The Economics Of Starting Seed

Welcome back to another episode of Lost in the Farmers Market.  Today’s topic came about because of a conversation at a Sustainable Neighbor’s meeting about three weeks ago where one of our members commented that Jiffy-7 Peat Pellets were not efficient for starting seed. At the time I didn’t contest this because I had never really looked into the economics and physical practicality of it. It took me several weeks to compile the data and look over the end results to reach a reasonable set of conclusions which can be summaries with five words ‘It depends on your intentions’. Yes I know that’s about as satisfying as diet soda that’s been watered down by half with actual water but it’s realistically the best answer. You see, from the member’s perspective he has differing intentions for his plants than I do for mine. From my perspective as the owner and operator of a quasi-commercial all-organic growing operation what I consider as acceptable is going to be very different than your average home gardener. For me, if I grow a single full tray of one variety of plant, say Marigolds, and half that tray dies, I will still turn a profit which then justifies the means. A home grower will have to cram several varieties of plants into just one growing tray and different standards of practicality and economics are at play.  The first thing we need to examine in this conversation is the cost of each individual potential item using the prices seen at local stores. For this study, I looked at prices for seeding supplies at Bells Seed Store, Flow & Grow, bLowes, Home Despot, and any other place I thought might just have the kind of materials for this comparison. For the purposes of control, I am using a standard growing tray that is approximately 9.5” x 20” in size and an appropriate matching high or low height humidity dome. Also, it can be assumed that 1 cubic foot of propagation soil is equivalent to approximately 28,316.85 milliliters(ml) rounded up after the decimal place.

These are the standard 36mm peat pellets most commonly available.

Jiffy-7 Peat Pellet

- Cost: $0.14 each, 100x $12.00.

-35mm dia. Unexpanded, 1.5”x1.5” diameter, expanded.

-Full Tray is 55 pellets.

-full tray is roughly 2,389.06ml of soil.

Peat pellets are an all-in-one option that covers both having a pot and having soil. As the information above attests, they are reasonably inexpensive and buying enough of these pellets to fill a tray would be about $7.70 before taxes making the purchase of a hundred or more far more practical. The only requirement to use them is warm water which makes the peat expand so you can sow seed in the pellet. The advantages to peat pellets are fairly obvious, they’re easy to use, when you see a plant’s roots poking out of the sides it’s time to move a seedling up to a bigger pot and the mesh that forms the wall of the pot readily allows water transfer. The disadvantage to peat pellets is that they can only be used once and if a seed fails to germinate or dies in the pellet after it emerges, the soil is contaminated and the pellet is only fit for compost. Also, some larger faster growing plants need more room than a peat pellet can provide. Another disadvantage to peat pellets is that they need to be kept fairly moist as their netting isn’t as good at keeping moisture in as a peat pot or a plastic pot.

 

These Cell Packs are the standard size for seed starting.

1.25” × 1.25” Cell Pack

- Cost: $1.75 per sheet of 12 packs (a sheet fits a standard tray).

- 6 cells per pack.

- 72 individual cells/plants per tray.

- Uses 3,398.02ml of soil and the soil cost to fill is $2.16.

This size is wider than the prior size and is ideal for cuttings.

1.5” × 2.25” Cell Pack

- Cost: $1.00 per sheet of 12 packs (a sheet fits a standard tray).

- 4 cells per pack.

- 48 individual cells/plants per tray.

- Uses 4,424.51 ml of soil and the soil cost to fill is $2.81.

 

These cell packs are ideal for larger seeds and larger cuttings.

2.25” × 2.25” Cell Pack

- Cost:  $1.00 per sheet of 6 Packs (a sheet fits a standard tray).

- 6 cells per pack.

- 36 individual cells/plants per tray.

- Uses 5973.1ml of soil and the soil cost to fill is $3.80.

Seedling pots are good for things like cilantro, or other seeds where you sow in larger groups.

3” × 3” Seedling Pot

- Cost: $1.00 per sheet of 18 pots (a sheet fits a standard tray).

- Uses 5,309.41ml of soil and the soil cost to fill is $3.37.

            Cell packs and seedling pots are equally as available at nurseries, garden centers and in mail order catalogs as peat pellets are and price-wise they are definitely a better buy. The advantage to plastic cell packs and seedling trays is that if your seeds fail to germinate or your seedlings die, you can just dump the soil, sterilize the pack and start over. The solid plastic walls stop soil-borne pathogens from spreading across an entire tray as readily and you also get to choose what type of propagation mix is in the pots. There is the advantage of the numerous diameters and dimensions available for cell-packs and seedling pots which will broaden your options for growing a wider variety of plants. The disadvantage to this system is that cell packs are still plastic and even though they can go in the recycling bin when damaged or spent, you’re still sending money to the petroleum industry. Another issue with cell packs is that you will have to fill them with soil, and you will have to gently squeeze your young plants out of them when you are ready to transplant which can be difficult. The shape of these pots can be a problem as it is inevitable that your plants will try to grow down towards where water collects in the tray below, and roots may cling to the opening at the bottom of the cell pack making transplant damage a probability.

