As I sit here looking out the window at the cold dreary day, I’m dreaming of warm days in the garden. March 20th will be the first day of spring. So it’s time to start thinking about planning gardens. If starting a new garden, soil testing the site where the garden will go is a good idea. If it is an existing garden and the soil has never been tested, now would be a good time to think about testing it. Your local OSU Extension office can help you with soil testing.
Another gardening task to be thinking about is seed starting. Growing plants from seed is very rewarding and a lot of fun. Now is the time to start seeds indoors under a grow light or in a bright window. Grow lights however do produce a better seedling and many new windows don’t allow UV rays to penetrate through them.
Seeds to consider starting indoors are: Tomato, Pepper, Eggplant, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Onions, Basil, Rosemary, Parsley, Cilantro, Lettuce, Spinach, Zinnia, Marigolds, Cosmos just to name a few.
When should these be started?
- Find out when the frost-free date is in your area
- Look at the seed packet to see how many weeks from seed to harvest or how many weeks until it should be transplanted outdoors
- Then count backwards to determine when to start seeds indoors.
- For example: the frost free date in Morrow County where I live is May 9th and tomato seeds should be started 8 weeks before being transferred outside so they would be sown March 14th.
Seedlings starting to get their first set of true leaves.
A few supplies will be needed when starting seeds.
- Seed starting soilless mix
- Seed starting containers
- Labels
- Spray bottle
- Plastic wrap
- Seeds
When starting seeds special seed starting kits can be purchased, however creativity is more fun. A simple egg carton with popsicle stick labels will work, just make sure to poke holes in the egg carton for drainage. Place the seed starting mix in egg cartons or seed starting trays then pre-moisten the soil. Pick out seeds and poke them in the soil one seed per cell. Make sure to label the seeds so that it isn’t a mystery when it’s time to transplant them. Lastly cover the seeds with plastic wrap or a plastic dome as this will create a mini greenhouse to help hold moisture and heat in the soil until the seeds germinate. To help the seed germinate they can also be placed on heat mats with a thermostat set to the temperature the seeds need to germinate at.
Basic seed starting supplies.
Seedlings covered under lights and on a heat mat the little wire going to the try is sticking in the soil and will tell the thermostat when the soil is up to temperature so that it can shut off and turn on.
Seeds labeled, watered in and covered.
Thermostat for heat mat set to temperature.
Seeds covered and seedlings uncovered with light and heat. Once the seeds germinate I remove them from the heat mat.
Grow lights and heat mats.
Once the seeds germinate take the plastic wrap off and keep the container in a bright window or under grow lights. Trays may need to be turned if the plants start to stretch towards the light. Plants should also be given a little brush with your hand every day to help strengthen them up, this mimics the wind.
Plastic wrap removed from the seedlings this is important to do so that they don't rot.
Once plants have gotten one set of true leaves, transplant them to a lager container with one plant per container. You can also start to feed your seedlings with half strength water soluble fertilizer. When they have 3 to 4 sets of leaves full-strength water-soluble fertilizer can be used.
Seedlings with true leaves, they are ready to be transplanted into a bigger container.
When the temperatures start to warm up, gradually introduce the plants to the outdoors in shady protected areas. This will help the plants become acclimated to the outdoors and harden them off before you transplant them into the garden.
Happy Gardening!
Two seed starting videos that I have recorded in the past:
https://youtu.be/mcekh8UkQQE?list=PLuUhWl1rvuUYzonKcJ-j3Yu8gACmFOs0p
https://youtu.be/Hn7ZmY_asvQ?list=PLuUhWl1rvuUYzonKcJ-j3Yu8gACmFOs0p
For more information about seed starting visit:
https://extension.unh.edu/resource/starting-plants-seed-fact-sheet
https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/starting-seeds-indoors
