The Experiment

    Saturday was the day. The day to start my early crop seeds indoors. Today it has been five days sense I started my little experiment with seed starting options. Honestly I shouldn't expect too much just yet due to the fact that most of the seeds germinate between seven and fourteen days but I have seen some changes so I thought I would give an update. First, I planned out what to plant and decided on;

Sparkler Radish, (38)
Alisa Onion, (8)
Red Burgundy Onion, (8)
Winter Giant Spinach, (8)
Red Mammoth Cabbage, (10)
Wando Peas, (17)
Scarlet Kale, (6)
Lolla Rossa Lettuce, (8)
Garlic, (2)
Garlic Chives, (2)
Cinnamon Basil, (5)
Di Cocci Broccoli, (4)
Golden Celery, (12)
Long Island Brussels Sprouts, (2)

      Then, I thought long and hard as to what to plant these precious little seeds of life in to give them a good healthy start and decided on a few options. Toilet paper rolls to be recycled as well as hold moisture, Egg shells to recycle and to give extra nutrients to the plants in them, an old biodegradable egg carton to be recycled back into the earth and give extra nutrients as well, a planter pot for easy access, and last but not least some store bought starter pods. I planted some of each thing into different starters with the intentions of watching and finding out which, if any, works better and helps with the growth of the plants.

Sparkler Radish

I started two seeds of some of the plants in each starter.

    Five days later and, most of the radishes have sprouted that are in the store bought pods (most within two days) and only about one half of the ones in the egg shells have sprouted (some barely poking through the soil). Also those that are in the pods are much larger than those in the shells, so much so, that I have actually had to transplant some of them. Almost all of the peas have begun sprouting in the starter pods. Spinach and cabbage have also started poking up through the soil in the starter pods. The cabbage in the toilet paper rolls have sprouted out and they are roughly the same height as those in the pods. The onion in the toilet paper rolls have begun to make their way out of the dirt but those in the egg carton have yet to make an appearance. The broccoli has popped its head out of the soil in two of the toilet paper rolls as well. The plants in the planter pot have not yet sprouted nor have the celery, lettuce, chives, or brussels. Needless to say we have a little more time to watch these plants to see which starters are the best option in my opinion.

Sparkler Radish in egg shells

They got so big so fast!

  Just a heads up, I do not recommend starting your root vegetables indoors because they don't take to being transplanted very well and radishes are a very quick growing crop. I chose to start mine now so that we may have a harvest before the spring hits and for the sole purpose of this experiment.  I will plant more, directly into the ground outside in the middle of February, sense they are very cold hearty and even a bit sweeter after some frost. I'll be keeping my eye on all of these seedlings and reporting back when I find more to share.
   If you have any questions, tips, or suggestions please leave a comment below and don't forget to follow me on here for the updates and on Instagram for daily pictures!