Tips for Starting Plants from seed inside

"lids" aren't necessary, but do help conserve water so you don't have to water as much. I've done plants with and without, the only difference I've had is how fast the soil dries out.

Plastic wrap might make a good lid. I haven't tried it but I've heard of people using it.

The way our rack/shelf is set up I do not think we can get lids on everything so I was planning to just mist it now and then.

Does anyone start plants with NO grow lights of any type? Only in a window?

...Actually, only using sunlight on the sunporch. A good sunporch is not a luxury. I've got laundry hanging out there just now.

Planting under lights means having the lights so close to the plants that you can't get in there to do anything, like weed, thin, trim, sniff, moon over, etc.

I've done it in the livingroom window. Because the location is so warm (right over the baseboard heater) the plants get spindly and sick looking, especially if we have several days of cloud cover. When we were refinishing the floor in one of the southern exposure bedrooms I did start a lot of plants there. Because the heat was off the plants grew slowly and were healthier. And I have started plants outside once the weather warms to above freezing during the day. Just set the plants outside. I have lost some to sudden cold snaps and lots that were drowned before I started setting the windows over the trays. It takes a LOT of work, moving plants twice a day, leaving them indoors if the air is cold, checking the temps 10 times a day. But IMO, those plants grew the best and were sufficiently hardened that once spring came they were transplanted with no problems.

This reminds me, I've got to get my kale and lettuces started by this weekend.

huisjen: where can I buy the rite in the rain markers? I see remarks about them online but did not see a source to buy them. Where do you buy yours? Thank you.