I have a few questions.
James, I believe you start alot of plants and then you cull down to 10 or so. Do you only keep lights over all of the plants or do you also keep them warm by enclosing them somehow ? The reason I ask is that my basement is rather cold , low 60's. I built a insulated box for starting plants and I can keep it in the mid 80's, but the inside dimentions are only about 13"x 48". I am germinating 6 seeds right now and will cull down to two for the garden.
I will never have room for even one plant in that box once they start to vine out.I am hopeing that you say that lights are good enough but everything I read says how much the cc love the heat. You must have a very large lighting system. I would like to hear what you do with your starters.
Lee

3/9/2010 10:26:31 AM

Garner, NC

I'm very interested in hearing the same. I started my seeds out last Tuesday in the incubator and have 8 currently up and growing well under grow lights. I have a 2x6 area set up in the dining room under a grow light and was wondering if 70 degrees will work for a month. I'm hoping to plant them by the second week of April, so mine won't vine out but really want them to get the best start as possible.

3/9/2010 11:46:08 AM

sevierville, Tn

Ice man, Why so early ? What date or event are you shooting for ? Thanks
Chris

3/9/2010 2:34:11 PM

Rochester, Minnesota

I have a large insulated box in my very cold basement. It has two shelves with each having 6 x 4' fluorescent grow bulbs for a total of 12 bulbs. This will hold a total of 6 and one half black plastic trays per shelf.

Once the over night temperatures are stable, then everything migrates out to a solarium that is attached to the house. it sort of looks like the side of a Wendy's if you know what those are.

Yes, I start a lot of watermelon plants starting in smaller pots and building up to really big. But I start a tremendous number of other plants also. I am very big into growing giant peppers/tomatoes/cabbage, etc. I don't do small very well on my property. Even my black lab (Jack) is about 130 pounds.

I haven't started my plants yet, since I will be traveling to Canton Ohio to watch my son at NCAA National competition for springboard diving for the next 5 days.

I hope this information helps.

3/9/2010 5:30:08 PM

Western PA

Thanks mmm. Well, I'm not sure exactly what I will do once they start to get bigger. I am definatly taking them out of the box near the end of April ( pumpkins take 1st priority). I am thinking that a shelving system might be the way to go. I could put insulation board on the back and sides and top, and put some sort of fabric on the front that I could slide to the side to get in to work. The heat from the lights should warm the shelf above it. That top shelf would probably get pretty warm. This will have to wait until next winter.
Lee

3/9/2010 7:12:15 PM

Garner, NC

Smoky mtn pumpkin, There's a watermelon festival here in Raleigh that is the first week of August that I want to set out a few plants for. After spending some time with Mr. Larry Boyette who has won the event several times, most growers here start there plants mid March for that event. Last years winning melon was a 203, and I thought that I would take the chance to start a few weeks early. I'm hoping to let them grow under lights for a month, then transplant to the garden in mid April. I've built a few hoop houses and going try to get a jump on everybody else. If we stay warm I might do well, then again we might have more snow, the way our weather is who knows.
Then my second crop I need for Oct. events, and I'll figure those plant dates out later, I might need some more advice on when to start those.
Lastly, Mr. Boyette's 203 melon he won in August with he also entered in the mid Oct. event at the fair and the melon looked great. Not sure of he secret but I know he does not put them in a cooler, he keeps them in his garage.
Thanks Todd

3/10/2010 9:35:08 AM

Rochester, Minnesota

I would guess that he is water wrapping the stem using very wet paper towels wrapped in plastic. I still like to keep the melon cool, but I suppose you could put it in something and increase the humidity. How much lose did Boyette have with his fruit between the dates?

3/11/2010 5:30:03 PM

Garner, NC

I'll talk with Mr. Boyette soon and find out what his weight lost was. I do remember that he keeps them off the ground on a pallet and if I remember right him cleans the melons with a clorox miture weekly, I think??? I'll find out for sure. Cause his melons had a real pretty shine to it, almost glossy looking.

3/11/2010 8:34:34 PM