Back in the 70’s, seed companies started to offer “Jiffy 7’s” for seed starting. A Jiffy 7 was a compressed peat moss pellet with a netting around it. When you added water, the pellet would expand and could be used for planting seeds. As a child, I was amazed by the Jiffy 7 pellets and loved to watch them “grow.”
Jiffy Pellet - dry, expanded and with endive seedlings
Now the Jiffy 7 is just called a Jiffy pellet. While my amazement has dwindled a little, I still think they’re pretty cool and I use them for some of my seed starting. I like planting lettuce, cabbage and broccoli as well as zinnias and marigolds in Jiffy pellets. None of these plants have to grow for more than 4-6 weeks before they can be planted in the garden so the expanded pellet (the standard Jiffy pellet is about 1.5 inches wide and high) provides enough room for them to develop.
I like the fact that Jiffy pellets are easy to store. I also appreciate the convenience that they provide since each pellet has everything you need to start seeds. This is especially nice when I’m only starting a few plants. I don’t have to mess with seed starting mix, seed trays and pots. I just pull out the number of pellets that I need, put them in water and I’m ready to plant.
