Plant Seeds Indoors to Jumpstart Your Summer Garden

Now is the time to think about getting certain seeds started indoors... take a look at this article...

Plant seeds indoors to jumpstart your summer garden
By GLORIA BALLARD
Staff Writer

Old Man Winter may be settling in, but dedicated gardeners can't help but think about spring.

Of course January is much too early to plant anything outdoors — even early-growing, cool-season vegetables need warmer conditions than are likely through February. But starting seeds indoors can give you a jump on the spring growing season. Now is the time to consider what you want to plant, and to pull out a calendar to determine the best planting times.

Timing is important when you're starting seeds indoors, but if you start gathering your supplies, you'll be ready to plant when the time comes.

Depending on the extent of your planting project, you can outfit your indoor space with all kinds of fancy equipment. Or, if you're experimenting with just a few seeds, you can get by with a fairly simple setup. Many nurseries stock equipment, and mail-order garden catalogs carry various seed-starting kits, germinating trays, heat mats, light stands, soil mixes, transplanting pots and other ''must-have'' items. Some do-it-yourselfers rely on supplies as simple as cardboard egg cartons for starting transplants indoors from seeds.

One must-have is a good seed-starting growing medium, preferred to potting soil. You can purchase a high-quality, sterilized, germinating medium, or you can make your own. A University of Tennessee Extension ''recipe'' combines one-third peat, one-third sand and one-third rich, finely textured, loamy soil. Sterilize the mixture by heating it to 180 degrees for 30 minutes in the oven, according to the extension's publication Growing Vegetable Transplants for Home Gardens. ''This will require moistening the mixture, placing it in a shallow pan and using a thermometer.''

A heat mat, which is placed underneath a seed flat to provide warmth, gives an added boost to germinating seeds, says Paul Thompson at All Seasons garden center in Green Hills.

If you don't have a greenhouse, the biggest challenge to growing seedlings is providing sufficient light. Fluorescent lights, placed just inches above the seed trays and left on for about 16 hours each day, can provide necessary light for tiny seeds to grow into sturdy plants ready for transplanting.

Timing

You can grow annual flowers for decorative borders, as well as herbs and vegetables for cooking, from seeds started indoors. Depending on what you want to grow, some seeds should be started four to eight weeks before outdoor planting time. Instructions on the back of the seed packet indicate how much time is needed to grow sturdy transplants and when they can be transplanted into the garden.

Pay attention to the expected last-frost date; in Middle Tennessee that expected date is in early April. Loose-leaf lettuce, for instance, grows best in the cool days of early spring, so seeds can be started indoors about six weeks before then, according to garden writers Felder Rushing and Walter Reeves in their book, Tennessee Fruit and Vegetable Book. Seeds started indoors in the next couple of weeks should be ready to set out in the garden as sturdy transplants about mid-March.

How-to

Once you've worked out the timing and have all the necessary equipment, you're ready to plant.

Fill the container you are using to germinate the seeds with damp, sterile germinating mix. Rushing and Reeves suggest moistening the soil in a bucket and using the moistened soil to fill the starter trays or containers. Sow the seeds according to package directions; some seeds should be lightly covered with soil, some should not.

Cover the container with clear plastic and place it in a warm spot (68 to 75 degrees) in a sunny window or, ideally, underneath a fluorescent light. Relying on the light from even the sunniest window in your home may not be enough during winter for growing strong seedlings, says Thompson at All Seasons garden center.

The soil in the germinating container should be kept moist but not soggy; use room-temperature water. Once seeds have sprouted, make sure they continue to get plenty of light.

When tiny seedlings begin to emerge, poke a few holes in the plastic covering to let air reach the plants, a little bit at a time. Allowing air to enter too suddenly may cause a condition called damping-off (see related story), a fungal disease that will wipe out every seedling in the container, writes Eileen Powell in The Gardener's A-Z Guide To Growing Flowers From Seed to Bloom.

When the seedlings develop their second set of true leaves, it's time to transplant them to larger containers. Fill the cleaned, sterilized containers (such as 4-inch plastic pots) with damp potting mix and poke a hole in the mix, then carefully remove the seedlings from the original container and transfer them to the larger pot, then gently firm the mix around the roots.

Water immediately. Keep them out of bright light for a couple of days to allow them to recover from the shock of transplanting, then allow the plants to grow under lights, making sure they receive consistent water. Garden sources suggest applying half-strength fertilizer twice a week for the first three weeks, then full-strength every 10 to 14 days.

When outdoor planting time gets close, the plants should be ''hardened off'' before they are subjected to harsher outdoor conditions. This process should begin several days before planting time. Garden writer Judy Lowe suggests placing the plants in a protected area outdoors during the day in a shady spot, then bringing them to an unheated area indoors at night. As planting time nears, gradually move them into an area where they receive more exposure and leave them out all night.

''Depending on the temperatures, hardening off can take as little as a week or as long as 10 to 14 days,'' she writes.

This Article Online from the Tennessean.com

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