Shallow Vs. Deep Seed Starting Trays - Which is BEST?

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  • Опубликовано: 11 дек 2024

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  • @MIgardener
    @MIgardener  2 дня назад +5

    Which do you like? Shallow or Deep?

    • @BecomingaGreenstalker
      @BecomingaGreenstalker 2 дня назад +1

      I prefer the deep trays. I’m too clumsy for shallow trays! 😂

    • @helenmcclellan452
      @helenmcclellan452 2 дня назад

      @@MIgardener I like deep, but use shallow to transfer cells to remove the water instead of tilting the 1020 trays since somr plants can break easily, like portulaca stems.

    • @gelwood99
      @gelwood99 2 дня назад +1

      I only use the deep from BSF. I also use the 32-cell cup insert so it is easy to remove a single cup and bottom water. BootStrap Farmer is the only tray system to use IMO!

    • @martinder3199
      @martinder3199 2 дня назад

      I never liked them in any size for home use. They become small quickly and dry out easily. I usually start in the final pot size for planting. I am sure they have their place in larger operations.

  • @markbrinkowski1787
    @markbrinkowski1787 2 дня назад +19

    Great content - I've always wondered. To your point about shallow being easier to bottom water - I only have deep trays, so have found the easy solution there is to just leave one single cell open. By sacrificing one seedling, I gain a blank where I can easily add water, or see the depth (and even pop in a turkey baster to pull out excess). I've even been known to use that blank to insert a temp probe to control my heating mats. When I have instead threaded the wire out the side, it left my trays sitting a little wonky, which I didn't love, since it meant the high corner was always a little drier because it didn't sit as deeply in the tray when bottom watering.

  • @traceydysert6096
    @traceydysert6096 День назад +2

    I have always liked the deeper trays. After trying so many and getting okay results, I bought some from Amazon that work so much better. I was amazed at the results that I got with my tomato plants because the roots on my tomato plants were like a foot long!😮😮 I've never before had roots on tomato plants that long before!! I plan out my garden in December and January to figure out where I'm putting everything and how many plants of each type we need for canning. One year I took a tally of how many seeds that I actually put into my garden and it's over 4,000! I never knew I could get that many seeds in a small garden that is 60x30!! I learned how to garden a different way. I use a seeding square to maximize my space!
    Every other year I plant 127 tomato plants, but every year we plant 200 pole beans, 400 to 600 carrots, 200 onions, 30 potatoes, 2000 garlic cloves, 12 of each herb that we need for spaghetti sauce and other meals. I also do other vegetables and squash plants. I started growing medicinal plants this past year.

  • @ThrashingCoyote
    @ThrashingCoyote 2 дня назад +15

    My reason for liking deep trays is because my starts don't topple out of the tray when I almost trip over my cat while taking my seedlings outside. Happens every time 😆

    • @kerry-579
      @kerry-579 16 часов назад

      I have a cat like that😂 who thinks his job is to always beat me to whatever room I’m walking to and like a race car driver cuts right in front of me.

    • @ThrashingCoyote
      @ThrashingCoyote 14 часов назад

      @@kerry-579 Yes!! Why are they like that? 🤣

  • @helenmcclellan452
    @helenmcclellan452 2 дня назад +10

    Can you do a video on starting onions from seed and when to take the cover off? Do you remove the dome or plastic once you see the first germination or wait? Also it would be great to have the series continue so we grow, trim, fertilize, plant, water, and know when amd what to use to fertilize once planted to get large onions.
    I have never been successful growing large onions, they are small/medium and I would like to learn how step-by-step, if possible.

    • @brianderby5089
      @brianderby5089 2 дня назад +2

      Hello friend, for success with onions I've always found the earlier you start them the bigger bulbs. Make sure you have the right latitude long vs short day variety. For dome, wait until most have germinated and take the cover off. Sometimes I believe it's best practice to take the cover off periodically to allow for some air movement and place back on. Trick is to remember you took it off for a little while

    • @maryshaddox1172
      @maryshaddox1172 День назад

      Thanks. I just started trying to grow onions from seed this passed season. It was a mess. I was fumbling around not knowing what to or when. And the onions that survived were small. 🫤

    • @robertford9406
      @robertford9406 День назад

      @lazydogfarm does an excellent onion from seed tutorial.

