My thoughts are turning to all of you wonderful gardeners to the north of us who should begin planning your spring gardens now. Those of you in Zone 9 and even parts of Zone 8, including northern Florida, the Gulf Coast, south Texas and southern and coastal California can all plan on setting your seedlings out in April, and in some places (like central Florida) even before April. That means that the time to get your seeds planted is NOW. Well, at least within the next week or so you should get those seeds planted. The rest of you gardeners should be planning and ordering your seeds soon as well.
Seed starting is easy if you have the right setup. When we planned our raised bed vegetable garden, we also set up a seed starting station. We went to the local hardware store and purchased a 3 shelf wire rack that’s about 3 1/2′ wide, a fluorescent light housing and a grow light bulb, and some chain to hang the light from the top rack. We hung the light and left enough chain so that I could easily raise or lower the light as the seedlings grew. We put the whole thing outside in the screened in lanai. In Florida, that’s acceptable, but you northerners need to set up your seed station where it’s reasonably warm. Seeds need warmth to germinate, and seedlings don’t tolerate cold well at all. You’ll also need a timer for the light, to ensure that the seedlings get a full 14 hours of light daily. Or, you can purchase a ready-made light station like this table top one. You can click on the photos for a link to the Gardener’s Supply site.
I have tried several different seed starting kits, along with making my own little seed pots out of styro cups. Because I like to start about 120 plants every season, I’ve come to love the 2″ pots in this kit. This system is also reusable from year to year. It’s a complete system with bottom tray, water wicking mat, and pot holder insert with, of course all the pots. The smallest size works best because three of them fit under my grow light, and each one holds 40 seedlings. (I like to plant several extra plants of each variety in case I lose a few.) All you need to add to this kit is a bag of potting soil. The kit was actually designed to transfer tiny seedlings into; I don’t see the point of starting them in separate containers. I plant once into the pots, then transplant into the garden 8 weeks later.
After filling the pot with soil, using a pencil tip, poke a little hole in the soil about twice as deep as the size of the seed. Using the same pencil tip, pick up the seeds and drop them into the soil. I always plant two seeds per hole in case one doesn’t germinate. Once the seedlings are about an inch tall, I cut the smaller one off at the soil level with a pair of scissors. Plant the seeds directly in these little pots, stick a label in them and put them all in their holders under the grow light. Water daily and fertilize with a liquid kelp fertilizer once a week.
It’s a good idea to draw out your garden plan. I make a separate grid plan for every bed. I know what I want to plant and where I want to plant it before I even order my seeds. That way, I don’t get carried away and buy seeds that I won’t have the room to plant. When planning, try to keep the tomatoes and peppers in a different bed than the broccoli and cauliflower. I do a cruciferous bed every year and move it from bed to bed, rotating the crops to avoid disease and other problems that occur when crops aren’t rotated.
I like to start at least 6 of each variety of tomatoes, peppers, and most other veggies. It’s important to label your plants when you sow the seeds. Those little plastic plant markers work well. Make sure you use a Sharpie or other waterproof pen to label them. When it comes to planting, it’s important to know your varieties, as Roma grow only abut 4′ tall, while beefsteaks can grow up to 10′ tall! When they’re seedlings it’s impossible to tell the variety, so take the time to mark the variety on all your seed pots.
Make your plan, buy your seeds and seed starter kits, and get those seeds planted.
Happy gardening!