Dec
Starting Vegetables Indoors from Seed
It’s a beautiful, chilly March day, & I am dreaming about planting my garden this spring. While it is definitely still too cold to plant my garden, with a little planning & preparation, I can start my vegetable garden indoors to be ready to plant outdoors as soon as the last frost passes.
Generally you can now start vegetables from seed four to ten weeks before the last frost. Where I live the last frost occurs in the middle of May.
Some vegetables transplant easier than others. Lettuce, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, onions, peppers, & tomatoes generally transplant well. Carrots, peas, corn, cucumbers, pumpkins, beans, & squash are harder to transplant, so it’s not recommended to start these plants from seed.
Vegetables can be successfully started from seed if you keep them the correct temperature & provide them with the appropriate amounts of light & moisture.
You can make your own seed starting mix by combining equal parts of peat moss, perlite, & vermiculite, which are all available at any garden supply store. You can use just about any container that will hold soil to plant your seeds, as long as you have drainage holes. You can buy seed starting trays that makes planting really easy. Just make certain your container is clean.
Plant the seeds as recommended on the seed packets. Cover the tray with a plastic cover or plastic wrap to help keep moisture in. Remove the cover or plastic wrap when seedlings appear. Keep soil moist with a misting spray bottle. Make sure the soil does not gets too wet.
Keep your seedlings between 65-75 degrees. You can set them in a sunny windowsill, but it’s best to use fluorescent lights up to 16 hours a day two to four inches above the seedlings.
When your seedlings start growing leaves, weed out the weakest looking plants, & start fertilizing once or twice or two times a week.
When you see many sets of leaves, you can transplant the seedlings to individual pots filled with potting soil. If you transplant to a peat pot you can place this pot directly in the garden when it is time to plant.
After the chance of frost has passed, gradually toughen the plants for about two weeks before you plant them so that they can adjust to their new environment. Set them outside for a couple of hours a day to get used to their new conditions, gradually increasing the amount of time spent outside each day.
If you’re not sure of the date of your last frost, or would like more information about growing vegetables in your area, you can contact your local agricultural extension office either by telephone or via their web site. They offer free, help-fulgardening information for amateur gardeners.
Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer & mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For lots more gardening, recipes, organizing tips, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, & more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.
