Starting seeds on a budget, in pots?

[hennypenny9]

Hello! I'm going to be moving (house for sale) so I would like to start some things in pots. I don't have the special starter pots I keep seeing. I don't have super great soil, just a bag of plain dirt from who-knows-where. I have some pea seeds that say they are "self supporting." They say to sew straight in the grown. I have garlic chive seeds that also say to sew in the grown. Both say early spring. I also plan on buying ever bearing strawberry plants.

So my dumb questions to the experts are:

Can I use any pot I can get a hold of? (with a drainage hole, of course)
Do I need a special pot for the strawberries?
Can I use the soil I have?

I'm really broke (see house for sale) BUT I could probably pick either new pots or better soil.

If there is some resource that explains all this, sorry, maybe you could link it.

Thanks in advance, I haven't grown anything since I was little.

 

[obsessed]

I have used garden soil, pottting soil, and seed starting mix. I think the best is seed starting mix. I have had the best luck with seed starting mix. Why I dunno.

 

[setter4]

Hello! I'm going to be moving (house for sale) so I would like to start some things in pots. I don't have the special starter pots I keep seeing. I don't have super great soil, just a bag of plain dirt from who-knows-where. I have some pea seeds that say they are "self supporting." They say to sew straight in the grown. I have garlic chive seeds that also say to sew in the grown. Both say early spring. I also plan on buying ever bearing strawberry plants.

So my dumb questions to the experts are:

Can I use any pot I can get a hold of? (with a drainage hole, of course)
Do I need a special pot for the strawberries?
Can I use the soil I have?

I'm really broke (see house for sale) BUT I could probably pick either new pots or better soil.

If there is some resource that explains all this, sorry, maybe you could link it.

Thanks in advance, I haven't grown anything since I was little.

As long as the pots are big enough and have good drainage you should be fine. Try to pick up some good mulch or something to mix with the dirt you have. Some peat moss or at least some Miracle Gro potting soil. If you have a nursery close by you could probably get a couple bushels of good mulch very cheaply.
The problem with growing strawberries in a pot is going to be that you won't have room for many and there wont be room for the runners to root.
As soon as it's warm enough put the seeds in the ground and see what happens....I think it will be fine!

 

[vfem]

Hello! I'm going to be moving (house for sale) so I would like to start some things in pots. I don't have the special starter pots I keep seeing. I don't have super great soil, just a bag of plain dirt from who-knows-where. I have some pea seeds that say they are "self supporting." They say to sew straight in the grown. I have garlic chive seeds that also say to sew in the grown. Both say early spring. I also plan on buying ever bearing strawberry plants.

So my dumb questions to the experts are:

Can I use any pot I can get a hold of? (with a drainage hole, of course)
Do I need a special pot for the strawberries?
Can I use the soil I have?

I'm really broke (see house for sale) BUT I could probably pick either new pots or better soil.

If there is some resource that explains all this, sorry, maybe you could link it.

Thanks in advance, I haven't grown anything since I was little.

As long as the pots are big enough and have good drainage you should be fine. Try to pick up some good mulch or something to mix with the dirt you have. Some peat moss or at least some Miracle Gro potting soil. If you have a nursery close by you could probably get a couple bushels of good mulch very cheaply.
The problem with growing strawberries in a pot is going to be that you won't have room for many and there wont be room for the runners to root.
As soon as it's warm enough put the seeds in the ground and see what happens....I think it will be fine!

As for the strawberries... you are getting everbearing. There are 2 main varieties of everbearing. I bought the one with 'minimal runners" so good for pots on decks and such. Check your kind, but it sounds like giving each one a good size pot next to each other, or a very large pot for a few should work.

Like said... if you use the dirt you have try to get some peat moss, or some potting mix to mix with it before you plant. Also try to mulch... it will keep them moist which is VERY important to seeds and new plants.

