With the Fruit of Her Hands She Planteth Seedlings

Whether you have had a garden or want to grow one this year, starting seedlings inside is a good place to begin. We’ve found that all you really need for a good set up is a fluorescent shop light (position it to hang about 8-10 inches above a shelf or counter), some potting soil, containers, and of course, seeds. Starting your own garden plants indoors is useful and enjoyable, besides affording many object lessons for your children. Here are some hints of what has worked well for us:

• If you don’t have leftover plastic pots/trays to use, try cutting down margarine or cottage cheese cartons to 1” tall and poke a few holes in the bottoms. This is the basic seed-starting container and a number of them can be put on a jelly-roll tray for watering.
• Use sterile seedling potting mix to prevent problems with fungus growth which will kill seedlings (called “damping off”). Before filling containers, moisten soil with warm water until it is damp, but not soaking.
• Sow seeds (see chart below) thickly in the containers; cover with plastic or enclose whole tray in a plastic bag. This keeps the seeds moist until they sprout. Keep seeds in a moderately warm place (without light) and remove plastic as soon as first shoots come up.
• Put newly sprouted starts under light, adjusting it so that the light bulbs stay about 4 inches above their leaves. If the soil stays moist, your seedlings can be easily watered by pouring water into the tray. A good fertilizer to use is called Roots Plus for Seedlings (code #07-257) and is sold in concentrated form by Gardener’s Supply (their number is: 1-800-863-1700).
• When the plants get their second set of leaves (first true leaves), it is time to transplant them to their own little pots. Fill the new pots part way with dampened soil, carefully set in a dug-up seedling (hold it by its leaves to prevent the stem from breaking), and pat soil in around its roots and lower stem. Tomatoes should be buried up to their top leaves, if possible, to encourage sturdy plant growth.
• Give your plants water and light until they are ready to take to the garden. Before dumping them into the cold spring soil, though, take the extra time to adjust them slowly to outdoor life (starting with a couple hours in a shady protected area). And if the weather is still snappy, protect your transplants with row covers or plastic.

Find your last spring frost date and count back to know when to start each kind of vegetable.