Start Your Garden Inside: By Vivian Britton
Start Your Garden Inside
A Seed Starting Primer for Nothern ClimesIf you're itching to get your hands dirty, there's no need to wait for the snow to melt. You can get started right now on this year's harvest without setting foot in your garden. Now is the time to get organized and decide what you want to grow, especially if you're located in a northern, short-season climate. Some folks spend the winter pouring over seed catalogs, but if you're anything like me, planning for the summer garden doesn't come easy when you're up to your eyeballs in snow. Happily, a Spring outing to the local garden supply can provide all the inspiration many of us need, especially if heirloom varieties happen to be available in all their colorful spendor.
But first things first. To time your indoor starts correctly, you'll need to figure out which USDA gardening zone you are located in. I am in zone 5b, which means winters can dip to 10 below (I've actually seen them much lower). My gardening zone also suggests a last frost date of around May 30. I have to start many plants inside several weeks before this magic date; otherwise, they will not produce fruit in time for harvest season.
But your gardening zone is only one factor in the planting equation. To illustrate, I'm in a mountainous area some 800 feet higher than the surrounding valleys, but my garden gets southwestern exposure and is sheltered by large Pines to the north, mitigating some of the elevation difference while creating a unique micro-climate. Oddly enough, the valleys below me are often chillier, as cold air travels down the mountainside and settles in the area's many cold pockets. It's not unusual for those of us at higher elevations to enjoy sunshine while the valleys are covered in thick fog. Nevertheless, being at this elevation still means my last frost can occur a good two weeks later than others in the same USDA gardening zone. Finding your zone is important, but check with local gardeners or your extention office for the final word on frost dates for your area.
If you plan to make seed-starting a regular hobby, consider building or purchasing a three-tier plant stand. Similar in appearance to a bookshelf, this stand will allow you to hang lights on each shelf. But there's no need to spend a fortune on fancy grow lights, as the cheap, fluorescent lights sold at hardware stores will perform just as well. A small investment in a grow stand will pay off dividends year after year.
Hardware and garden supply stores sell seed starter trays at minimal cost, but you can also use whatever you have laying around that's about 2" deep. The plants won't care. Cream cheese containers, old milk cartons, tupperware - they'll all do the trick as long they're not transparent. Plants are a modest lot and don't like their roots exposed for all to see. Make sure to poke a couple holes in the bottom of your containers for drainage, and you're all set. I bought an inexpensive set of plastic trays five years ago, and they're still in good shape and have proven to be a great investment.
You'll also want to acquire a special mix formulated especially for starting seeds. Appropiately enough, this mix is called seed starter soil. It's a little pricier than regular potting soil, but you'll get a higher germination rate and healthier starts.
The general order of seed starting goes something like this:
10 weeks before your last frost: Peppers, Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower and Brussel Sprouts
6 weeks before last frost: Tomatoes, Eggplant
4 weeks before last frost: Melon, Squash, Cucumber
You'll notice several vegetables are left out of this list. That's because they can be direct seeded in your garden, so there's no need to go through the hassle of starting them indoors.
Now that you have your supplies, it's time to get down and dirty. Find a large bowl to put your seed starter in, then wet down the soil with hot water. Your seeds will thank you for the warm welcome. You'll want the soil to be well moistened, but not saturated. Transfer the soil to your desired containers. If you're using commercial trays, plant one seed per small cell. If using a larger container, plant seeds about two inches apart. Make a small indentation in the soil with a pencil, then drop in the seed. Tap down lightly, covering the seed with soil while taking care not to compact it. Now, mist the soil with warm water and label the container. Commercial seed starting trays often come with plastic lids, but in lieu of buying these, simply wrap your container in a clear plastic bag, making sure to leave a small opening for air circulation. This will keep the environment moist while preventing mold growth. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you allow the soil to dry up, the seeds will not germinate.
I use an electric heating blanket to increase and quicken germination rates. Lay the blanket on your growing surface, then place your plant container on top of it. You may want to lay a sheet of plastic on top of the blanket to protect it from dirt and spills.
After the seeds germinate and raise their little heads out of the dirt, you can turn off the blanket and turn on the fluorescent lights (the lights will now provide the heat). Use a timer and set the lights to stay on about 18 hours a day. The lights should hang just a few inches above the seedlings, and be raised little by little as they grow. It's important to keep the lights hovering just above the plants. If hung too high, the plants will grow tall, spindly and weak as they strain to seek out the light. A short, stocky plant is a healthy plant. You'll get far superior results using this lighting method than by simply sticking your seedlings in a window.
Once the seedlings have sprouted their second set of true leaves (the first set doesn't count), it's time to pot your seedlings up to bigger containers and place a small fan nearby. The circulating air will help the stalks grow strong and stout and prevent disease as well.
You could waste money on expensive planters, but why bother when cheap styrofoam cups work just as well? Poke a couple holes in the bottom and fill with regular potting soil, then gently transplant the babies into their new homes and water with a weak solution of fertilizer. Keep them under the fluorescent lights until ready for their final destination: the garden.
But before you get too excited, there's a short transition your young plants must go through before you subject them to the harsh realities of outdoor life. Until now, they've had it easy with the protected environment you've provided them. No harsh winds, rain, cold, or direct sun. They will need a short period of adjustment before being cast out to the elements. This time of adjustment is referred to in gardening vernacular as hardening off.
About a week before their final transplant to the garden, begin setting your plants out on your porch a short time each day, exposing them to the elements in gradual increments: perhaps 15 minutes the first day, a half hour the second, and so on. After they've adjusted to your porch (or other protected area), set them out in less protected areas in increasing increments, being sure to bring them back inside after each exposure. After undergoing a full hardening off regimen, your plants will finally be ready to transplant to the garden. If at all possible, try to transplant your starts on a calm, overcast day, as sun, wind, and uprooting can prove a stressful combination for the little plants.
You'll probably have some seeds leftover after planting your starts. Contrary to conventional opinion, seeds will actually store for several years if kept cool, dark, and dry. I like to organize my seeds in small, plastic zip-lock bags which are labeled with the plant variety and date of purchase. Then I put these bags in mason jars which store in my basement over the long, cold winter. Place some desiccant in your jars, and your seeds will maintain their vitality, providing seed-starting ventures for years to come.
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