Little Bit of Green

Growing plants from seed and then to plant and then back to seed allows you to follow your plants through the entire life cycle. Being there for such a unique process is enough reason to give any grower a great sense of accomplishment.

When you harvest your tomatoes from your very own heirloom seeds, you will be bursting at the seams with pride and accomplishment when they are ripe on the vine.

Although all plants need some light to grow, young planting seedlings will need more intense light than adult plants. You can start your vegetable seeds on a sunny windowsill or shelf and achieve good results. This lack of light can restrict the plant’s growth and health. Consider artificial light.

Typically, growing seedlings thrive with cycles of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark in one twenty-four hour period. It all depends on the plants you are growing. Be sure to turn them every now and then, as they will bend towards the light.

Keep your seedlings moist, but not wet, when caring for them, as they can be very susceptible to mold. An overabundance of water can cause mold to grow. Outside, of course, spring usually comes with rain, but that doesn’t mean plants outside stay saturated, and neither should yours.

Don’t fertilize your seedlings and vegetable seeds unless you are using the hydroponic method. The seed and the soil you use supplies all the nutrition the plant needs. Fertilizers can kill your plants, if they are overused. They create a situation where the plant cannot get water from the soil, and without water, there is no photosynthesis.

As outdoor planting dates nears, young plants raised indoors are not used to outside weather. They need to be toughened up or as some call it, hardened off. Set your plants outside in a sheltered spot, preferably in the shade.

Set them out for a half a day to begin with, and gradually leave them out longer. You can slowly move them into windier and sunnier spots to get them used to life outside.

Follow this routine for at least a week or two before you transplant them into the garden. When they are finally outside to stay, protect them on cooler nights with a sheet or some type of covering.

By taking the time to start your seeds indoors and to nurture them into lovely little seedlings can only be described as a labor of love. The satisfaction you gain from such an activity cannot be measured!

The effort you put into your indoor seed starting will be returned to you with vegetables and/or flowers you will enjoy all summer long.

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