This is the third winter
Of my seed starting education.
I guess if it’s a college course
I’m a Junior!
And honestly, I feel like I’m making progress.
As of today I have 128 cabbage “teenagers”
Since last week they were potted into
A bit bigger pot and seem to love it.
When I began the process
Of popping them out of their toasty cell homes
They were actually root bound.
That has never been the case for me.
I think the credit goes to having the grow lights much closer.
It’s really the only big change this year.
But there are a few tricks I’ve picked up
Over the past few years
That are improving the end result.
For years I had a problem with “damping off”.
It’s a fungus that kills a happy baby plant.
They just lay over and die.
Very disappointing.
While listening to one of the endless gardening
Podcasts or YouTube videos
Someone made the comment that Chamomile tea
Is a natural fungicide.
So now my seedling babies and I enjoy tea together
On a regular basis.
I simply put a tea bag in my wonderful mister
And one in the watering can.
I don’t want to jinx it but so far not a casualty this season.
Another great help are timers.
Since seedlings like about 16 hours of light a day
These are great for turning that off and on.
I also plug a fan into a separate timer
To go off and on every 30 minutes
About 10 hours a day.
The fan also helps with fungal growth
It’s big job is to act as a gentle breeze
Strengthening the stems of the plants.
Everything is watered from the bottom
Once it has sprouted.
I set the pots in everything from old cookie sheets,
To rejected boot bin trays
To saved carry out containers.
Yellow sticky traps come in handy
For all those gnats that will eventually come.
I’m sure there are more tricks to learn.
For me that is the joy of all of this
Picking up tips and tricks
And the continual learning.
You have to be willing to fail a little along the way
But then there is the joy of getting to try again…and again.
Gail
In My Garden 
Congratulations on your seedling success, and thanks for sharing some tips with us. What are your plans for 128 cabbage plants?
Thank you. 128 cabbage plants is a bit over the top but I volunteer at a local community garden called Faith Farm. All the produce we grow goes to a local client choice food pantry to help feed our hungry neighbors http://www.loavesandfishesnwok.org/ We will plant as many as we can there and then the leftovers will go home with the 10 Master Gardeners who volunteer there. They can either grow them in their garden for the pantry or for themselves.
Perfect plan!!