Recycled Items for Gardening Purposes

I started some sweet pea seeds the other day, using Lisa Mason Ziegler's technique of starting them in 2" soil blocks and growing them slow and cool. The goal seems to be good root development at the beginning, as opposed to green growth. The soil blocks were sitting in our living room and about a third of sprouted after just six days, so I have moved them out on to the sundeck where it is bright and cool. In reading some articles from Ardelia Farm I probably should have placed them outdoors right from the beginning, because its pretty warm in the house.

Last year birds pilfered a bunch of my sweet pea seedlings by yanking them right out of their pots, so this year I am going to try to protect them a bit better. I slid the tray in to a plastic case that used to hold holiday ornaments. I am always on the lookout for transparent items made of plastic or acrylic; they really come in handy for seed starting.

There are also a couple of good-sized lettuce seedlings on the deck, in tall plastic junk food tubs. I cut a slit around the perimeter so they open up like hinge when I need to water the plants.
 

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Yeah, in the Spring the food is slim, so the birds steal our stuff! :somad
Funny, I don't have a lot of time, but I am SO OCD about cleaning all of the labels from my repurposed containers. Something about "the little plants won't get all of the sunshine they need!"...or some dumb excuse like that.
I soak, scrub, then scrub aGain with a Mr. Clean magic eraser.
I probably shouldn't bother...
I wonder if the cheesy poofs container (like yours) is still sitting at DD's house? 🤫
 
Can't until the end of this weekend! I am recycling 1/4 ", 2 x 6' particle board pieces, 4 of them and 2 scrap wooden sides to create a raised bed. It is being built just north of the first of my 3yo tomato fencing and I am using pieces of concrete from this concrete wishing well that we bought and used outside. It is slowly falling apart, but still has usable pieces.
I am moving 2yo used stall bedding to fill mostly to the top and I am planting 2022 sugar snap peas in it.
HOPEFULLY, they won't get eaten by birds :hide:fl!
I want to succession plant leeks there.
I have about a dozen of these 1/4 ply pieces. When my barn was leaking about a decade ago, we didn't have the money to replace it, so I measured and had 4 x 8 ft 1/4" inch pieces cut precisely at Lowe's, and the plan was paint them, then screw them to the inside of the leaky part of the roof as a temporaty measure.
Soon after that we found the money to buy the metal roof and they have been stored in the barn loft ever since.
I have used a few of these for gardening and they last about one season before the weather takes them.
Every day I steal a few minutes to move portions of the sides to the site.
DH and DD's and going to see a scary movie tomorrow, not my taste, so I can get it going and plant.
What is your thought on soaking pea seeds overnight? I get opposing viewpoints online.
 
To soak or not to soak-- that is the question. This is definitely an area where methods can vary. In past years I think most home gardeners pre-soaked them. I no longer soak sweet pea seeds, because the sweet pea farmers seem to discourage it as it can be a vector for fungal disease. I am also trying not to water them again until after they sprout, lest they rot. Eagle Sweet Peas has a good seed starting video on their site. Roger Parsons, who curates the UK sweet pea collection has 'do not soak or chip the seeds' printed in bold letters on his site. And if it's good enough for Roger Parsons, it's good enough for me! ☺️
 
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