Head Start on Seed Starting

The first year I had a vegetable garden in Seattle (2009), I was very nervous about how long it takes to get warm out here, so I started all my seeds indoors. I set up a rig with flourescent lights on a timer and trays full of seedlings in the kitchen where I could monitor them constantly. I planted a little bit at least once a week for proper succession planting and I ended up with pretty good results. But the amount of energy that I used for this method seemed excessive.
So last year I built a cold frame:

All in all it was decent, but I had a hard time getting the moisture levels right. Things got too wet and the soil turned green, and then they got dried out and the seedlings got all spindly. So in the fall I installed an irrigation system (sorry, no photo) with misting heads set up on a timer. The only problem I had with this is that the excess water collected in the trays in which my seedlings were placed, and they ended up pretty waterlogged. That and the slugs...

This spring, I filled the bottom of the cold frame with pebbles and I will put my little guys right in there, allowing the extra water to just drain off. I also got some diatomaceous earth and sprinkled that around the perimeter to try and keep the hungry little slugs away.

This week I put in the following seeds:

Several varieties of lettuces including:

• Cooks Garden All-Seasons Butterhead Mix
• Territorial Merlot

Raddicchio

Arugula

Curly Endive (Frisee)

I hope to get some peas and radishes into the ground shortly and to start some greens soon too!