First Seedlings

Well I haven't figured out my garden layout and plan yet, but I did plant some seedlings. I don't have a seedling area in my basement, so I just lowered a utility light I had above my washing machine as low as it would go, and added some plastic bins to bring the seedlings high enough. I planted pansies and leeks.

From what I've read, pansies need complete darkness and steady moisture to germinate, and even then sometimes they won't sprout. So I'm taking my chances, I guess! I'm doing mostly vegetables but decided to try some flowers for the planters outside my place of business. It's so expensive to buy the little plants at the nursery in the spring! I planted a tray of 72 pansies. I covered the tray with plastic wrap to retain moisture, then covered the whole thing with a piece of cardboard to keep it dark.















To save tray space, I planted the leeks in an old plastic bin. I barely covered the seeds, made sure they were moist, covered with plastic wrap, and then put them directly under the light.