72 Pellet Greenhouse By sizwizz on Mar 19, 2008 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

I have a big greenhouse in my yard, and last year I started my seedlings early so I could enjoy my bounty during the summer and into the fall. Although my greenhouse has a heater, the nights got fairly cold, and the greenhouse wasn't insulated enough to properly protect the plants. The plants started to look kind of stunted, like they stopped growing! (So much for my early seeding!) When I finally put the plants in the garden, they struggled, but (by some miracle!) many of them survived. I don't think they got a good start due to the temperature problem, although they produced loads of fruit and tomatoes. Unfortunately, they never ripened enough to harvest! Before I knew it, winter set in.

This year I had to have a better plan! That's where the 72 pellet greenhouse comes in! My plan is to start my seeds indoors, and take them out to the big greenhouse when they're stronger. I got out my seeds, and opened the pellets, and now I'm ready to plant! The pellets come as little flat circles lined up in a plastic tray, and covered with a clear plastic lid. I added water as directed, waited...and in a matter of minutes (maybe even seconds!) the little flat circles grew puffy, and taller! Each pellet is wrapped in a sheer netting to hold it all together, so you need to part the netting at the top, and stir the soil gently, then drop in the seeds. The last thing to do is to place the clear plastic cover over the top of the tray. Voilà! It's a tiny greenhouse!! The next day I already had sprouts!!

So far, the plants are thriving and sturdy. At the moment, there are a few plant-starts that already need to be moved to a larger container. My small pellet greenhouse has definitely done the job it claims it will do. I would recommend it to the casual, or seasoned gardener. This summer my yard should be filled with flowers, and by fall I hope to be enjoying my fruits and vegetables. It's just so gratifying to know that it all started from a little, tiny seed that I planted!