2.25” Square Peat Pot

- Cost: $0.13 per pot, 11.00 per 100 pots.

- 36 pots fit in a standard tray

- Uses 6,719.72ml of soil and the soil cost to fill is $4.27.

This picture was borrowed from an online source, unfortunately I was out of all sizes of peat pot at the time of the writing of this article.

3” Square Peat Pot

- Cost: $0.19 per pot, $16.00 per 100 pots.

- 18 pots fit in a standard tray

- Uses 5,309.41ml of soil and the soil cost to fill is $3.36.

Peat pots are the middle of the road in the ongoing debate between Jiffy-7 peat pellets and cell packs/seedling pots, they drain water just like cell packs/seedling pots, but because the ‘pot’ on this case is made of compressed peat, it breathes, and can exude excess moisture. Much like the mesh net on a peat pellet a plant’s roots can grow through a peat pot which reduces transplant shock. One other useful feature of peat pots is that they don’t come with soil, so you get to fill it with a preferred mix eliminating the worry of if or if not the soil you are using will work well with your intended crops. In reality, the disadvantages of peat pots are a bit more nuanced. More often than not, the peat pot is ripped up or mostly torn off before a plant is transplanted to reduce any risk that the pot becomes a barrier to growth. Also, assorted molds and fungi can grow on the sides of the pots which may be detrimental to your plants. Slugs can chew holes through the bottom of the pots to create places to hide and sometimes if peat pots are not kept moist they don’t decompose fully. I can personally attest to how many peat ‘collars’ are found at the end of the season where the perpetually dry part of a peat pot above the soil level failed to decompose while the rest broke down almost completely. Peat is notorious for repelling water when totally dry and this is a flaw peat pots and pellets share.

So the big question is; which option of the three is better? Well, that depends on your intentions in the most literal way. From a price standpoint the following is true;

-Peat Pellets: $18.00 -$20.00, 1 tray.

-Cell Packs: $14.00 -$18.00, 1 tray.

-Peat Pots: $20.00-$25.00, 1 tray.

In short, from a cost perspective and not including extras like grow lights ($20-30) and heat mats ($25-35), it’s clear that plastic cell packs and seedling pots are the least expensive option. However they are the least easy to use because, you have to consider sterilization methods, soil mixtures and they can conceivably produce the most plants per square foot of all three pot options. If you consider the options from the perspective of the least amount of effort, peat pellets are the easiest method since they exclude buying dirt, and put less of a barrier between the soil and a seedling heat mat or the moisture pooling in your growing tray. Also peat pellets are useful for most species of plants and with skill you can learn how to use them with large seeded plants or simply get a larger size than used in this study. Lastly we have the consideration of final planting, this is where peat pots really shine; normally a seedling in a peat pellet or cell pack will be planted into a larger pot before it goes out to the garden. A peat potted seedling will often remain in its starting pot until ready to go in the ground, which saves an entire set of management and maintenance.

            In short, the difference between the three seed starting options is that, peat pots are best for beginners or those with limited space for propagation. Peat pots are best for intermediate skill growers, or those with time constraints. Cell Packs & Seedling Trays are best for those who are more advanced in skill or those who are trying to grow in large numbers. The costs of each method are what they are, and those should be a factor in your garden calculations.

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but by booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog. Also, as of the start of 2019, my booth can now process credit or debit cards thanks to the acquisition of s a Square reader so your payment options have doubled. With that said, if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic vegetables, herbs and fruiting shrubs come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the Hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

Plants & Stuff Available Now:

All the Stuff:

Soup Kits: $6.00

Seasoning Packets: $2.00

Ginger, 4oz Packet: $2.00

Wormwood Packets: $2.00

Lavender Packets: $2.00

Pepper Packets: $2.00

Garlic, Whole Bulb: $1.00

Coming Soon:

TBA

These days I am generally at Leclair’s General Store once a week, for the weekly Sustainable Neighbors meeting at 5:30pm through 7:00 pm. If you have questions then I will be there to answer your questions. Since our meetings have an open-door policy you don’t need to sign up for anything or join anything, you can come on in ask for us and join the meetings. If not, you can always send me questions through this blog or visit the farmer’s market or pay attention to what Sustainable Neighbors is doing at the link below.

https://www.meetup.com/SustainableNeighbors/

This brings to a close the third LITFM post of 2020, stay tuned the next episode which should be posted on the 21^st of February. There will be more garden updates and other cool stuff.