Starting Seeds Indoors for Your Vegetable Garden

After saving the seeds of several of my summer garden favorites (basil, cantaloupe, okra, tomatoes and watermelon), this past summer, I thought I’d try my hand at seed starting.

One of my long-time gardening friends recommends seed saving since, over time, plants will adapt to the micro-climate of your yard and therefore have stronger root systems, heartier growth and production.

Since seed saving and seed starting is a new venture for me, I attended the Jones Bridge Community Garden mini-seminar last weekend with master-gardener-in-training (and founder of the community garden), Mim Harris.

She led a small group of us through the seemingly simple process of seed starting saying, “there are so many ways you can do this; take the information and use what will work best for you.”

With that in mind, I gathered up my supplies to start my gardening experiment.  Here are the basics of what you'll need:

• Containers – Use either purchased pots or flats, or containers you've saved, like egg cartons and yogurt cups, make suitable containers. Used pots should be cleaned and disinfected by soaking in 1 part bleach to 10 parts water.   I’m going to try the cardboard egg cartons from my left over organic Trader Joes and farmer’s market eggs.
• Potting mix - Commercial seed-starting mixes, usually composed of vermiculite and peat, without any true soil, are recommended for starting seeds. They're sterile, lightweight and free from weed seeds, with a texture and porosity especially suited to the needs of germinating seeds and tiny seedlings.
• Seeds – I will be using the seeds mentioned in the opening paragraph along with a few other varieties I’ve swapped with other local gardeners.  A new variety I'm trying this year is malibar spinach, which thrives in the sweltering summer heat.
• Plastic bags or covers - These will trap warmth and humidity where the seeds need it, creating a greenhouse effect while the seeds are germinating. Light source - If you don't have a bright window, you will need some kind of florescent or high density plant light.  Mim says the plant lights are pricey, and other artificial fluorescent tube lights do not provide the full-spectrum of needed light, even though they will work.  Either way, plants need 12 to 18 hours of light daily, but not continuously, as many plants need some dark period each night to develop properly.  Since I’m doing this on the cheap, I’m transforming the top on my washer and dryer (near a very sunny south facing window) into my growing area. If the plants do not progress as expected, I’ll consider investing in some fluorescent tube lights and installing them under the overhead cabinets.

After all the supplies are gathered, you’re ready to plant:

• Set the containers into a solid tray, fill them with potting mix, and water the mix before sowing seeds.  The mix should be moist, but not soaking wet.  Use at least three seeds per container, since not all seeds will germinate and not all that do germinate will survive. You can thin extras later.
• Go for the greenhouse effect: Your seeds are now ready to be covered loosely with some type of plastic, which will help hold in both heat and moisture. You can place the whole container into a plastic bag or simply lay a sheet of plastic over the container. If you have special seed starting trays with plastic covers, use those.
• Move your container to a warm, draft free spot and check it daily. Most seeds germinate best when the temperature is between 65 and 70 degrees. The seeds do not necessarily need direct light at this point.
• Remove the plastic as soon as you see a seedling emerging and move the plant into indirect light. Be sure the potting mix stays moist, but not wet. Seedlings can remain in their original containers until you are ready to plant them in their permanent spots. However it is common to move the seedlings into a larger pot once several sets of leaves have formed and the seedling is a couple of inches tall. This is called "potting up" and it allows the roots more room to develop. Three to four inch pots are good sizes to pot up to, allowing plenty of room for root growth.  Adding some fertilizer at this point is also a good idea.
• If more than one seedling is growing in the same pot, either separate the seedlings into individual pots or cut off all but the strongest seedling. Don't try to pull out the extra seedlings, since this might hurt the roots of the seedling you are keeping.By the time the temperature warms outside, you should have healthy young plants ready to transplant.

However, before moving them out into the garden, it’s necessary to take a week or two to gradually introduce them to their new growing conditions. It gives the plants a chance to acclimate to sunlight, drying winds and climate changes. To harden off your seedlings:

• Move the plants to a shady spot for increasing amounts of time, several days in a row. Bring them back inside or cover them if the temperature looks like it will dip.
• Gradually increase the amount of time they spend outside and the amount of sunlight they receive until you see that they are growing strong and appear ready to go out on their own.
• Water your seedlings well before and after transplanting and try not to transplant during the hottest, sunniest part of the day.

To me, this part of the process sounds like potty-training a toddler.  Not all that enjoyable, but after the process is finished, the end result well worth the time and effort.