Starting Seeds in Egg Cartons

I have read a lot about egg cartons being an excellent way to start seeds so I thought this year I might as well give it a try!! The small slots seem like they are going to be a little small to hold the roots of some of the seedlings, but I can always transplant them into larger pots if necessary. Last year we use large round pots for all of our seedlings and it took up quite a bit of space as well as needing 2 grow lights to accommodate all the pots. This year we are doing more seeds in less space and only requiring 1 grow light! I filled up all my egg cartons with dirt outside and carried them all inside to a warm, well lit room to start adding the seeds. Some of the seeds I did choose to put 2 seeds per slot just to make sure we have something growing in each compartment...in case there is a low germination rate!

Within a few days the arugula and lettuce were starting to sneak through the soil and make their appearance! This is one of my favorite things to see! Every time I come in to see the plants, there is so much new life that has grown! Henry and Addie loved waking up each morning and running in to count how many new plants were coming up.

It is so rewarding to start your own seeds. It is definitely more work than just buying them the day you want to plant them, but there is so much enjoyment from watching them grow!

(these pictures were all from last week, Ill post an updated picture of the growth!)

Garden Planning!! My favorite time of year

Ive been working hard to get all my seeds organized and plan exactly what will be going into our garden this year! It has been so fun! I love sitting at my front window right beside my wood burning stove with a hot fire and looking out the window at snow on the ground while dreaming of a warm spring garden! But the planning is coming to an end because these plants are being started and we are getting a few nice days to get out and work the dirt! 

For my planning I have #1 "The Vegetable Gardeners Bible" (MUST HAVE book for gardening!!), as well as a diagram of my garden layout, and last but not least...a spreadsheet of all my seeds and how many plants I am wanting to start! I try to put as much information on my 2 sheets as possible so I can refer to them for all my information instead of having to look up info online or fumble through tons of seed packets. 

As the cold winter days come to an end, I will be spending the last few by my wood stove just dreaming of getting my hands dirty in the garden!

First Sign of Green

Today I woke up and eventually made it in to water the seedlings, and there were a few arugula seedlings starting to make their appearance! This is one of my favorite parts of starting our own seeds! As the next few days roll by we will hopefully see a lot more of these cute little green leaves peeking out through the soil to greet us.

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My New Toy!!!

Yes, mommies deserve new toys too! 

I started all my seeds and got into watering them daily and I am realizing how sore my hand is going to get using a spray bottle to "mist" all these seedlings twice a day! I did it last year, but I sure don't remember it being this frustrating. Bryan came home from work today with this delightful pump sprayer!! It was $7 at Lowes.  "GardenPlus Garden Sprayer". I am excited to water tomorrow!! It is so extremely easy to give these tiny seeds a good misting of water without disturbing the soil or making 10 trips to the sink to refill my water bottle while trying to avoid hand cramps!

I hate spending money, but this is $7 WELL spent!