8 Simple steps to start seeds indoors

Thanks in part to last year’s stay at home order and the continuing coronavirus, more people have discovered gardening than we have seen in decades. Gardening is cool again and growing your own food is safer, with all sorts of salmonella, listeria and who knows what else popping up in produce across the country, a home garden is both satisfying and nutritious. With freezes in Texas and Florida, fires in California, produce pricing, especially on fruit, is expected to cost a lot more money this year. Seed companies are experiencing exponential growth and shipments are 3-4 weeks out before we can receive any type of reorder. I thought it would be a good idea to go over some basics for having success with starting your own seeds. Here are 8 steps for seed success.

Step 1

Purchase your seeds from a trusted source. Fresh seed will have a higher germination rate. You’ll get more sprouts with good, high quality seed.

Step 2

Choose the right container. I like using Jiffy 7 peat pellets. These compressed peat moss pellets which may be 1/4” thick expand to an 1” or so overnight when soaked in water creating the optimum seed bedding container. Flats with packs called inserts you buy at a garden center are also available as well as plug trays for many seedlings to start in a smaller area. Peat pots made of compressed peat moss, plastic pots, even recycled containers like empty yogurt containers can be used. Make sure whatever you use has good drainage.

Step 3

Select a potting mix good for seed starting. If you can not find a “seed starter”mix choose one that contains a blend of peat moss, vermiculite and perlite. This offers a good balance between keeping seeds moist, not soggy, yet well draining.

A good draining mix will help to minimize problems with disease. Garden soils should not be used as they are not well draining enough. I like Magic Moss seed starting mix or Fertilome brand Ultimate potting mix.

Step 4

Fill your containers with potting mix you have chosen and water. Repeat watering a couple times so you know mix is thoroughly moist. Place seed in container at correct depth. Read the seed packets for proper depth. An old farmer’s rule of thumb is plant the seed two to three times the depth as the seed is wide. Smaller seeds need barely covered with soil mix while beans may need to be planted an inch deep or so. Remember seeds planted too deeply will not have enough stored energy to make it to the surface. Cover your seeds with a dusting of fresh soil and lightly tamp that around planted seeds. Sprinkle lightly one more time to wet added soil. A great tip it to use a pencil, the eraser end, to make a hole to accept seed. It’s a good idea to plant extra seeds just in case some do not germinate.

Step 5

Move your seed trays or containers to a warm location. Heat will make the plants sprout. Sunlight is not important at this time. Consider purchasing a heat mat to set your containers or flats on top of. They heat the soil and get seeds off to a quicker start.

Make sure you keep your seedlings moist to allow them to germinate. By covering with plastic or using a humidity dome, a better success rate will occur. Check your pots daily to see if they have sprouted. Keep them moist but not overly saturated.

Step 6

As soon as your seeds germinate, move seeds to a sunny location. New seedlings like 1216 hours of sun per day. The more the better. Consider adding a grow light above seedlings and place a timer to achieve this length of light requirement. Suspend fluorescent lights an inch or two above seedling tops. Cooler rooms around 60 degrees or so are best for seedlings. They will develop slower and make a stockier plant. Warmer rooms will allow plants to stretch and become leggy.

Step 7

Approximately 4-6 weeks after seeds have been planted, or sprouts have one or two sets of leaves, begin to fertilize at half strength every 10-14 days. I like to use our 2020-20 fertilizer which will feed through the leaves as well as the roots. Once plants have two sets of leaves, its time to thin out the weaker plants to give more room for one strong seedling. Snipping the seedlings at the soil height is the best way to remove your weaker plants.

Step 8

Two to three weeks before transplanting outside, begin setting your plants outside in a shaded area a few hours a day. This will help them “harden off” so they become acclimated to the sun and outdoors. Do this on warmer days. Once the fear of frost diminishes, its time to transplant them in the garden in the ground, a raised bed, or containers. That same old farmer says, no more frost will incur after memorial day. Many of my clients will plant earlier than this day and just keep a watchful eye for evenings which may dip down to 38 degrees or less. Covering your plants with burlap, a cloth or an old sheet will help keep them warm and Not allow the frost to damage your seedlings. One other tip is to plant your garden with new transplants on a cloudy day. A formulation of super thrive can be used to water to aid in reducing transplant shock of your seedlings.

Keep a journal of when, what, how you did with your seeds. This will help you next year when you decide what you want to grow again. Some things will do well with and others not so much. Looking back the next year in your journal will help you make wiser decisions as to what you should plant. Don’t be afraid to try something new.

As for what to spray for this week, the white pine weevil should be emerging this week or next and laying eggs on the top of evergreens like spruce and pine. If you have seen the top foot (usually the central leader) or so of your evergreen turn brown and die, this is the varmint that is causing it to do so. A spray of eight by bonide or HyYield brand Bug Blaster Bifenthrin 2.4 will help to eliminate this pest and keep your evergreens healthy. Spray now and again in 2 weeks to stop the adult when it emerges from laying eggs again and causing the tops of your trees to die back.

Also soon to emerge is the eastern tent caterpillar which can defoliate a tree seemingly overnight. The egg masses typically hatch as leaves appear. Eastern tent caterpillar nests are commonly found on wild cherry, apple, crabapple, hawthorn, maple, cherry, peach, pear plum and redbuds. A spray of Spinosad will help to eliminate these pests.

Its also still a great time to apply a crabgrass preventer to your lawn. I like Fertilome brand For All Season Lawn Food Plus Crabgrass and Weed Preventer. This product will prevent crabgrass and a list of weeds up to 5 months long. The next step of their 3 step program doesn’t need applied until September! It’s a great product!

For the few weeds that are popping up in the landscape and lawn, buy some fertilome Weed Free Zone and spray now. This is the best cooler weather weed killer on the market and it gets rid of tough to control weeds like wild onions or garlic. To prevent weeds, an application of Hy Yield’s turf and ornamental weed and grass stopper sprinkled on now will prevent a ton of weeds from germinating as the weather continues to warm. This is the product we use in landscape beds in our own landscaping company. It really does a great job!!

In closing, I must voice concern regarding the cdc directors request to continue to wear masks and maintain social distancing. She speaks of a 4th wave which may continue to spread the dreaded coronavirus. Many states are NOT requesting masks be worn and many people are resuming life as normal. Cases are spiking and hospitals are getting more patients. I am happy more people are being vaccinated and I think we are headed in the right direction. It would be a shame to go backwards now after fighting this enemy for over a year. Please do your part and continue social distancing and wearing masks when near other people. We are all in this together. Thanks for reading!!