Starting your Vegetables from Seed
Save money by starting your vegetables indoors, from seed!!!
As a general rule of thumb, in our climate, seeds should be started indoors around 8-10 weeks before the last chance for frost(May 24th)
So if this is something you want to try then now is a good time to start shopping for your supplies.
I have seen this past week or so that most stores have received and put out their Burpee seed racks!!!!
Now although not every vegetable is easy to grow from seed or needs to be grown from seed, these are some examples of the the best and easiest types of vegetable garden seeds to start indoors, the ones that need a long growing season in order to be productive, or seeds that require warm soil to germinate: peppers, kale, eggplant, tomatoes, okra, melon seeds, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and herbs like basil.
How To Grow: Supplies and Equipment
You don’t need to buy a ton of expensive indoor seed starting supplies and equipment, but you will need to purchase a few things. Besides seeds, the main essentials are seed planting trays, and a high-quality seedling soil mix or peat pellets.
In addition to these essentials, you might also need buy seed starting grow lights, a heat mat, and some fertilizer.
Warmth triggers the seeds that it’s time to start growing, and seedlings will grow better in a warmer room -vs- a cold room. But really, as long as you have the proper equipment, you can start seeds in any room of your house, even in a cool and dark basement.
For most seeds, you don’t have to do anything special to prepare them for planting. Some seeds will germinate better if you soak them overnight though. Also, seeds with a hard seed coat will germinate better when you nick the coat before you plant them.
Read the seed packets to see if either of these steps are necessary, or if there’s any special seed preparation for planting the types of seeds you want to grow.
Before you start planting your seeds, read the seed packets to make sure there aren’t any special growing requirements for the types of seeds you want to grow.
The general rule for planting seeds is to plant a seed twice as deep as the seed is wide. Teeny-tiny seeds can just be sprinkled over the top of the soil. Once you’re done with that, planting the seeds is easy!!
Step 1: Loosely fill your seed tray with seed starting mix (or soak your peat pellets to get them ready for planting).
Step 2: Make a hole in the soil first, or gently press the seed into the soil to the correct planting depth.
Step 3: Cover each seed with soil, and then gently pack it down to ensure that the soil comes in contact with the seed.
Step 4: Water your seeds by pouring water into the seed trays (pouring water over the top could displace your seeds).
It’s difficult to grow strong, healthy seedlings indoors without the proper amount of light. While a south facing window is the ideal location for indoor seed starting, it won’t provide enough light for most seedlings.
It’s difficult to grow strong, healthy seedlings indoors without the proper amount of light. While a south facing window is the ideal location for indoor seed starting, it won’t provide enough light for most seedlings.
Starting seeds indoors under lights really is the best way to grow strong seedlings.
I am going to provide a link here to help you learn about caring for your seeds, how much light they need etc…
Let us know how you make out!!!
Happy Gardening!!!!!