The Jiffy Tomato Greenhouse Review

Months ago Mother Judith remembered my dream of having a beautiful greenhouse. She granted my wish with a mini greenhouse; I thought it was so funny and so useful!

Finally seed starting time has begun for my zone (perhaps we're a little early, but we just can't wait). I am use to starting seeds in egg cartons, so I felt a bit fancy shamncy beginning my little ones in this product. Nonetheless, the mini greenhouse is great for gardeners of all levels and couldn't be easier!

Product Detail: Jiffy Tomato Greenhouse. It contains 36 peat pellets, a large plastic tray holds 36 pellets and a rectangle dome lid. The tray and lid act as the greenhouse. The peat bricks expand once soaked. You can find them at Walmart with various size options, from 25 to 70! 

First, you need to submerge the peat pellets in water for about 30 minutes in a separate container and wait for them to expand. Be sure to check the water level often; before you know it the water will be absorbed and your little pellets will not have any water left to soak in. 

When finished, you will find the peat soft and luscious; a perfect atmosphere for your little seeds to grow in. If the top of the pellets are still a little stiff and crumbly, you'll need to soak it a little longer. And the size it grows to is quite shocking compared to where it started!

After this step is done, place lose pellets back in container. Pull back netting, poke the seeds in, and cover with peat. Place the dome lid over plastic container, and wait for them to grow! I have a multitude of tomatoes growing that were only planted 5 days ago!

Here are the ups and downs I've experienced with the mini greenhouse

Upside:

• Easy to maintain while seeds are growing. The peat keeps moisture very easily, thus minimal watering.
• Peat keeps an optimum seed starting atmosphere.
• Easy to tell when watering is needed; the pellets will no longer be black but light brown.
• Minimal mess when planting. The peat does not get all over the place.
• No extra equipment needed, all is provided for you (except seeds and containers to soak bricks in).

Downside:

• When you place the lid on top of container for multiple days, the water does not evaporate easily and it sits in container. Fungus will begin to build up on pellets, so frequent fungicide spraying is necessary. Another remedy is to let the green house sit open to air out for a few hours.
• Time consuming. Unlike other methods where you easily scoop soil into cartons, these take a while to prepare.

All in all, it has been a good experience using the mini greenhouse. I would recommend it for the well seasoned gardener to the first time seed starter! 

Nancy Jane