Overall, the seed starting is going well.  Almost all the Rudbeckia look really good.  In another week or so, they will need to be transplanted up.  I'm not sure what I will plant them into.  Maybe half soda bottles.  I'll need to go buy some more seed starting mix this week.  Of course, I'm going to run out of space before too long.  They're getting big, and I won't be planting them outside until mid April (two months from now).  And I've got 18 of them, maybe 16 will really make it.  Yeah, I guess I can handle that.  Damn, if I end up with that many full grown plants, I can just fill the area with these.  

I transplanted the kale into water bottles last week and they are doing really well.  Of course they are pretty tall, so I need to have more space between the lights. And I gave them some worm castings on top and watered with some worm tea.  I am not worried about these.  I know they're tough, and now that they're in larger containers they are even less likely to dry out all the way.  I just need to keep an eye on them and make sure they aren't hitting the lights.  I only have 11 of them (one died) and I think I want all of them for myself.  Because I'm going to eat that much kale?  Well, because it will look better to have a nice row of kale than like, six.  I'm thinking about starting more kale.  These will be going outside in mid March, so anything I start now will be a baby by then.  

Based on that logic, I started the Romaine today and I opted for FOUR six packs.  24 Romaines.  That is more than twice what I need.  Of course I can give some away...  There isn't really a disadvantage in having too many, other than the space issue, and I can always throw some out.  I'm thinking I can transplant them in mid March, late March.  So, like 5 weeks from now.  I think I can get away with keeping them in the six-packs until then, because they won't get that big.  And I really will need to harden them off, along with the Kale.  

The Coleus... man, I'm really disappointed.  Hardly any of them germinated!  What did I do?  I consolidated 3 six packs down to one, that's how sparse they were.  And like an idiot, I bought more of the same large leaf pink one.  I also bought a packet of a mix of other large leaf coleus, but I'm kind of regretting that now.  I'm afraid there will be a lot of that weird burnt orange color.  I'm sure I can give those away.  There are only 20 seeds in there, as well.  

So what are we going to do differently with this round of Coleus?  

• Use new seed starting mix, not the leftover stuff mixed with so much perlite.  Maybe I had too much perlite.  
• Soak the soil in the packs really well before sowing the seeds.  
• Make really small indentations in the top and drop the seed on top. Instructions online differ on whether they need to be buried or placed on top.  The one that says to cover them sounds like it's just using generic seed starting instruction.  I trust gardeners.com more, and they say Coleus needs light to germinate.  And my understanding of how this relates to the size of the seed is consistent with that.  
• Sow one seed per cell.  I only had two cells germinate on the first attempt, and one of them has two plants right next to each other.  I'll get 12 of the big pink leaf kind, and I'd like to get as many plants as possible, obviously. 
• After that, only water from the bottom, pouring water into the tray below and letting them soak it up.  I find that hard to do, because it doesn't feel like I'm putting the water where it needs to be.  But I think I was washing away the seeds when I dumped water on top.  

Once they germinate, it's pretty easy to take care of them, same as any other seedling.  They don't go out until May, like when the tomatoes go out, so I should have plenty of time.  I'm going for 2 six-packs of the large pink ones, and then I've got 20 seeds in the mix, so I could do 3 six pack-s with that.  That's 5 six packs, plus the one I've got now.  So to plant the Coleus when they arrive, I will need to transplant the Rudbeckia, just to free up the containers.  I'll then have 6 of Coleus, and 4 of Romaine.  That's all 10 packs.  

On top of that, I've got a dozen Kales, 15 Tomatoes, and nearly 18 Rudbeckia, which are not small plants. I guess I could cull the tomato situation, since I clearly don't need 15 tomato plants.  But that doesn't really help me either.  If I cut it down to 3 of each, that gives me 6 more pots, but I need like, 20 more.  Not to mention the light and space issue.  I could think about getting another light, and another shelf.  Or I could rotate them, since I'm not using any kind of timer.  I really don't want to have to buy any containers just for seed starting.  I think I'm going to use cut-off seltzer bottles.  They're just about the right shape, and I have them in abundance.  They have the added benefit of being garbage, so if I do want to give stuff away, I don't lose a container.  I also really like being able to see the root growth,  

Ok so!  My new seeds will get here in a few days, and I will buy some new seed starting mix.  I'll move the Rudbeckia to these soda bottles.  And I will then plant some Coleus.  And then what?!  Ahh, I don't know.  Too many plants!!!