Originally Published December 2004
Cold weather and gloomy skies have come to my part of Texas. We’re experiencing the most rainfall in a year than we’ve had in some time. In one way, it’s good because my outdoor watering chores are kept to a minimum. And, since it’s been cloudy a good bit of the time, even the pots in the greenhouse are slow to dry out. In another way, though, the over-abundant rain has caused problems. Around several parts of Texas there has been flooding, causing people to evacuate their homes, and the fields are very wet… too wet to plow and plant with winter crops.
This time of year I turn my focus to planning and planting for spring. Like many of you, I look at the catalogs that come in the mail, dreaming about next year’s crops of flowers, herbs and vegetables. I look for new items that I think would be attractive to my customers or items that compliment the collections I already offer. One thing I’ve noticed is more and more seed companies are offering seedlings for sale of their, presumably, best sellers. I guess they’ve figured out that many people prefer already grown plants to starting their own seeds. After all, I’m in the plant business, too, because I saw a market for plants. I am offering more seeds this year, however, for those of you who would like to grow your own herbs, vegetables and flowers from seed.
Some varieties of plants really do better from seed in your own garden than started plants. One that comes to mind is the sweet pea. Here in the southern U.S., we plant sweet peas in fall or winter and they grow and then bloom in early to mid spring. Those of you in the more northern reaches of the U.S., will plant them as soon as possible after the last frost. The old varieties of sweet peas are grown not only for their lovely flower colors, but also for their spicy or sweet fragrance. I love them in a vase perfuming the house.
Sweet Peas are best direct sown in the soil where they are to be grown. But, you can give them a head start by starting them in the house or a greenhouse beforehand. Indoor seed starting seems daunting to many people, hence the popularity in purchasing plants. But, there is something quite satisfying about starting your own crops and plants from seed. Each seed has all the information necessary to grow to fruition if you have the patience to see the process through.
To successfully grow your own starts for the garden is pretty easy.
You only need to follow a few basic guidelines to have the seeds up and growing in time for your garden.
- Timing is important, because you don’t want the seedlings too large before you plant them out, unless you intend to keep potting them up until the correct outdoor planting date for your area.
- Most seeds take 6-10 weeks to reach a good size for outdoor planting. Annuals tend to grow more quickly than perennials, so you don’t need to start annuals as early as perennials.
- Since most vegetables are annuals and do grow quickly, you’ll want to start them about 6-8 weeks before time to set them out.
- Perennials, especially many herbs such as oregano, lavender, Mexican Mint Marigold, thyme, stevia and chives take longer to get started. These can even be planted as much as 12 weeks before your frost free date.
The type of soil mixture you use is important when starting seeds.
- You need a light mixture, not, generally the soil from you garden.
- For one thing, garden soil is usually too heavy and it can contain pathogens that don’t bother established plants, but can be a problem for tiny seedlings.
- Use a good potting mix that contains peat or coir, vermiculite and/or perlite.
You can use recycled pots or cell packs from your garden purchases. It’s a good idea to wash and even rinse them in a bleach solution to kill any bugs or diseases that may linger there.
- Then, fill the pots with your potting mix and water it in.
- Let the filled pots set for a few hours or even overnight to moisten the soil mix evenly.
Then, the fun part begins.
Gather your seed packages and make tags or labels for each variety you’re going to plant. You can use any number of different recycled and found items for tags. I like the unused slats of mini blinds. They’re easy to cut and an indelible marker writes on them easily. If you have spring type clothes pins, take them apart and use each side as a plant stake. Again, an indelible marker will write on them. Plastic knives and spoon or the handle part of a plastic fork work great, too.
But, whatever you use as plant markers be sure to mark your planting. You may think you’ll remember, but you won’t!!
Making tags with the variety name and date planted makes sure you’ll know exactly what’s in that pot or cell pack. If you like record keeping, start a notebook or file in your computer with all pertinent information: date of planting, brand of seed, variety, and leave a place for notes so you can record the progress of your seeds. Your records can be as full or abbreviated as you wish or have the time and inclination to do.
Follow the directions on the seed packet as to how deep to plant or if the seed needs light to germinate, just sprinkle the seed onto the surface of your soil mix. Water the seeds in gently so you don’t disturb them. Many people like to place the pots in a pan of water and allow the water to be taken up by the soil. That way you are sure not to disturb the newly planted seeds. A light spray is also a way to water newly planted seeds.
Then, you’ll need to find a place to grow your seeds. They’ll need light as soon as they come up so they won’t get leggy. A sunny window is OK, but you’ll need to turn your pots so the plants don’t lean toward the sun. An inexpensive shop light fixture with fluorescent tubes is a great plant light. It should hang only a couple of inches above the soil and be able to be raised as the plants grow.
Sometimes problems occur when growing plants indoors. One common problem is a fungus that causes damping off. A seemingly healthy seedling is found just lying over. This fungus is caused by too much dampness, not enough airflow or soil that had the fungus lying dormant in it. So, it’s important to have good airflow around your seedlings, even a small fan turned low will help keep conditions healthy and use new, sterile soil. Don’t crowd your plants together too much. Try and find another roomier spot if you think you’re crowding them.
Then, water just enough to keep the soil moist so the seeds don’t dry out. As the seedlings grow, you can cut back on watering a little, so the soil dries out a little between watering…. not enough to wilt your seedlings, of course. You’ll avoid fungus gnats that can appear as if by magic if you keep the soil a little dry. As the seedlings age a little, you can water less frequently as their root systems can take up and hold moisture longer.
Then, just give them a little half strength organic fertilizer every 2 weeks and before you know it, it’ll be time to get the garden ready for your new plants. You’ll be so proud of the crops you harvest from plants you started from a tiny seed. And, you may have a better appreciation for the plants you do purchase, knowing all the work that goes into producing those plants from seed.
Be sure to check out the seed selection for seeds from Botanical Interests.
QUOTE FOR THE MONTH
A book lying idle on a shelf is wasted ammunition. Like money, books must be kept in constant circulation. Lend and borrow to the maximum.
-Henry Miller, novelist (1891-1980)