My Latest Impulse Buy

I am a woman who is prone to large impulse buys. I have bought two houses and several vehicles without even so much as a night to sleep on such momentous decisions. Hubby Dear knows better than to let me loose in certain stores without supervision because I am liable to come home with extra items I just couldn't pass up.

So I guess it is not much of a surprise that I came home from my latest trip to a certain discount store with something that most definitely was not on my shopping list. At least this impulse buy cost all of $4.50!

I bought a seed starting kit.

Jiffy Pot "Professional" Greenhouse

Hubby Dear and I have discussed starting our own transplants from seed but decided to put that off for future growing seasons. For 2012, the plan was to use a combination of bought transplants and directly sowing other seeds into the garden. Then I came across an enticing display of several different kinds of seed starting kits.

The good thing about this kit is that it contained everything I needed to start 36 plants. All I had to provide was the seeds.

This kit was contains Jiffy Pots. Jiffy Pots are little compressed peat pellets that expand when hydrated.

A Jiffy Pot before hydration 

After hydration

Ready to go

It took a little over 5 cups of warm water poured into the tray to hydrate all the pots. Then we pulled the netting back from the top of the pots, fluffed up the peat a little bit, and got ready to plant our seeds.

Cauliflower, Broccoli, Cabbage and Lettuce Seed Packets

If I had been smart, I would have bought this kit a couple of weeks earlier. The cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and lettuce we planted should have been sowed then. Oh well. I figure this will still give them a head start over being directly sowed into the garden.

We placed three seeds in each pot, lightly covered them up with peat, and placed the clear plastic "greenhouse" lid over the top. The directions stated to keep the greenhouse out of direct sunlight but to leave it in a warm place until the plants germinate.

Sprouts!

Sixty hours later they were beginning to sprout! Since our house isn't super warm, I wasn't expecting the seeds to germinate so quickly.

Baby cabbages

I have to leave the greenhouse lid propped open now. Once all of the seeds have sprouted, the lid will come off for good and I'll place the seedlings where they can get some sun. This is challenging because our house doesn't really have any good south-facing windows. I figure I'll put them in an east-facing window where they can get morning sun and then try using my florescent under-the-cabinet lighting in the kitchen. After the seedlings have grown a bit, I'll select the best one in each pot and thin out the rest.

If you're like many preppers and have one of those cans of survival seeds, you should think about how you would grow your plants. You'll definitely want to grow your peppers and tomatoes from transplants because they take too long to mature when directly seeded outside. Take a look at the contents of your survival seed can and think about it now.

This is one impulse buy of mine that even Hubby Dear agrees is useful!