This topic contains 7 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by gj 11 years, 4 months ago.
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A pity they do only 40 or 77. the latter sounds small. Try other suppliers such as Crowders http://www.crowders.co.uk. for the 60 cell Gardman plant trays, a pack of 3 costs £3. I start many seedlings in those, then pot on the cucumber, tomato etc which need to grow bigger before planting. Larger seeds such as courgette and pea, also multi-sowings like beetroot and onion, do better in slughtly larger modules such as the 40 cell trays. Broad beans I now sow direct as on the whole they grow better for it, in my garden anyway.
I just cannot understand why gardeners wish to use modules, it seems to me they are playing at being commercial growers. What wrong with just pricking out plants in seed trays and potting them up later if necessary or just direct planting young vegetable plants in the ground. There are all kinds of problems with modules such as uniform nutrition and watering, time and damage removing plants from modules etc etc
Its horses for courses Roger, for some gardens and gardeners they are a boon, you clearly prefer seed trays. I have never found problems from uneven nutriton and watering, but any gardeners who do will prefer sowing in trays, boxes or direct. So many possibilities.
Depending on what scale you are growing on (ie quantities), plastic water cups may be useful. I was lucky enough to get a boxful of these when the water dispenser was dispensed
) with at work. This particular type of cup was quite deep and could be used for sowing larger seeds and potting up. I put 3 drainage holes in each cup with a small soldering iron, (you can do upto 6 at a time by slotting them together),I then made some cupholders from plywood, just a flat piece of plywood, sized to just sit inside a normal seed tray, with 18 holes cut in using a hole cutter. Having tried lots of systems for propagation over the years, I think this is the best. The cups are kept upright in the cup holder/seed tray combination, the cups can be washed and re-used, they act a little bit like a root trainer and you can see the progress of the root system because the cups are clear plastic.Pete
I think modules are a brilliant and useful way to grow most vegetables and other plants, whether one sows directly into the modules or pricks out into them from a seed tray. I grow a lot of different vegetables successionally in my allotment and clients’ gardens and can grow so much more (and save time) by having the next plants ready for planting immediately after clearing the previous crop. There are of course the advantages of being able to plant out just the healthy plants at a size where they are more likely to survive slug and other pest attack and one can keep some to fill in gaps should any of the plants die. Planting is extremely easy using a dibber, there is the advantage too of being able to space the plants properly for ease of picking and healthy growth.
If the modules are filled properly with compost so that they have a firm base to grow in and therefore a sturdy rootball, there are rarely problems with damage removing the plants. I have never had any problems with watering or nutrition.
There are often different sized module trays available in the bargain bins at garden centres, I got some for 20p.
Have to agree with Charles here. I have used trays, but they are not an option for me these days as I have rheumatoid arthritis which affects my hands badly making pricking out a difficult job. I grew Swedes in modules for the first time this year and have yesterday pulled two at nearly 2 kilos each. First time I’ve ever had success with Swede.
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