re: seed starting

	Amy, don't worry about your basement being too cold unless it is
below 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit.  A cool moist basement is a great place
to grow perennial flowers from seed under fluourescent lights!  Usually,
seed starting on warm windowsills and fridge tops fails because, even
though warmth initially speeds germination, the young seedlings grow too
fast, too tender, and are susceptible to damping off, molds, etc. in the
warmth.  Seedlings grown in a cool (but not freezing, of course)
basement will be tougher, shorter, and better--at least for most
temperature zone perennials, that is.
	Get a good light sterile mix (such as Pro-Mix) and add one-third
or so sharp sand. Mix it well and wet it with hot water.  Pack it into
your pots or plastic six-packs. Sprinkle the seeds ON TOP of the soil.
Sift a little turkey grit (from a feedstore) on top of the seeds and
water by soaking from the BOTTOM with HOT TAP WATER--THE FIRST TIME
ONLY.  This will give the initial heat for germination and the hot water
helps get through the inhibiting coatings on the seeds that slow
germination.  On subsequent waterings, use room temperature water.  Put
the pots in a clear plastic sweaterbox or other container you can water
into that puts the pots close enough to each other to provide their own
humidity.
	 At the beginning, keep the lights down close to the pots and
them raise them as the seedlings grow (by changing how long the
attaching chains, ropes, etc. are).  14-hour light periods are good.
Some very very mild fertilizer might be added to the water after the
seedlings are getting some size on them.  Also, use a mister rather than
a watering can for the youngest seedlings, and then later you can use a
turkey baster to direct water slowly and carefully until the plants are
big enough for a watering can.  	A week or two before you're
going to plant out into the garden, open the basement window during the
day when it's not freezing outside to help harden off the young plants.
	For many years, my husband and I grew more than 1500 plants
every winter in our cool basement under lights, mostly temperate zone
flowering perennials, rock garden and alpine plants--it was really fun.
Keep in mind that it is very time-consuming as you have to check on the
plants every night for watering and, if you are too good at it, you will
have to prepare lots of new flower beds to plant them all in every
spring!

Enjoy!


Susan Campanini
in east central Illinois
zone 5b, min temp -15F×
e-mail:  campanin@uiuc.edu
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