  • @grantkohler7612
    @grantkohler7612 2 дня назад +5

    I hadn't thought about the trays beyond their stability & the ability to hold water. My best location for starting seed is on an upper floor with a double wide south facing window; keeping the area clean & the floors free from water dirt etc is priority, so I go with the deeper flats. Except for the tomatoes I've no problems with carrying the normal trays through the house to the garden when the time comes.
    The tomatoes are the exception as I like to use the red party cups with holes cut in the bottoms - throw an inch or soil moist potting mix in to start, about five to six weeks later when the tops are usually about four to six inches above the rim I'll attempt to carefully fill the cups to the rim with more moist potting mix as the root development is very vigorous at that point. The plant will sky rocket as I anxiously await my area's last frost date, ~May 5th. The trick I use to carry them to the garden is a tall cardboard box that only fits about nine cups.

  • @Fontucky-Cannafornia
    @Fontucky-Cannafornia 2 дня назад +3

    Great work Luke! This is a must watch for new gardners.

  • @NotExactView
    @NotExactView 2 дня назад +9

    Plastic chicken roaster container after done eating all the chicken, a good way to recycle used containers for seed starting

    • @FrozEnbyWolf150-b9t
      @FrozEnbyWolf150-b9t 2 дня назад +2

      Not to mention polystyrene meat trays that would otherwise get thrown in the trash. Disinfect them and they make for good plant bottom trays.

  • @mcraw4d
    @mcraw4d 2 дня назад +3

    On the taller 1020 tray you just leave one of the cells open on a 6C tray and that becomes your watering and observation port. You can also drill a small hole at 1/2” height and fill 1020 tray with water until it 1st comes out of the hole which will prevent over watering.

  • @mistygeller3193
    @mistygeller3193 2 дня назад +2

    I’m with you Luke, it’s great to have a couple/few of both, same with the inserts. And I love the bootstrap farmer products! I use the tiny ones for tiny seeds and just put some glad wrap loosely over them with extra long toothpicks/short skewers to hold the wrap off of the soil. Bigger seeds, that are going to live in their cells longer, go into to the deeper 6 packs and trays.

  • @CampbellMC90
    @CampbellMC90 2 дня назад +3

    I grow mostly peppers so I prefer the deep trays. Way more sturdy, especially once they are in 3.5" pots, the area underneath staying moist is very important as I always have roots hanging out by the time transplant time comes. I upgraded all my trays/pots to bootstrap farmer last year and super happy with them, strong enough that my son can help me carrying stuff out come hardening off time.

  • @NPC2_4_U
    @NPC2_4_U 2 дня назад +7

    I bought the Burpee trays after using those black junk trays. Burpee's are super heavy duty, they're deep and plant removal is really easy. This isn't a commercial I'm just super pleased with them.

    • @mikeflint5115
      @mikeflint5115 2 дня назад +3

      I have a few of those. You're right. I find it easy popping them out for transplantation. 16 cells each one keeps roots from being entangled.

    • @steveegbert7429
      @steveegbert7429 2 дня назад +4

      All of Bootstrap Farmer trays and pots are heavy duty and are the best I have ever used. They will last for many years. Once I tried them, I never buy anything else.

    • @NPC2_4_U
      @NPC2_4_U 2 дня назад

      @@steveegbert7429 I'll keep that in mind. I looked at their stuff. Thanks.

    • @SH-gd9uq
      @SH-gd9uq 2 дня назад +2

      I agree silicone bottoms make easy plant removal just push them up and plant comes out. I live in zone 7b in New Mexico. December first I started all my onion seeds. I grow short day onions and intermediate where I live. Happy growing y’all Great Vid Luke!!

