Hi, Welcome to Asiangarden2table.
A reliable seedling supply is very critical
for growing a sustainable, productive garden.
Growing your own vegetable seedlings will save you a lot of money.
Young seedlings are very vulnerable and require intense care.
I have done a lot of research and experiments
in order to build my seed starting system.
This system has been running for more than three years,
and I am extremely happy about it.
Recently I rebuilt it, and would like to share with you in this video.
First, choose the right seed starting kits.
You should use potting mix as seed starting media,
containers with holes at bottom
and trays that can hold water.
This tray is thin and easy to break.
Stack a good tray with a broken one will make it last longer.
The tray is leveled so water will be evenly distributed in the tray.
The potting mix will absorb water in the tray
and stay moist for seedlings to grow.
Second, equip a rack with drip system.
You can buy a rack,
or make one with any material
but make sure it is sturdy and outdoor suitable.
Place your rack at a sunny spot and make sure it is leveled well.
According your rack size and structure,
design and install drip system for adding water in trays.
My rack is 6 ft X 2 ft, 3 tiers.
I can load 6 trays on each tier.
Each tray will have a dripper.
Water is fed in from main line and distributed to all the drippers.
You can choose 0~10 GPM water flow
flow from each dripper by turning the cap.
Installing drip system is very similar to what you do for your garden.
Punch holes at every one foot,
attach drippers to micro hoses.
Install micro hose onto main hose with a connector,
Connect main hoses according to lay-out design,
install the drip lines into rack,
zip-tie to tighten the lines onto the rack.
Third, install liquid fertilizer dispenser in water line
which has a timer to control.
Seedlings need nutrients to grow well.
When water flow through fertilizer dispenser,
it will automatically suck in a certain amount of fertilizer
for example, mine is 200 part of water gets 1 part of nutrients.
Liquid fertilizer is gentle and work well.
Fill the dispenser with liquid fertilizer.
You can use any liquid fertilizer you like.
Water comes out from a valve controlled by a timer,
get through an anti-back flow valve,
a 25 psi pressure regulator,
get into fertilizer dispenser,
where a small amount fertilizer is added into water,
then the water is distributed into each tray through drip lines.
Forth, adjust watering time and water flow.
This can be a little bit tricky.
The goal is to make sure all your trays are added with the right amount of water.
The potting mix should be wet but not soaked.
I set 5 min watering time every day.
Turn on each dripper to test flow rate.
Each time the water added in the trays should be around I inch deep.
According to my experience,
it should be able to wet the potting mix whole day.
Middle tier and bottom tier get less sun,
and will be loaded with new started trays or smaller seedlings.
So I adjust the water flow smaller accordingly.
At the beginning you may need to check your trays every day
to see if water is added properly.
Make adjustment if necessary.
Once your seed starting system running regularly,
the water needed will get stable,
then you won't need to adjust drippers flow
until something different happens.
Sixth, install a clear roof and an anti-insect screen for your seed starting rack.
A clear roofing board works well for this purpose.
It will prevent rain flushing and damaging young seedlings
and still allow sunshine to get through.
An anti-insect screen is very useful.
It will weaken any wind or storm into the rack from outside.
The most important thing is it keeps out small animals
such as squirrels, birds, rabbits etc,
and insects such as aphid, flies, worms etc..
In cold area, a plastic film instead of a screen
can make the rack into a small green house for early seed starting.
Draw a cut figure according to rack size,
and cut the screen into pieces,
sew the pieces together.
Cover up the rack.
Zip-tie the corners onto the rack
to keep the screen nice and fit.
attach the fertilizer dispenser back onto the rack.
Finally, install a door frame and a door.
Install a door frame and a door.
According to your rack structure and material,
you can have different way to put on the screen.
I did it on my own way
and I am sure there is better way to do this.
It is not perfect but it works for me.
If you have better idea,
please don’t hesitate to share with us.
To start your seeds, sow the seeds in seed starters,
place them in trays, load the trays into seed starting rack,
place the drippers in the trays,
check the water flow and close the door.
Few weeks later, your seedlings will be ready.
I hope my idea is helpful to you.
By the way, I will update my videos on
asiangarden2table.com
at the same time, list the links to the tools, materials and parts that
I use in my projects.
Please stop by and check.
Thank you very much for your support. See you next time.