I ordered a seed mat as a gift to myself this Christmas, and I have never used one.

[Kansas Terri]

Buying a seed starting mat is a bit of a luxury, I know, but every year around February I get the urge to start seeds and it is simply too cold for them in my house. The thermostat may say that my house is 75 degrees, but the seeds apparently disagree because they will not break dormancy until March, at best!

I cannot entirely blame them: February where I live is overcast and very chilly, and that time of year the cold just seeps through the walls. I have tried setting the seedlings next to more light and it did not help, and so now I am going to try the heating mat. I have also ordered a clear plastic dome to fit over the seedlings to reduce moisture loss, and I will buy potting soil locally along with a plastic tray. ,

Is there anything more that I need to know about using a heat mat to start seedlings with?

I ordered this: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MT10006--19-1-2-Inch-Seedling/dp/B0001WV010/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1386687389&sr=8-20&keywords=seed starting

 

[zigs]

That's a great idea Terri, the seeds will be thinking, "Don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

Bear in mind the light levels will still be low if you germinate early, might be an idea to invest in a grow light.

My mate bought one of these, says it does the job

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225-LED-H...Panel-Board-Blue-Lamp-Light-15W-/281223921190

 

[Kansas Terri]

I have had good luck with using a variety of lamps! But only in the summer time, when the cold no longer seeps through the walls.

The best light bulb I ever used was an ordinary incandescent bulb, of the sort we are no longer supposed to use because they are not energy efficient. It supplied heat as well as light, though unless the pot was put is a sealed plastic bag it would dry out the soil. For a while I used a candy jar with a glass lid to start my tomatos, until I broke it. Glass candy jars with lids are no longer popular and I no longer see them being sold for 25 cents at yard sales, and so I just started buying my tomatos. It was easier.

The big drawback of using an incandescent bulb is that it will only give light to one small pot at a time. That is fine for tomatos, as 6 tomatos is all that I would want, but I usually use a lot of onions over the course of a year and so I thought that a mat would be more practical!

 

[zigs]

Yep, see where you're coming from, I suggested the LED lamp to be used in conjunction with the mat.

Reason I said was that I started off my competition onions on Boxing day last year, the house was warm but then we had the dullest spring ever, hardly any light & they struggled to survive.

If you can get hold of them. polystyrene fish boxes are good, put the heat mat in the bottom. they keep the warmth in, and being white, they reflect the light from the lamp well