Jump start the garden season by growing some of your flowers and vegetables from seeds indoors. Select long season varieties like tomatoes and peppers that need to go into the garden as transplants, so they have time to reach maturity and produce before the first fall frost. Or, speed up bloom time by starting annuals like zinnias and marigolds indoors so they flower sooner in our gardens. And then there are the hard-to-find flowers, herbs and vegetables that are usually only available as seeds. Best of all, it is easier than you think and helps pass the time while waiting for the spring garden season to begin.
What You Need
- Seed starter or well-drained potting mix
- Clean flats, cell packs, peat or cow pots, or other small containers
– OR Compressed peat pellets that contain all you need for starting seeds. - Seeds
- Fertilizer labeled for use on seedlings
- Sunny window or artificial lights (optional)
Planting and Care Indoors
- Check the back of each seed packet for specific directions on planting time (based on last spring frost) & depth for the variety of plant you are growing. Average last spring frost her is late April but it can vary greatly from year to year. Add at least two weeks (mid May) just to be safe.
- Create a seed starting list/calendar
a. Make a chronological list of start times for plants you are growing.
b. Or mark planting dates on your calendar. - Fill clean containers with seed starter or a well-drained potting mix.
a. Always clean containers you are reusing from past seasons. Use a mix of one part bleach in 9 parts water. Then rinse with clear water
b. When using peat pellets, soak the pellet in warm water and watch it expand, then plant. - Plant two seeds in each container OR create rows OR scatter seeds throughout a flat or other shallow container
- Moisten the soil and water often enough to keep planting mix moist
Cover with plastic to keep soil moist and reduce watering frequency. - Once planted, place containers in a warm location to speed seed germination
Or place on heating mat designed for this purpose. - Move to a sunny location or under artificial lights as soon as seeds sprout.
a. Remove plastic cover.
b. Regularly rotate plants in sunny window for even growth.
c. Adjust artificial lights as plants grow, keeping them 4-6 inches above the top of the seedlings. - Once seedlings develop two set of true leaves (these look like the leaves of the plants you are growing) it is time to do some thinning or transplanting.
a. Leave one strong seedling in each individual container. Avoid damage to the remaining seedling by cutting the weakest seedling off at ground level.
b. Move strong healthy seedlings from flats to their own individual pots. Use a fork or other small utensil to carefully lift the plant out of the flat and into its own container. - Once seedlings have been thinned, established after transplanting and are actively growing, use a dilute solution of flowering plant fertilizer according to label directions.
- Water thoroughly and often enough to keep the potting mix slightly moist.
Trouble Shooting
- Seedlings fail to sprout
- Check seed packet as some seedlings take several weeks to sprout.
- Too cold, move containers to a warmer location.
- Planting mix is too wet or too dry, adjust watering as needed
- Tall, spindly, and pale green seedlings – probably need more light
- Move to sunnier window, add artificial lights or move lights closer to the top of the seedlings.
- Pale green stunted seedlings – may need to be fertilized
- Review fertilization schedule and fertilize as needed.
- *Brown leaf edges
- Review watering schedule – plants may need more frequent watering
- Yellowing of leaves, yellow or water soaked spots
- Overwatering – adjust watering to keep soil moist but not too wet
Planting Outdoors
- Harden Off transplants before moving outdoors.
a. Move plants outdoors to a sheltered and shaded location after the danger of frost has passed.
b. Stop fertilizing and allow soil to dry slightly before watering.
c. Move plants so they receive an hour more of sunlight each day.
d. Cover plants or move them indoors when frost is in the forecast - Move transplants into their permanent location in a week or two – check seed packet directions for spacing and desired growing conditions
a. Seedlings grown in peat, cow and other biodegradable pots can be left on the plants. The plant roots will eventually penetrate the pot and the container gradually decomposes. Remove the lip of pot to prevent water from wicking from the rootball into the air above. Slice through the sides and bottom of the pot to speed rooting through the container and into the surrounding soil. - Water thoroughly and often enough to keep the soil around the plant roots slightly moist. Gradually increase the time between watering. Established plants usually need a thorough watering once a week in clay soils and twice a week in fast draining sandy soils. More often during hot dry weather.
Written by, Melinda Myers. Melinda Myers is a nationally recognized gardening expert with more than 30 years of horticulture experience. She is a wealth of knowledge and we are pleased to share Melinda’s Gardening How-To with you!
