I know it,s a little early to talk about this subject but I would like to hear from some of you the methods you use to germinate seed.I didn,t want to invest in heat cables or heat pads but I was looking thru the various gargening web sites for ideas.Ran across this forum about using an ice chest heated with a 15 watt bulb. Had an ice chest handy,(48 quart coleman)dropped a 15 watt bulb inside with a thermometer,had it on for 1 hour,got a reading of 85 degrees.kept it on for another hour reading held at 85 degrees.Just right to germinte seeds.Going to give this a try come Apr.15 watt bulb can,t use to much electric.Thought to pass this on.

Edd from the upper Hudson Valley,NY

I usually plant flats of seed so I need quite a bit of space. I plant outside in a plastic hoop house I cobbled together that sits against the house in a good spot to catch sun. For the heat I use an old electric blanket under the flats. I have it on a timer to go off in the morning when the sun hits it.

I have germinated large seed in folded paper towels inside a baggie. For heat I put the baggies on top of my old CRT computer monitor. A television also provides heat but hopefully those don't run all the time. Then I can plant only germinated seed and not have all the culls I usually get otherwise.

This hasn't answered your question very will except that I use an electic blanket for a heat source. The ice chest idea sounds good for heat but you'll probably need to get pretty good sunlight to the plants once germinated. That always seems to be the hard part of starting indoors.

If you don't have too many, the top of the fridg works well as the appliance generates quite a bit of heat.

The single best place to germinate seeds that need heat for germination is the top of your refrigerator. That will be pretty close to a constant 70 degrees, just the optimal temperature for most seeds needing a warm soil, to germinate.

Anything wrong with a nice sunny south-facing window?

I don't know what kind of fridges you guys have, but mine does not throw out heat. I had hubby pull it away from the wall after the top end check. I feel no heat source anywhere on this thing. What are you talking about?

I have the same dilemma about the top-of-fridge-started seeds. Years ago when I first started seeds, we had an older type fridge with condenser coils on the back of the fridge. The heat they threw off rose up from the back over the top so it warmed the top of the fridge. So it was fine then.

Aside from the fact that the space up there eventually got too small for the amount of seeds I was starting, when we got a new fridge w/the coils on the bottom (as have most newer fridges) the only substantial "heat" or warmth comes from the bottom that's protected by that front grill/kickplate. Which is probably why my cats are always lying right in front of the grill on cooler days!

My fridge don,t give no heat from top either.Just got it this Spring.I,m going to give this ice chest a try and let you know how I make out.I can put 12 milk cartoons in there on their side with the top side cut out.Wont use that many.Grow lights are ready in the cellar which stays around 55/60 degres in winter.
Edd from the Hudson vally,NY

Yes that refrigerator does throw off heat, enough to germinate seeds. In physics there is something known as heat transfer and if yo put your hand, roughly 98 degrees, on a surface that is 70 degrees you will feel heat loss and because that shell of the refrigerator is metal that is a really good heat transfer mechanism, so the 'fridge feels cold while it is not. The same thing happens when you put you hand on anything else that is less warm than your hand and it happens in reverse when you put your hand on something with more heat than your hand has. Put a thermometer on the 'fridge, so the sensor is in contact with teh metal skin, and see what it reads.

I've had the thermometer on the top of fridge all night and this morning. Same temp as the counter, so I guess you can start seeds on the counter too.
I started using a 2 shelf greenhouse type thing. Has the plastic cover to go over it. And sit a light on the bottom of it with the plastic zipped up or open if it gets too warm. This keeps the area about 77 degrees. Just started doing this this past January I like this way best now. As soon as a seed germinates, I move it to a cooler area under lights in the basement.

lisaann

Was the sensor of the thermometer touching the surface or was it actually measuring the air temperature. That does make a difference, although the counter top should be about the same as the air temperature.

I just laid a regular thermometer you use to take your temperature on the fridge. You know, the people taking temp kind..Figured that would have direct contact.

If the sensor was not in direct contact with the surface you were trying to measure the thermometer was simply measuring the air temperature. Some materails transfer heat better than others and metal is one so anytime you touch a metal surface it will feel colder than a nearby wood surface, because the wood does not transfer heat as well as metal. The faster you loose body heat the colder the object will feel. This is also why the top of the 'fridge is a good place to start seeds, the heat from the metal surface of the 'fridge transfers to the seed tray fairly easily while a similar seed tray on a wood surface would not work because the wood surface will not easily give up whatever heat if might have.