Seed Starting

Starting seed indoors is both easy and enjoyable. While everything may still be looking a little drab outside, you’ve got fresh herb, vegetable, or flower plants popping up on the windowsill. This is also a delightful project to involve your kids in, too!

Supplies you’ll need:

• Seed starting soil. It is a finely milled potting soil, with good drainage.
• Containers with bottom drainage holes to allow excess water to leak out.
• Labels to keep plants identified until they grow large enough to recognize.
• Plastic bags or grow covers are optional; they can help keep moisture levels even.
• Catch trays to protect the surface.

A word about seed selection
It’s tempting to try many different kinds of seeds indoors, but it’s wise to plan ahead. You’ll first want to decide what plants to grow from seed. Read the packet labels; you’ll find some seeds take a long time to sprout, others need special attention during germination, and some are best planted directly outdoors. Organize your packets according to indoor or outdoor (direct in the garden) seeding. Further sequence your indoor seeds to start at the proper time. Usually a packet will estimate how many days before last frost (around Mother’s Day in Central Illinois) to start the seed indoors. Starting seeds such as tomatoes too early indoors yields leggy, almost unmanageable plants.

Sowing the seed

• Potting soils are dusty, so cover your work surface with newspaper to help keep things clean.
• Fill the pots or seeding tray a little less than level full with soil. Some settling of the soil will occur after watering.
• Following the seed pack directions, scatter some of the seed on the soil surface, and press lightly with your fingers. You may randomly scatter, or in rows if you’re using a tray. Most seeds like more potting soil dusted over top, but refer to the seed packet for details.
• Water very carefully with a gentle stream of clear, tepid water. You may use a small watering can with or without a sprinkler head. Repeat the watering process a couple of times, until the soil feels thoroughly moistened and excess liquid drains from the bottom. Using a spray misting bottle may help.
• Label the pots.

Finishing the process
You may want to place the seeded pots and their catch trays in large, clear plastic bags, or under a grow dome. This helps trap moisture and warmth, and speeds up the germination process. Be careful, however, not to seal things tight. Too much moisture can cause rot, so leave the bag just loosely tucked under, or the dome slightly ajar. Place the finished trays near a warm, bright location, but not in direct sun. Too warm, and the tender seedlings can be quickly injured.

Care during sprouting
Check your seed pots every day. Different seeds sprout at different times. As you see the first sprouts emerge, be prepared to begin moving them out of any germinating bags, and to less warm conditions. When it appears all seeds in a pot have germinated, they need bright sun, without cover, and they need to be checked daily for water needs .
If you chose to plant any seed in trays, you’ll want to transplant the individual seedlings into cell pack or peat pots after they 4 to 6 leaves appear.

Your young seedlings would benefit from a fertilization with a weak (half strength) water soluble fertilizer, like Ferti-lome Blooming and Rooting or Fish Emulsion.

Plan to “harden off” your seedlings by setting them outdoors on warm spring days, in a protected location, to begin acclimating to the garden. Bring them in on cool nights.

Enjoy!