    • @nkvball808
      @nkvball808 2 дня назад

      The Burpee trays don’t hold up in sunlight/UV they become brittle and break

  • @marieschieler1914
    @marieschieler1914 2 дня назад +2

    Good pros and cons. As a small gardener I have to take my seedlings from the basement to upstairs to outside to harden off. So the deep trays work much better. I just have to be patient when watering.

  • @maryshaddox1172
    @maryshaddox1172 День назад

    Timely information. I always go with the deeper tray myself. With these pros and cons you can experiment and choose for yourself which works best for you. Thanks Luke. 😊

  • @cardstockcollector
    @cardstockcollector 2 дня назад +1

    Deep. More stable when moving them. Love Bootstrap trays.

  • @BevLoveNlife
    @BevLoveNlife 2 дня назад +2

    Im’a deep trayer
    Thank you for the pro & con video

  • @auraelgin4774
    @auraelgin4774 5 часов назад

    I use the deep 1010 trays. I'm older and grow 30+ tomato plants, cukes, flowers and the 1020 trays fully water is very heavy. The square 1010 trays work great for me. I take the trays outside for real sunshine for the seedlings when temps are good and bring them in on cold nights.
    I agree and grow my tomatoes in the deep starter pots, and now only start my tomatoes 6wks early because central Mich spring can be both hot too fast and stay cold too long to put tomatoes out before May 15. When my tomato starts are 8 weeks old they can be 14" tall too big to handle fully watered. I did enjoy you view of the shallow trays and will get those in the future for my salad items, even very young seedlings where I'm not growing them out in 2-3" pots. It is a lot easier to start seeds under one grow light and transplant/pot up when they come to size. It a good way to 'weed' out the weaklings too when it's about the tomatoes.

  • @lesliee6721
    @lesliee6721 7 часов назад

    I like the shallow trays for leaving my seedlings outside in the rain. I use the winter to start perennials like flowers and herbs in seed trays because some varieties need a cold spell in order to germinate. When it rains, I don’t want my seat trays to get flooded and the shallow ones seem to work best. Even if we get a lot of rain and they have too much water I can easily tip out a little bit because I can see how much water has accumulated. On the deep trays, the ones that have cracked or the corner got stepped on or other damage I use those for our rainy season as well. They let just the right amount of water out, so don’t throw away those broken or cracked seed trays.

  • @sjoneil
    @sjoneil День назад +1

    Best waterproof trays I have found that last for years, cat litter pans. The dollar store ones can be economical, but special deals on Amazon are great.

  • @brianseybert192
    @brianseybert192 День назад

    Never thought to use a shallow tray for the wheat grass I grow for my worms, been using the standard 1020 tray, not no more! Thanks, Stay Well!!!!

  • @brichter4669
    @brichter4669 День назад

    Enjoyed your advice about the flats. I prefer the deep flats myself for some of the reason you mentioned. I have a small backyard with no room for an in-ground garden. I use vertical GreenStalk planters and fabric grow bags on a large outdoor patio. A while back, I bought some of the small 6-cell seed trays with the side slots to do seed starts for my GreenStalks. The GreenStalk transplant plug size needs to be smaller than the plug size I do in my single 3" pots for the grow bags. I had to restart some cauliflower, kohlrabi and bunching onion seedlings, so I used my 4 new 6-cell trays in a 1020 flat. I did have to water the seedling trays more often. When I transplanted the cauliflower and kohlrabi at 7 weeks old, their root systems weren't as developed like when using the 3" pots. After listening to your explanation, I believe the 6-cell trays had too much air space around them in the 1020 tray, which air pruned the roots too much. Next time, I'll fill up the 1020 tray with the 6-cell trays so that they fit tighter together to hopefully reduce the air flow.

  • @kat6084
    @kat6084 День назад

    i use solo cups in a disposable cake pan for my tomato starts. poke holes in the cups. The aluminum cake pans are the same width as my shelves. It just works.

