Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors

Time to start planning for your garden? You can get a head start on your garden by starting your seeds indoors, especially if you have a short growing season. There are also other benefits to getting your plants growing indoors. Starting seeds inside improves the germination rate and a garden established from transplants tend to mature much earlier than direct-seeded ones. Yes, vegetable starts are available at your local nursery, however, you are going to be limited to just a few varieties. When starting from seed, you will have hundreds more choices to choose from. Growing from seed also allows you to have full control over whether a plant was grown in a truly organic manner. For someone that’s never started their garden indoors, here’s a step by step guideline and some common pitfalls to avoid.

1. When do I start my seeds indoors?
Starting times vary according to when a seedling is ready to be transplanted outdoors. You want to do so only after you’re safe from frost. Find the date of last frost for your area and calculate your starting date backwards from that.

For example:

• Broccoli, head lettuce, cauliflower, etc. are ready for outdoor garden in 10 weeks.
• Tomatoes, peppers, etc. are ready in 7 weeks
• Cucumbers, melons, etc. are ready in 4 weeks

You also might consider spacing your plantings 1-2 weeks apart to spread out your harvest over a longer period of time so that you won’t be overwhelmed with too much of any one thing all at once. For instance, if you’ve decided to plant 4 of the same type of determinate tomato plant, start the seeds for each plant 1-2 weeks apart so your tomato harvest spans several weeks instead of all at the same time.

2. What do I plant my seeds in?
If you’re new to gardening or don’t have much experience with planting from seed, then you may not know that starting seed in soil is not really the best thing. Soil can be too heavy for delicate seedlings and contains bacteria, fungus and other diseases that seedlings are susceptible to. Of course, seeds can grow and thrive in soil, but its chances for survival are lower than if they are germinated in soil-less growing mediums. Soil-less growing mediums can be homemade mixtures of compost, perlite and coconut coir (for good drainage) or there are many ready-made growing mediums available for seed starting. Coconut coir is great for creating a well-draining medium that also holds a uniform level of moisture. Many gardening sites recommend using peat moss for this, however, the peat bogs are becoming more and more endangered. Coconut coir is an excellent substitute since it’s a more readily renewable resource, has a neutral pH and performs the same as peat. Also, be sure to use row markers or plant labels to remind you what you planted in each site or row. Believe me, you will most likely forget.

3. What’s the best environment to grow my seeds in?
Most seeds love warmth, humidity/moisture and light and do best when these three items are supplied at optimal levels. Most seasoned gardeners that start their gardens from seed use germination trays, seedling heat mats and humidity domes. All of these items are fairly inexpensive, can be purchased individually or as a kit and can be reused year after year. The tray and dome encases the seedlings in one controlled environment and a heat mat may be placed underneath it to help achieve a higher germination rate and keep the seedlings warm after germination. Most heat mats use very little energy, usually between 15 – 90 watts.

The trays may be placed in indirect sunlight on a window sill, southern exposure is preferred. Most seedlings like light at least 14-16 hours per day. If you have a nice spot next to a window or in a warm greenhouse that will provide these lighting requirements, remember that you’ll need to rotate the tray every couple of days to encourage your plant stems to grow straighter since they tend to bend towards the sunlight. If you do not have an area like this, then there are many options for indoor plant lighting available. Fluorescent and LED grow lights are gaining popularity in helping gardeners extend their growing season and allow people who do not have optimal conditions to create them indoors. You’ll want to place your fluorescent or LED grow light(s) 2-4 inches from your seedlings and adjust their height as your plants grow.

4. What are the watering and fertilizing requirements for seedlings?
Another misconception that new gardeners commonly have is thinking that fertilizer is required for seedlings from the start. Seeds have a natural store of food contained within themselves. Moisture, warmth, light and a growing medium is all a seed needs until the first set of true leaves appear. When a seed germinates and appears above the growing medium, it has two tiny “leaves” called cotyledons, which are actually little food storage areas. Only when the next set of leaves, the true leaves, appear do you now need to supply additional nutrients every 2 weeks. This nutrient solution should be about half-strength since your seedlings are tender, or you may use a fertilizer specially formulated for seed starting.

The first week or two, water your seeds with warm water. After that, just make sure the temperature is at least a couple of degrees above room temperature. You want to keep the growing medium moist, not wet or waterlogged and don’t let them completely dry out. You may water with a misting spray bottle and using a kelp solution in the water bottle acts as a good anti-fungal and helps ward off Damping Off disease, which is a fungus and common pitfall for seedlings.

5. What seeds do I use?
You want to use a high-quality seed from a reputable source. Organic vegetable and herb seeds are gaining in more widespread availability, if this is a concern for you. You can use seed you purchased last year or even seed that is “expired”. However, if the seed is a bit older or you’re using seed that you preserved from your own garden, you’ll want to do a germination test on it. Spread you seed on a moist paper towel, cover with another moist paper towel and place in a warm, light environment. See how many of the seeds germinate within the normal germination time for that particular plant. Use this data to form a ratio or percentage of germination. For instance, if one out of every three seeds germinated, then you should probably make sure you plant at least 3 seeds per planting site. If more than one germinates, that’s ok, you’ll thin them out later.

6. What other things should I do to care for my seedlings before transplanting in garden?
Thinning: As soon as your second set of true leaves appear, it’s time to thin out your seedlings. This is sometimes a tough task for first-timers since they usually don’t want to destroy any of the little plants they worked so hard at nurturing to life. However, it’s a necessary evil. If this isn’t done and more than one plant is allowed to grow per planting site, your garden could fail overall. The roots get entangled with one another, they compete for nutrients and each of the seedlings end up less than 100% healthy plants. Thin your seedlings by using a small pair of pruning or herb scissors and cut the smallest or weakest plant at the soil-line – do not pull them out as you will most likely disturb or damage the root structure of the seedling you want to keep.

First transplant: Once your seedlings have two to three sets of true leaves, they are ready to go into larger pots to allow for the quick growth they will undergo before being moved into your outdoor garden. If you started your seeds in coir pellets, you can simply place the seedling, pellet and all, into the larger pot with additional growing medium. As you may have guessed, at this point, you’ll need more room for your seedlings than when they were growing in the smaller, more compact germination trays. For this, plant growing racks are a great space saving option.

Hardening off: Two weeks before you’re ready to transplant your plants in the outdoor garden, you’ll want to start the process of hardening them off. Thus far, your seedlings have been protected from wind, direct sunlight, and warmer/cooler temperatures so they’ll need to acclimate to these elements a little each day. Place your seedlings outside out of direct sunlight for a few hours each day. If the wind picks up or it rains, be sure they are protected under some sort of plant house or row cover. Bring them indoors during the cooler nights. Increase the time they spend outdoors each day until they are out for 24 hours.

Now it’s time for transplanting your precious little creations in your garden!

- The Urban Gardener
www.UrbanGardenSolutions.com