SEEDY STARTS –PART 1

By: Gay Craig

University of California Cooperative Extension/El Dorado Master Gardener

Publication Date: March 11, 2005

Have you been hearing more about some of the more unusual or heirloom fruits and vegetables that are increasingly available? Maybe you would like to grow some of these hard to find varieties but you aren’t sure about growing plants from seeds. If you have wondered how to successfully start seeds, just read on. In this two-part series, Master Gardener Gay Craig will answer common questions about seed starting. If you follow these guidelines, you’ll soon be on your way to a vegetable garden brimming with healthy plants.

In this week’s article, you’ll learn the benefits of growing your plants from seed. You’ll also learn the basics of preparing your soil and containers so you are ready to start seeds.

WHY START FROM SEEDS?

Starting your own seeds gives you a chance to try exotic varieties not found in grocery stores. It’s also an inexpensive way to get a multitude of plants. In addition, it’s a good way to get a jump start on the season; you can be planting seeds indoors in February and March in preparation for outdoor planting when the soil is warm and after the frosts.

WHEN DO I START THE SEEDS?

Timing and good soil are the magic keys to success in starting and growing a successful crop. February was the time to be starting broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and lettuce. In March you should be starting your tomatoes, onions, chard, peppers and eggplant indoors. You can directly sow beets, carrots and radishes outside in March.

WHAT TYPE OF SOIL SHOULD I USE?

The goal is to have soil which is free of bacteria or contaminants which would harm the plant.

You can buy seed starting mix, which is sterile, and goes a long way. You can buy a bag of fresh garden potting soil, which is usually clean enough for seed starting. You can “sterilize” this soil by baking slowly in the oven, or preferably outdoors in your barbecue (a lot of work for most of us). You could also use some of your “home grown” well-cooked compost by mixing it with sand and perlite.

HOW DO I PREPARE THE SOIL FOR PLANTING?

For indoor seed starting, find a large square container in which to do your potting; a cat litter tray is about the right size - about 20 x 24 and about 6 inches deep is good.

The day before planting, put a few buckets of soil into this container and add water gradually. Squeeze the soil with your hands and work it around until the soil is moist, but not wet. Then let it set overnight to absorb the water evenly.

WHAT TYPES OF CONTAINERS SHOULD I USE?

While waiting for the soil to absorb the water, you can prepare your containers. You will need containers to put the seed in, and then larger trays for to hold the seed containers.

Small seed containers:

If you have saved the small six-packs that your annuals from the nursery came in, these can be used for initial seed starting. Lacking these, egg cartons can work just fine with a hole or two punched in the bottom. You can also purchase peat pots, but these are pretty much an unneeded expense.

Larger seed containers:

If you have a lot of space for your seedling starts, you can start with somewhat larger containers, such as the 4 x 4-inch containers from the nursery. One of our favorite methods uses styrofoam or paper cups, which come in large quantities at a low cost.

If you use cups, be sure to make drain holes in the bottom with knife or beer can opener. A bonus advantage of the cups is that you can write the name and variety of the plant directly on the container (you want to keep track of what you planted, so next year you can decide which varieties worked best). Still another advantage of the styrofoam cups is that at planting time, you can cut out the bottom and stick the entire Styrofoam cylinder into the soil; this has a two-fold advantage; the name of the plant is there for the rest of the season, and the new seedling is protected from soil-borne cutworms which can do major damage at planting time.

Preparing the containers:

If the containers have held plants before, they should be washed and sterilized to eliminate any pathogens which might be present. Get a bucket of water and prepare a 10:1 solution of water and Clorox (ten parts water, one part Clorox). Swish the containers around in the water, and then air dry thoroughly before using.

Trays for the seedling containers:

Make sure you have enough trays to hold all the small seed containers that you are going to plant. You can use commercial trays from the nursery in assorted sizes, old baking pans, cookie tins, etc. The tray should be of a size to accommodate the seed containers, with a rim to hold the moisture in.