Starting Seeds Indoors
Seeds are available from many sources, ranging from your local department store to garden centers. online and mail order catalogues. Their prices can vary greatly. The newest hybrids command higher prices, as do seeds of rare or unusual plants, as well as certified organic seed. Most local locations sometimes do not have a huge variety like a catalogue or online nursery. Many companies sell different sizes of seed packets, from mini-packs of as few as ten seeds to seeds by the pound. Although smaller quantities cost more per seed, don’t buy more seed than you will use in two or three years. Each seed contains a plant embryo that must stay alive until it can germinate. The fresher the seed, the greater the chances that all the seeds will still be viable. Fewer and fewer seeds from a packet will germinate as time passes. Leftover seeds can be saved for the next year. As soon as you’re done planting, store seed packets in an air-tight container in a cool place.
When do I start seeds indoors? That depends on the type of seed and the last expected frost date for your area. Frost dates are averages and are given as a range of dates. Once you know your last expected frost date, your seed package should tell you how many weeks ahead you should start the seeds. Count back from the last expected frost date for each type of seed you are planting and you'll have a planting schedule.
Last Expected Frost Dates by Zone
•Zone 1: June1 - June 30 •Zone 2: May 1 - May 31 •Zone 3: May 1 - May31 •Zone 4: May 1 - May31 •Zone 5: March 30 - April30 •Zone 6: March 30 - April30 •Zone 7: March 30 - April30 •Zone 8: February 28 - March 30 •Zone 9: January 30 - February 28 •Zone 10: January 1 - January 31 •Zone 11 Frost Free Year Round Now, before you get all crazy with the soil and the seeding, take a minute to figure out how many containers you’ll sow with each variety, and then make up labels for each. You don’t want to have to do this halfway through with your hands all dirty, or worse, after you’ve finished sowing and can only guess at whether a particular container holds peppers or tomato seeds.
Start seeds in small, individual containers. By using divided containers with a single seedling per container, rather than filling a larger container with potting mix and sowing many seeds, because the seedlings’ roots will grow into each other and are likely
There are different kinds of fibre pots made from organic materials such as 4" Cowpots or Biodegradable Seedling Pots
Compost Plus Germinating usually composed of and peat, or a good quality potting mix is the kind of soil you be wanting to use. Set the cell flats or containers into a solid tray, fill them with potting mix, and water the mix before sowing seeds. The potting mix will settle down into the containers, usually in half. Add more potting mix and water again, until the containers or cells are nearly full. A windowsill is not a good location for starting seeds. If you’re starting only a few plants and have roomy window sills, a south-facing window may be all the growing space you need. But window sills can be the coldest place in the house, especially at night, and then the hottest during the day. Most seeds need consistently warm soil to germinate and produce strong roots. Cooler soil temperatures can also lead to seedling to die. Excess heat during the day can completely dry out the potting mix, again leading to seedlings to die. Even if windowsill temperatures are controlled, light coming from the side, rather than from above, will encourage bent, rather than straight stems. Windowsill-grown seedlings tend to be excessively tall, with thin, bent stems. Instead, choose a place safe from heavy traffic, pets, cold drafts, and excess heat; where spills of potting mixture, water, or fertilizer will not be a problem. Allow space to accommodate later sowings of seed, as well as the space the seedlings will take up as they grow and are transplanted to larger containers. Air temperatures above 60°F are adequately warm if bottom heat is provided, so even a basement can be a good place to start seed.
Plants started indoors will not have been exposed to full sun, wind, or widely fluctuating temperatures. If they are not gradually accustomed to the outdoor environment, a process called “hardening off,” their leaves may be scorched by sun or wind; they may even wilt and die.
About two weeks before planting outdoors, start hardening off the seedlings by moving them outside for increasingly longer periods each day. Start by putting them outside for a few hours in the shade during the warmth of the afternoon. Choose a spot protected from wind. Bring them back inside for the night before temperatures start to drop. Each day, leave the plants out a little longer, and expose them to a little more direct sunshine. By the end of two weeks, unless freezing temperatures are forecast, the seedlings can stay outside in a sunny area until you are ready to transplant them into the garden.
An easy way to harden plants off is to place them in a temporary mini-greenhouse, or cold frame.. Adjust the lid of the cold Once they have been hardened off, seedlings can be set out in the eco raised garden bed. Transplant on a cloudy day or late When transplanting seedlings grown in peat pots, newspaper pots, or any other containers made of organic matter, trim the pots down to soil level. The collars of these pots, exposed to drying air, will wick water away from the root zone. To encourage roots to spread out into garden soil, carefully cut or tear holes in the bottoms of these pots, because they usually don't break down completely in the soil.  Why do skilled gardeners like to grow their vegetables from seed? The incredible selection, for one thing & it???s a treat to discover and taste new varieties of your favorites. Seeds are inexpensive, and home-tended seedlings are often healthier than store-bought ones. What gardeners enjoy most is the satisfaction of tending a garden from the first tiny seedling to delicious harvest. Our Garden Starter System was designed for simplicity, so that even beginning gardeners will be successful. It grows twelve large seedlings at a time & enough to start a plentiful kitchen garden. Biodegradable Cowpots hold plants until they???re mature enough to go into the garden, while a self-watering tray provides just the right moisture to seedlings, avoiding over- and under-watering. Seedlings will thrive in the glow of the energy-efficient, full spectrum T-5 Grow Light, so bright that plants can???t tell it from sunlight. We also include 12 quarts of our exclusive Organic Seedstarting Mix, fortified with compost to grow stocky, well-rooted seedlings. In short, this kit includes everything you need to succeed. If you???ve ever considered starting plants from seed or if you???ve tried before without luck give our easy system a try Everything you need to be a seedstarting pro! Guaranteed to produce superior plants The aluminum stand has adjustable height control This trim system can tuck away on a table or countertop Light garden has an aluminum frame with a powder-coated finish 25-1/2" L x 14" W x 21" H T-5 fixture with 2 super-efficient, full spectrum fluorescent bulbs 2850 lumens total and an amazing 94% of the solar spectrum Electronic ballast eliminates annoying buzzing Three 5" Cowpots and twenty-four 3" Cowpots 12 quarts of Organic Seedstarting Mix Easy assembly  This seedstarting kit grows twelve large seedlings at a time &; enough to start a plentiful kitchen garden. The large 4" x 4" APS growing cells hold plants until they are mature enough to go into the garden, so you avoid the effort (and the stress on the plant) of transplanting into a larger pot. Our one-gallon self-watering tray pampers seedlings with the right amount of moisture automatically, eliminating over- and under-watering that stresses plants. We also include 12 quarts of our exclusive Organic Seedstarting Mix, fortified with compost to grow stocky, well-rooted seedlings. Large, self-watering growing cells promote healthy seedling growth Organic Seedstarting Mix produces faster growth, heftier root systems and beefier plants Save when you buy the Tabletop Grow Light with Vegetable Starter Success Kit together APS Trays are 9-3/4" W x 15-1/4" L x 7-1/2" D each Growing cells are 4" square x 4" deep Organic Seedstarting Mix contains sphagnum peat, perlite, compost, protein meal and trace minerals OMRI-certified organic |
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