  • @hollish196
    @hollish196 2 дня назад

    I would think that home gardeners could just leave couple of the seed packs empty in the deep trays to make watering easier. Just pour through the empty pack area. Great video!

  • @CherylHamburger
    @CherylHamburger День назад

    Always great content. Thank you!

  • @greenhosta995
    @greenhosta995 День назад

    I use deep bootstrap farmer's 10x20 for cuttings and plants that have been up-potted. I don't like my cups tipping over as I take them off of the shelves. I water in another tray so I don't have to lift the large 10x20 tray to tip the water out. For a flat tray I use aluminum jelly roll pans I purchased at a thrift store. They are rigid and shorter to fit on shallower shelves. They are good for seed starting.

  • @robertwingham
    @robertwingham 8 часов назад

    I use perforated tray to put my cells in and put water in deep tray and remove from deep tray and put it in a deep dry tray. I use more trays but is very efficient for me.

  • @helenmcclellan452
    @helenmcclellan452 2 дня назад

    I use deep trays to bottom water, but I transfer the cells to a shallow tray if I have excess water since tipping the tray usually causes issues for me, like stem breakage or a cell falls out, so I move them first and then return them to the deeper trays. Yes, it's time consumming when you have 20 full trays, but I enjoy it. 😊

  • @GardenPoet
    @GardenPoet День назад

    I love a shallow tray.

  • @kellycornett6219
    @kellycornett6219 2 дня назад +3

    Pros and cons of soil blocking please

  • @ProlerSkyphet
    @ProlerSkyphet 2 дня назад

    Love the bootstrap stuff! The air pruning 4 cells are killer. Like the shallow trays except the deep ones are easier to move while full

  • @6996katmom
    @6996katmom День назад

    I love a 1020, 1 with holes and 1 without holes. But, I can't find any except for Bootstrap farmer, but they are way too expensive. Now I bought some 10x10. But I can't find any with holes. They are easier for me to carry. I have a 6 ft table in the backyard that I set my starts in. If it rains then I have to lift everything out of the tray because there aren't any holes, then dump the water in a bucket, and return the starts to the tray. I am thinking about the 10 trays I bought without holes-take 5 trays, burn holes in them and stack them inside of the trays with out holes. Make my own invention.

  • @denarioty
    @denarioty 2 дня назад

    Will you do a video on planting for early spring gardening, and how to start your seedling without a greenhouse.

  • @howellomaha
    @howellomaha 10 часов назад

    Thank you!

  • @camerica7400
    @camerica7400 2 дня назад

    It’s gonna be my first year starting everything from seed, I got the seed trays from Epic Gardner, the quality is amazingly sturdy but the cells are about the size of a quarter or a large thumb.

    • @helenmcclellan452
      @helenmcclellan452 2 дня назад +1

      Epic sells three different trays, plus you can buy individual domes to germinate them, which comes in handy if you are only germinating one or two 4 or 6 cell trays and not a full 72 cell tray.
      I purchased the 1020 extra strength trays from bootstrap farm
      But
      I received the 16-cell, 4- cell, and 6-cell sets from epic gardening, and their matching domes, plus two shallow trays for my birthday and Christmas last year.
      I recently purchased 72-cell trays from migardener to grow my marigolds in since that tray is a solid piece and was on sale.
      I am glad there are options for everyone.

  • @kerry-579
    @kerry-579 16 часов назад

    Sounds like shallow trays good for beginning seeds but then once more mature move to deeper tray where the more mature roots can get more water and plants grow taller and transportation less risky. Maybe shallow pan stays stationary or put a stronger aluminum sheet pan underneath to create strength.

  • @jiggahenry9471
    @jiggahenry9471 2 дня назад +1

    I didn’t even know they had shallow trays.

  • @aprildolan223
    @aprildolan223 День назад

    Saving seed question:
    When extracting seeds from squash, do I rinse them off or let them dry and store them?

