Here are the babies 4 days old

  Nothing  is easier than starting seeds .    All U need  is  a bag of  sterile  seed starting mix  or  a  jiffy peat pot greenhouse setup (  6 bux or so complete  and reusable -  refills are 2.97 )    .... and a cheap homemade fluorescent light  setup -  I have four  inexpensive   36 inch  fluorescent  two-tube fixtures  ganged up next to each other .  

The  fixtures themselves cost 11 bux each at home depot , the  tubes  a bit more but not much .  The three prong extension cords were  like three bux each .  

This  gives me a  total  of  320 watts  of light  that stays on 24 hours a day  this season ( but hardly  adds to my light bill because its fluorescent ) .

 I have the lights  on chains that theoretically can be shortened or lenthened as the  plants grow but I find  I don't actually  change them because  (duh ) I can  put old magazines and boxes  much more easily UNDER  the  flats  and  change the proximity to the light that way  LOL..  

With a cheap  heating pad  under the seed flats (  these U have to get from greenhouse  supply company  and always get a few extra s  because they go bad quick  )  ... Ure  good to go...

The heating pads make the  seeds  skyrocket  out of the soil .  When they  show their first set of leaves ( not these  these are SEEDLING leaves )   I hustle the whole flat out to the  unheated 10'by 10'  hoop house ( about  $ 150 retail from home depot less on sale at the end ofthe season mine was 89 bux )  to harden off and into  the raised beds they go ( or on the shelves for later planting out )  . Then they  are replaced under the lights  and on the mat by ANOTHER , more heat loving generation of seedlings .... 

I can start whole gardens full  of whatever I LIKE  this way ... anyhing I can IMAGINE  .. tall glorious ASTERS  for the fall,  foxgloves ,  spires  of lupines and six foot tall hollyhocks ...  Siberian tomatoes that start bearing  in the greenhouse in  late May /early June  and astonish the neighbors     to  the pedestrian (but expensive ) things  I don't want to pay through the nose for ...  flats of the  very earliest  pretty much frost  proof clear blue pansies to act as a blooming ground  cover  under my  bulbs until the   June.heat exhausts them .. are so ridiculously EASY  with a simple light and hoop house setup .... 

try it  Ull like it    I've never had a single disease or other  issue ..its too EARLY  for bugs  ( thank God )  and so much FUN !  

The best thing is  Ure seemingly MONTHS ahead  of everyone else who are  dependent on   seedlings being brought up from the south ....  and U look SO clever 

My other secret is  to fertilize the  first generations with  fish fertilizer  and  seaweed  which  makes the cell walls  very flexible and allows the babies to withstand frost very well  ....


Now just this  ONE  single  flat of broccoli  and swiss  chard alone will meet  ALL  my  family's broccoli and  spinach needs  for the  next year ... ( im growing spinach too but  chard lasts longer  and tastes similar )   ..... the broccoli  will literally last into  next SPRING and be pickable  every few days  as we need broccoli .... isn't it worth it to grow your own ?!  And the TASTE is so much better  and I'm SURE the  vitamin content is too... 

Wow Ava that is pretty neat.  Thanks for all that info!!  Do you have this in your apartment?
Linda

 What are you growing there?  They look like Pea Plants.

 This is  bulls blood  and multicolored  swiss chard and broccoli  / caulibroc  mixture .    Bulls blood  Swiss chard has a  burgundy leaf color and a  dark red stem  and is super decorative .. the multicolor often has a bright  yellow  or primary orange stem   with a deep green spinach like  leaf   ... I use them as spinach after the spinach  goes to seed in June ( pretty quickly  here in hot NYC ) .... 

I also like chard  just because its beautiful  .. so  I fill my  shady containers in the  front yard  with it  all summer ...  also  with pretty red  leaved and speckled leaved  romaines and  heading chickories , oak leaf lettuces ( which take heat better ) ( mixed in with flowering herbs  and edible flowers  like  pansies and  nasturtiums )   

I realized I needed  broccoli MORE than the chard  after I seeded it  so  I  reseeded  with the broccoli seeds  ( see  U can DO that at home )  ...  now  I can either ***** the babies out into individual  growing on containers  or  just tease the roots apart   when I transplant  ( I find thats  easier ) .

This  flat will give me enough  transplants  to  grow  enough broccoli and chard for an army and  even  give  a lot of transplants away  ( its how I keep  my neighbors sweet lol )     

They need SOMe incentive  to put up with my  squirrel chasing  and fence hopping after all !  

 yes its  all in the landing  of the brownstone .. theres a little  shelf there  .... it  sounds like  a big contraption  but  it actually doesnt take up much space at  all

 Overnight  the babies  put on  about 1/2 inch to 1/4 inch growth each .  That's a lot !  which means  I have to run my fingers through their hair  every time I  go by ( mimicking the wind  ) to make sure they grow straight and sturdy  rather than  just reach for the light  in competition  as they are wont to do .  

This  is also why its very important to have ENOUGH  light  and  have them  almost touching  the lights .... 

The little tomatoes  in the next flat are also  about an inch high and the Chinese chives and grass - like leeks  are also  raising their heads ....theyve  been on the mat exactly a day and a half .

Ava, you're good for the gardener's soul. I think I'll go out and rake my raised beds and play in the dirt a bit today!  Thanks for the inspiration!  This year I'm skipping any peat pot work, but things warm up quick if I cover my raised beds with plastic, so I might do some spinach and swiss chard too.  By the time they're up and edible, I should be able to eat them!
tracey