Seedling Heat Mat

 First time to try using a seedling heat mat to start the hottest of the hot peppers.  I typically do not have any problems starting my jalapenos, but the hotter peppers like the Serrano etc. I do.

I bought my heat mat online, and about $10.00 less than at our hardware/garden store (be sure to check reviews).

The one I bought was a simple, plug it in and put your seed tray on it.  There were a lot of "don'ts" so I put my mat and tray on my wood stove hearth (we are not using the wood stove right now).

In 6 days the serrano pepper seeds started to sprout.

In 7 days the cayenne started to sprout.

In 9 days the Datil started sprouting.  Did you know these are native to St. Augustine, FL?  I just learned this fun fact.

In 10 days the Cherry Bomb peppers, and Anaheim peppers started to sprout.

My hot banana have not sprouted yet (those were saved seeds), so I will keep an eye on that.  So far, it's helped the hot peppers to sprout much better than without the mat.  My jalapeno are not on the heat mat and have all sprouted.

Sprouts for my Chickens

I'm growing sprouts for my ladies (chickens) right now.  So easy to do, healthy and fun for the chickens, and in expensive to do.

I bought a large splatter screen at the nearest Dollar Tree store.  You can of course, order a seed sprout lid online as well.

I then used my quart jar to draw a template, and then cut those out to match the tops of the jars.  Simple right?

Fill your quart jar with water to the top.  Each day, soak, dump and rinse.  You can get complete instructions online (never leave them soak over night).

After each day of that process, I let it sit upside down on a towel for a bit.  I wanted to make sure all of the older water was out before leaning the jar on it's side, and covering with a towel.  It gets air flow, and sprouts grow this way.  They have gadget kits for standing your jar(s) tilted.  I'm just easy peasy, use what I have right now.

In about 3-4 days your sprouts will look like this.  Fun for the ladies and healthy for them too. 

Has anyone sprouted other grains or beans for their chickens? So far, I have only used green lentils.