  • @666bruv
    @666bruv 2 дня назад

    Always wet down the potting mix to about half the field capacity, then after filling seed trays, saturate the growing medium, before adding seeds, never use a large heavy flow for watering. Misting, fine showerhead

  • @danimalthemanimal5124
    @danimalthemanimal5124 7 часов назад

    It's weird, but I once filled a shallow tray with empty 2x3 cells, drilled through the bottom hole of each cell and completely through the shallow tray. Now, whenever I have filled a deep tray of cells with dirt, I place the "holey" shallow tray on top, poke through the holes into the dirt barely below with a wooden chopstick, then I can drop a small pinch of 2 or 3 seeds into the shallow tray "roof" and control how many seeds go into each hole quite easily, also using the chopstick to knock the seeds into the holes. After I have successfully seeded each hole as desired, I remove the shallow tray and see a very well aligned array of centered holes, each seeded, and I then sprinkle coir gently over them to cover the seeds. I bottom water then I'm done! Old eyes and tiny seeds create challenges easily overcome with creativity.

  • @tobruz
    @tobruz 2 дня назад +1

    Smaller seeding flats like 240’s or larger will not seat properly in deep flats, use a shallow tray

  • @cherylskornik1512
    @cherylskornik1512 2 дня назад

    Good video. I have a super hard time getting seedlings out of the Bootstrap Farmers seed trays, I asked them about it but the tips were not very helpful. Would you be willing to provide tips of getting seedling out of the trays, intact so the roots are not damaged please. Thank you.

  • @NPC2_4_U
    @NPC2_4_U 2 дня назад +1

    Video on seed starting medium? Make your own? I do.

  • @TreyPropes
    @TreyPropes 2 дня назад

    Great Video! Wonderful Ideas.
    interested in the Geothermal Citrus greenhouse you mentiined in Missouri... please do add a link so we can check it out.

  • @rustyshovelhomestead591
    @rustyshovelhomestead591 2 дня назад

    I used the deep trays. Last few years I have a lot of root growth coming out of the bottom of the cells. Am I leaving the water in the bottom to long? Should I trim the roots?

  • @radicalrobynette7138
    @radicalrobynette7138 2 дня назад

    So if I wanna grow wintergreen from seed, a slow growing/spreading plant, should I use a deep tray?

  • @tobruz
    @tobruz 2 дня назад

    Learn the weight of dry cells compared to wet cells
    This is the best way to tell when to water

  • @elizabethpew176
    @elizabethpew176 2 дня назад

    What kind of potting mix do you use?

  • @essentialcomforts2166
    @essentialcomforts2166 2 дня назад

    Is there a reason you don't sell bootstrap domes? I just bought the shallow water trays and a couple sizes of the seed tray inserts.

  • @carmyn692
    @carmyn692 День назад

    How do you get the white, dangley roots out of the cells without hurting them?

  • @db11750
    @db11750 2 дня назад

    This is probably wrong but ive done it for a few seasons now no problem i just fill the bottom with a few inches of water and leave the water until its gone then refill never have dumped out the remaining

  •  2 дня назад

    Deep, shallow dry out too fast because I use the cells with slits down the sides, but better ventilation.

  • @tobruz
    @tobruz 2 дня назад

    Spend the money on more solid trays the cheap thin trays don’t last and they leak if used more than once

  • @JohnWood-tk1ge
    @JohnWood-tk1ge 2 дня назад

    Always pick something up from your videos.

  • @cbass2755
    @cbass2755 2 дня назад +3

    I say just start seed planting! I dislike this stuff...just plant a seed for God's sake, take care of it, and enjoy your fruits if labor. I love Luke, I'm subscribed and I order from him. But starting out, let's not turn off people. I use them and anything else I can find to plant seeds, and I don't have problems.

  • @zannasfoto
    @zannasfoto 2 дня назад +4

    I prefer deep trays, I'm the one always trying to carry stuff with just one hand 😂 I don't know how many pots I've dropped due to flimsy trays... 🫣😂