Topic: Starting Your Own Seeds
A. Mars answered that maybe with the right heat and light you
can, but it is early for home gardeners in Virginia to be
starting their seeds. More likely you could do it in a green-
house where there are ideal conditions.
Zeebee commented that she did not have much luck with starting
Her own seeds until she started using lights. She set it up in the
basement with timed lighting.
We discussed how long to leave the lights on the seedlings each
day. I looked it up in the Rodale gardening book.
16 hours of light a day is ideal, 14 hours is acceptable, and plants
can get along with 12 in a cool location. Up to 18 hours will do no
harm, but most plants won't thrive in continuous light.
Use cool-white florescent tubes or grow-lights to light indoor seedlings. Keep tubes close to the seedlings - no more than 3" away
for their first few weeks. Then
raise the lights to 4" -6" above seedlings.
Mars said she had used one cool
and one warm bulb in her lights
when she did not use grow-lights.
were doing very well, but when she put them out to harden them off
they died. She had put them out in the direct hot sun, and they needed
to be hardened off slowly.
Before you can plant your seedlings in the garden, you must prepare
them for life outdoors. Sheltered plants are unaccustomed to wind,
strong sun, cold air, and varying temperatures. They will do better if
you help them develop tougher tissues gradually, before you plant them
outside.
When it's time to plant the hardened-off seedlings in the outdoor
garden, wait for an overcast or drizzly day, or plant them in the late
afternoon. Seedlings will suffer less stress if they are not set out
during a hot, sunny day. If you plant transplants out just before it
rains, they'll get off to a good start, and you'll have less watering to do.
After planting out, you may want to put berry baskets or cut-open
plastic jugs over seedlings or drape the row with a floating row cover
to protect them from sun, wind, or frost. If the sun is strong or the
plants are in an exposed location, water the soil around them several
times during their first week in the ground, until their roots take hold.
If the plants wilt, water the soil promptly and shade the plants from the
sun for a day or two.
Q. Cory wanted to know if you need to have them under lights when you
first plant the seeds.
A. Mars says no, but as soon as the seeds come up you need to get them
under the lights.
Linde mentions one of our favorite tricks, Gold Bond Foot Powder. Molly
told us last year that if we sprinkle it on the surface of the damp soil, after
the seeds are planted, it will greatly reduce the risk of mold and fungus.
We discussed containers that are good for starting seedlings in if you can't
get the seed trays with the lids on them that make them like mini green-
houses. Raven had used cake trays from Walmart with the clear plastic lids.
Mars had used take out containers for sandwiches with the clear plastic lids
for four packs. But almost anything that will hold 1" to 2" of seed starting
medium and won't become easily waterlogged will do. You can use plastic
wrap over the top until the seeds germinate if you want to. As soon as you
see seeds have started to germinate, remove the plastic lids or plastic wrap,
or leave partially open to allow ventilation. Once seedlings form more roots
and develop their true leaves, though, they grow best in containers that
provide more space for root growth and have holes for drainage.
Seedlings need a steady supply of moisture. Dry air in a heated house can
suck moisture rapidly from the shallow soil in seedling flats. Check for dryness
by poking your finger into the soil in the flat.
Connie wanted to know about watering them from the bottom.
I just read in the Rodale book that for delicate seedlings, bottom watering is best, since it does not disturb roots and helps prevent disease problems
such as damping- off. Use tepid water rather than cold water to water seedlings, especially warmth-loving plants like okra, eggplant, and
melons. In a warm, dry house, seedlings may need to be watered every
day or two. Find a watering method that is gentle to the seedlings for top
watering.
ready to put in your garden at the right time in the spring.
It is important to know you last expected frost date. You can find
this out from most serious gardening books, your local extension office,
or a local gardening friend or farmer.
Seed packets that you buy at the store have the information on them
concerning how far before your last frost date they should be planted
indoors for transplants.
Mars has a warm coldframe because of the heated shop foundation that
it is built against. So she is able to put the seedlings out when they are
still quite young, about when they have their 3rd set of true leaves.
Temperatures according to Rodale: Young plants require less warmth than germinating seedlings. Average room temperatures of about 60 to 70
degrees F., dropping by about 10 degrees F. at night, will keep most seedlings growing steadily. Slightly lower temperatures will make seed-
lings stocky but more slow-growing. Cool-weather plants such as cabbage
and lettuce prefer cooler temperatures.
Temperatures of 30 to 45 degrees F. can cause chilling injury in some
warmth-loving flowers and vegetables. Temperatures higher than about
75 degrees F. tend to produce weak, spindly plants that are
vulnerable to harsh outdoor conditions.
A. Mars said she likes Johnny's seeds, but actually is changing
Shrumways this year because they have more of the heirloom
veggie seeds that she is looking for.
I might add also, that I have used several seed companies, and have
had some seeds that did not germinate as well as others, which makes
me think that some are better than others. I believe it was Fields
that had very bad germination percentages for me one year.
Connie added she likes the seeds that come from her friends best.
Q. Connie wants to know how long they have to stay under the lights.
A. Mars says to keep them under the lights until you harden them off
and plant them out in the garden.
Linde is hoping to rig up a set up in her shop to raise the seedlings up to
the florescent lights on her ceiling.
Mars says as long as she can check on them and water them easily it
might be an interesting idea.
Mars said she had used them in the past, but they dry out too fast.
Zeebee agreed that they do dry out fast.
Tenrank said that plants seem to grow their roots in a ball in the peat
pots.
Mars said that when she used peat pots she tore away the little plastic
bag thing to avoid that.
The chat room went down at this time, and the discussion was discontinued.
I think we got a lot of information covered.
If you would like me to email the information on Seed starting from my
Rodale Organic Gardening Book. I will be happy to do so.
Please make the subject say Seed Planting Request.
I have all the information on a disk, so it is not trouble.
