The Germination Station: How to Get a Jump-start on Spring
It may be surprising, but I often start seeds for my garden in late December. No, I don't live in South America, I'm in Houston. In the steam bath we call zone 9A, the guidelines I learned as a kid - plant on Mother's Day, harvest in July - don't work. That's because tomatoes don't set fruit if the temperature stays in the 90s all night: chiles, maybe; tomatoes, no. That lets us plant a fall garden, setting out seedlings in August and harvesting while our friends in the Midwest are raking leaves. That is, if the squirrels don't get to everything first...The first time I tried this was in Illinois, except that then I started seeds in February in the depths of Midwestern winter. The references told me I needed to heat the soil to start seeds that early, so I picked up a Hydrofarm Germination Station.
Description:
Now you wait... Mother Nature's clock ticks at its own pace... |
Fruit and vegetable seeds prefer their soil warm; so the Germination Station has a heating mat to fool them into thinking the sun shines brightly on their bed of soil. The heating mat, which resembles a miniature waterbed heater, measures 9×19", so the tray covers it and overlaps on all sides. The heater draws 17 watts, and raises the soil temperature by 10-20°F. A little calculation: running the heater 24/7 for six weeks would use about 17 KWH, which would set you back $1.70 if you pay 10¢ per kilowatt hour - taxes, of course, would raise that to about $2.50...
Does it Work?
Seeds germinate just fine. Tomato seeds pop in four to six days here in Houston. In Illinois, things took a little longer than the seed packet claimed, but I almost always got 100% germination.
One time I used peat pots instead of the middle tray (with all the cells). Six-pot square clusters fit neatly into the bottom tray, though only six of them. Generally, I transplant from the cells into peat pots. Whatever the case, at who inches tall the dome is so short that you need to move the plants out or remove the cover not long after germination. There's a model with a six-inch dome that might be an improvement, especially if starting seeds long before last frost.
Oh, and it is definitely reusable - mine's at least six or seven years old, and works great.
Does it make save money?
A Germination Station costs maybe $20-$30; add in the cost of seeds, soil, water, and grow light. So the costs in the first year might be about $100 for the all the supplies, plus the electricity for heat and light. That's a lot, given that you can get six-packs of veggies at the BigBox for $3.00 or less. On the other hand, anything but common varieties like beefsteak and Sweet 100 tomatoes are a lot more expensive. If you want to try heirloom tomatoes or unusual pepper varieties, they;re hard to find as bedding plants. Then again, the second year the only costs are for seeds and power.
I find the station great for small gardeners who want to grow something different from common bedding plant varieties. It works, and it's reusable to boot. The taller 6" dome model might be better for winter use, but hardening off the seedlings here on the Gulf Coast is means preventing the sun from broiling them instead of protecting them from frost.
Summary:
PLUS: inexpensive and easy way to grow fruits and vegetables from seed
MINUS: get the six-inch version if you can, 'cause a two-inch dome is pretty low
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Want to start your own seeds for your garden? Need a heated system? Get a Germination Station.
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