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GETTING READY FOR SPRING     

Everyone can grow a plant… it does, however, require a bit of patience and some attention to enjoy success.  By observing what is happening with your plants on a regular basis, one can better understand their needs and growth habits.  You will also notice if anything is wrong, such as insect problems, disease, or other things that can threaten its health. 
I often wonder why many of us like to garden.  My own passion for plants began at a very young age.  I found a way to care for a living thing that was all my own; something depending on my care, yet didn’t mind that I went to school.  Plants don’t need to be played with or taken for walks.   Yet, they are living things that can be nurtured and loved.  For me, it was the ideal solution, and a first lesson in horticulture.  Introduce yourself or a child to a plant today. 

STARTING YOUR SEED  
With spring around the corner, this woman's thoughts turn to...SEEDS!   Most plant catalogs and magazines have already boasted the new plants for this year, and that always gets me anxious to get started with new plants.  Growing from seed gives the gardener the advantage of trying new and unusual varieties that may not be available locally. 

Seeds can be started in various containers.   Good drainage is important...you don't want your seeds to float in a soggy bog of mud!  Be sure the container you choose has holes for drainage, with a tray underneath to catch the water.  You can also use pebbles or small stones before you add your soil.  TIP:  Sometimes you will find clear plastic containers at the grocery store that fruit or other products come in that can be used as a mini-greenhouse to start seeds.  My husband bought me a birthday cake recently, and when the cake was done, the clear plastic dome and tray served as a great place to start my marigolds!!  He didn't realize he was giving me a dual-purpose gift!

Note:  Be sure to remove the plastic cover as soon as your seeds begin to sprout! 

For slow-growing vegetables like peppers and eggplant, I start 8-10 weeks early, starting the second week in March, for planting by Mother's Day weekend.  I start my tomato seeds in flats the last week of March, which leaves six weeks or so for the same planting date.  I leave the green beans, cucumber, zucchini, carrots, and some of the herb seeds until May for planting directly into the garden.  For flowers, check the seed packet, so you won't have monsters trailing out of their pots too soon before the weather warms up.

So how does one plant a seed?  A mere hole in the soil with a seed dropped in and watered?  Is that it?  Basically, yes...technically, there is more to it for successful results,  so here's the scoop...

1.  Read the packet.  As with mature plants, it helps to know what you have.  Some seed need light for germination, some do not require light until after germination.  Some need cool temps, while  most like warm heat from the bottom.  Some seed have tough outer coatings, which may need to be  cold treated.   Some may need to be scarified (nicked) and soaked in water before planting for faster germination.   Some seed are dustlike, and shouldn't be covered.   Read the packet, which should have the information for proper germination of your particular seed.  Then do a little research the plant, so you can provide the growing conditions to best suit its needs, once it has sprouted. 

2.  Proper planting medium.   The main reason many of us have problems growing seeds has a lot to do with the growing conditions we provide for them.   Seeds need to be kept moist, and moist conditions can also breed fungus which can attack young seedlings.  This is called damping off, and it happens suddenly.  Young seedlings keel over and look like they've been pinched at the stem.  To prevent this from happening, NEVER use garden soil to start seed indoors.  Use a seed starting mix containing sphagnum peat moss, or use straight milled sphagnum peat.  Kits are available that contain peat pellets which expand when you add water, and these can later be transplanted directly into the ground.   While it's true that this medium does not contain many nutrients, the fungus spores that cause damping off will not grow in peat.  I have used the milled sphagnum every year with great results.  I empty the bag into a bucket of warm water to soak, and then take a handful of sphagnum, squeeze out the water, and fill my pots.   In the case of peppers and tomatoes, I use the tip of a pencil to make a shallow hole, drop the seed in, and lightly cover.  Nutrients won't be needed until the seed has its first set of true leaves, in which case you can use a balanced  all-purpose fertilizer at half the recommended strength.

3.  Proper temperature.  Check the seed packet for the correct temperature required for germination.  You may cover the pots with a plastic dome to keep in heat and moisture, but you don't have to.  It is very important that you do not place covered seeds in direct sunlight, and be sure to remove the cover as soon as seed has sprouted. 
If you can provide bottom heat, this will speed things along.  A friend of mine has a seed starting mat that she keeps her seeded pots on.  The mat keeps a constant temperature of 85 degrees.  She planted pepper seeds the same day as I did, and hers sprouted faster by 4-5 days.  Once the seeds are up,  you can remove them from the mat, and use 1/2 strength of a liquid fertilizer once a week, until the plants are big enough to move into soil. 

4.   Proper growing conditions.   There's no advantage to starting off new little plants if you don't have the proper conditions for growing them once they have emerged from the soil!   Be sure you have an area with the right kind of light for the plants you are growing. 

The ideal location is by a sunny window, or you can create your own growing environment by placing your plants on a bench or table with florescent lighting supported over it.  Many people make the mistake of setting this up in a basement, where it is usually too cool for seedlings to do well.  Choose a warm location, around 75-80 degrees.  Place the florescent fixture on chains so they can be adjusted as your plants grow taller.  The cool florescent bulbs will not burn plants, and they should be placed very closely, within 4-6 inches from the top of the plants.  Remember, this is just a temporary place and you really should not keep plants that like sun at this location for more than 4 weeks.  Plants can also be placed in a cold frame outdoors, as long as it is warm, and you provide ventilation so they won't get baked on sunny days!   

Be sure to "harden off" your plants before bringing them outdoors...this means gradually exposing them to sunlight for short periods each day,  so the foliage won't scorch.  Transplant shock is also minimized when you plant outdoors on cloudy days.