Obsessed, the seed started is mostly moss... and it holds moisture twice to 3 times as long.

 

[hennypenny9]

Just raided my garage (pit of doom) and found two pots.

I'm thinking the green one for the chives, and the long one for the peas? Its about 30" long. I'm going to have to buy another pot, since I miscalculated how many I have, LOL. So a really big one for the strawberries? My Goodwill sometimes has pots for cheap. And I'll ask the people at the nursery for the "minimal runners" kind. I'll probably pick the cheapest soil, Miracle Grow?

I can't wait to learn more, that way I'll actually be able to have fresh foods! Thanks everyone!

 

[patandchickens]

I don't think of peas as being something that does well in containers... although I've never actually tried. But they like constant soil moisture levels and cool soil, two things that containers are usually the opposite of. Something very productive, like snow peas, you could *try*...

...but another option would be to save the pea seeds for a late summer sowing (if that is possible in your climate) and buy a 99 cent packet of lettuce seeds for the windowbox instead, as lettuce does quite well in containers like that.

The garlic chives could be sown into the green pot, just be careful with soil moisture levels as it's tricky direct-sowing into (relatively speaking) large containers like that.

If the dirt you have was store-boughten, it may be ok (although if it has fertilizer added, some seeds/seedlings don't do so well with that); if it is dirt from the ground, I'd suggest either cutting it at least half-and-half with something storeboughten, or using it only for the lower half of the containers and filling them the rest of the way with something storeboughten. Not that you *can't* seed into actual dirt-from-the-ground in containers, but it is tricky and not your easiest route to success.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[setter4]

Just raided my garage (pit of doom) and found two pots.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/mousy_girl/100_2111.jpg

I'm thinking the green one for the chives, and the long one for the peas? Its about 30" long. I'm going to have to buy another pot, since I miscalculated how many I have, LOL. So a really big one for the strawberries? My Goodwill sometimes has pots for cheap. And I'll ask the people at the nursery for the "minimal runners" kind. I'll probably pick the cheapest soil, Miracle Grow?

I can't wait to learn more, that way I'll actually be able to have fresh foods! Thanks everyone!

If you are going to a local nursery for the strawberries why not ask if they have some "Recycled" potting mix you might be able to get for free or cheap. You could mix it with your other dirt to "beef it up". lol
Can't hurt to ask!
That long pot looks like a great lettuce pot but not a great pea pot to me.

 

[momofdrew]

Just raided my garage (pit of doom) and found two pots.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/mousy_girl/100_2111.jpg

I'm thinking the green one for the chives, and the long one for the peas? Its about 30" long. I'm going to have to buy another pot, since I miscalculated how many I have, LOL. So a really big one for the strawberries? My Goodwill sometimes has pots for cheap. And I'll ask the people at the nursery for the "minimal runners" kind. I'll probably pick the cheapest soil, Miracle Grow?

I can't wait to learn more, that way I'll actually be able to have fresh foods! Thanks everyone!

you can also use 5 gallon food pails with drainage holes drilled in... you sometimes can get them from supermarkets or sub shops...free...you can grow 1 tomato plant or 1 bush type cucumber plant in it...

 

[hennypenny9]

Omg, so many good ideas!

Patandchickens- Seeds are on sale at the store near me, so I could probably get some lettuce seeds for really cheap. I'll wait on the peas, and hope I get into a permanent home before summer! The bag of dirt is from some store, but it's so dry it's amazing!

Momofdrew- Thanks for the pail/bucket idea! I'm going to bother some construction workers I know, I think they have those huge buckets. They'd probably even drill the hole for me, lol!

Thanks!

 

[patandchickens]

The bag of dirt is from some store, but it's so dry it's amazing!

It may have a high peat content. Try rewetting it with HOT water (boiling if possible) -- pour on, let cool enough to handle, and then mix together and let sit to finish rehydrating. Peat does not rewet well with cool water.

Have fun,

Pat