Starting your seedlings inside is always a good idea when your growing season is short as it is for some of us. Cool weather temperatures can prevent seeds from germinating or even damaging young seedlings if planted outside, so starting them inside when the winter still lingers is a good option. Other options are to buy your vegetables and flowers once the weather warms but, in these tough economic times, that can get expensive. Starting from seed is easy and cheaper per plant and allows a greater variety of choice among flowers and crops than buying nursery plants. You could also invest in cold frames, row covers or a greenhouse if you wish to extend the growing season in your area.
What crops should not be planted indoors?
When starting your seeds inside it is always a good idea to read the back of the seed packets first. Many will list instructions for both inside and outside seed sowing.
Some crops should not be started indoors because they don't transplant well or they need an impractical amount of room to grow like corn, peas and beans. Root, tuber or bulb crops like beets, radishes, turnips, onions, potatoes, carrots, etc. just do not transplant well and don't like their roots to be bothered. Also any leafy greens like lettuces, spinach, cabbage or chards should only be started outdoors.
Seed Germination:
When starting your seeds inside seed germination is very important. Two important factors of seed germination are temperature and humidity. Seeds already contain the nutrients it needs to germinate, so it doesn't need fertilizer until later. Some experts recommend an all-purpose houseplant type potting soil to start your seedlings while others recommend a seed starting mix or make your own from peat moss, sand and compost. Do not use soil from the garden unless it has been sterilized first. The key is to create an environment that holds moisture well yet drains freely and remains light and airy around the sprouting seeds. I recommend and use a growing system called Hydrofarm JSV2 2-Foot Jump Start T5 Grow Light System. Its a 2 foot wide grow light system that is ideal for seedlings, cuttings, flowers and house plants. The super efficient T5 lights help you grow faster by providing 15-20% more lumens than traditional grow lights. It is not that expensive to buy and can be used year after year.
A very simplified version to starting your seedlings is this:
• Fill your containers full of your soil and then moisten the soil;
• Place a few seeds in each space and cover with a small amount of soil;
• While the sprouts are growing, they will need light, moisture, heat and air circulation;
• Keep the soil moist while they are growing by spraying with a mist bottle or situate your container inside another bigger tray with water to allow water to come up from the bottom. Be sure to drain excess water to keep roots healthy; and
• Place a dome around your containers to hold in heat and moisture.
Once they have started growing their true leaves you may need to thin them to make sure they have enough room to grow. You may also need to move them to bigger containers. After the plant has reached 2 to 3 inches tall you will need to start feeding your plants once a week. Use a good liquid fertilizer or fish emulsion diluted to half, and give your growing plants as much light as possible.
After starting your seeds inside, and they have grown several sets of true leaves, they will need to go through a hardening- off process. This process means moving the plants to cooler temperatures to acclimate so they don't go into transplant shock once they are in your garden. The plants will need to be moved to the outside, first into shade and then gradually into sunlight. Move them back inside if the weather gets to nasty outside for the still-tender plants. The hardening- off process should be done for about two weeks before finally transplanting them into your outside garden.
Starting your seeds inside will produce successful gardening and a great bounty of crops. It is definitely worth the time and the effort! Happy Gardening.
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