Starting Seeds Indoors

To some people the task of starting plants seems to be looming overhead as soon as it starts to warm outside. I have learned through trial and error that you just can’t get too excited and start all the seeds at once. What happens when you start them all at once is that some grow quicker than others and therefore when they are ready to go outside, it is still freezing at night, and they get too large for the pots and sometimes expire before making it to the garden. I have experienced this in the past so I attended a Garden 101 class at the local Zamzows store. It was well worth the one hour that I spent there. They also handed out some valuable reference materials. One being a week-by-week chart of when to start what plant inside or if sowing straight into the ground, when is the proper time to do so.  It has done wonders for taking the guesswork out of timing problems.

Next is using the proper starting materials for your plants to grow in. There are specific seed starting soil mixtures. It does not work to just use potting soils. They are too dense for the proper germination of the seeds. The starting mixtures are very light and soak up water very quickly. I like to use the little peat pots because you can just set them in a tray and add water to the tray and let them soak it up as needed.  After adding the seeds, I cover them with saran wrap until the seedling push through. I then remove the saran wrap so they can stand up and begin to form leaves.

Lighting is the next requirement. There is a lot of information on the great wide web about grow lights and wattage of bulbs and so forth. I have used only a four-foot fluorescent shop light that we had lying around and not in use. It has done very well. The important thing is to keep it lowered right over the top of the seedlings (about 2-3 inches above) so that they will not become spindly and tall. Keeping the light low over them will make them develop much thicker, stronger stems. You want the light on 24/7 until the plants have emerged. Once the plants have emerged and formed true leaves, you can put it on an automatic timer and have it switch off 6-8 hours per day. Preferably overnight so they are in total darkness.

Thinning is also very important. You want to make sure the little seedlings have plenty of room to grow. When you see which seedlings look strongest, you can take a scissors and snip the top off the weaker ones to allow for more room. After about two weeks of growth, take the seedlings, more pots, some potting soil, and water and gently separate the seedlings and split up into separate pots with potting soil in them. This soil will start to prepare the plants for outdoors. Place them back under the lights and continue to water and let them grow.  Good luck and happy planting!