Starting from Seed

seeds from baker creek

I know it's still February and all, but I think the nice string of 50-60 degree days we had is making me dread our impending winter storm this weekend even more. I like to read a little about the weather even though I don't understand much of the in depth stuff. But from what I can tell, I guess the question in our area is whether we will get sleet or snow, and if we do happen to get all snow we could potentially have another foot of snow on the ground. Yikes! On the plus side, we are growing our own starters this year which means I get to start growing things in February...so it almost feels like Spring! Yesterday our seeds came in the mail so we got started planting. Now we have one hundred and forty four (yes, you read that right) seeds planted and I am hoping most if not all of them germinate. This is actually more plants than we need, but we figured we had the dirt, the seeds, and the space, so why not? Hopefully I can share some starter plants with family and friends, and if we still have extra I will be able to pick the healthiest looking plants to go in the garden! For now they will grow in the seed flats, and once they get their first true leaves, in three or four weeks, we will transplant them to small 3 inch " jiffy pots" so they can grow their roots larger. Once we do that I will have to find a new place for them because they will take up quite a bit more room!



If anyone is interested in starting there own seeds this year I would definitely encourage that idea. It is very cheap, and if they do fail then you can always buy starter plants and not be out much money. We are doing a lot of plants, but I would guess that most people don't want to start quite that big especially if this is your first year gardening. If you are interested in growing from seed I will do a bit of a cost break down and give you some simple instructions:

a variety we grew last year: sioux

Cost Breakdown

Seeds:                $2.50 (per package)
Seed tray:          $5.00 (72 plants per tray)
Seed soil:           $5.00
Grow light:        $7.00
Light housing:    $7.00
Small pots:         $2.00 (15 per pack)

Say you wanted to grow some tomatoes and peppers for yourself; two varieties of tomatoes and two varieties of peppers. You would spend about $30 to get started. The seeds, seed tray, soil and grow light would all be able to be used next year as well, so next year it would arguably be free to grow your own starters. Seeds often come 50-200 a packet, and last for five years in a cool dark place, so you would likely not need to buy anything for several years. Not a bad deal!

If you do want to get started, and you live in Missouri, you would need to do it within the next two weeks. Southern MO may have a different frost date, but ours is April 14th, and you want to set tomatoes and peppers out after the frost date because they do not handle cold weather well. You also want to start them 6-8 weeks before you plant to put them outside. If you search for "frost date" online you can find several sites that will estimate yours. So if you are interested, go for it! This is my first time growing from seed so you can do it along with me.

we have two of these seed flats - this one
has tomatoes and peppers which require
an extra light source to help them grow

As far as instructions go, I'm going to make it easy on myself and link a website that gives detailed instructions. I will provide some simple instructions below just to give you an idea of what is involved. These instructions can be tailored to any seed, however I am mostly giving tips for tomatoes and peppers since those are the plants people seem most interested in. Herbs wouldn't needs some of the extra things like lights. The internet is your friend in this situation, there is a ton of information out there!

1) Purchase supplies. The light we bought had a clamp on the end and is clipped to our kitchen cabinets, and the light bulb is a "plant" light. The dirt, jiffy pots (size 3) and seed tray were located in the seed section. Note: you should be using dirt made for seedlings, regular garden dirt won't give the best results.

2) Plant seeds. You will need to wet the dirt. Then fill the seed tray spots you will be using and plant the seeds. The seed packets should have planting instructions on the back.

3) Keep them watered. They don't need to be sopping wet, but don't let them dry out. They need warmth and moisture to germinate, which should take 3-10 days. They do not necessarily need sunlight at this point.

4) Watch them grow! Once they have sprouted, a temperature of 65 degrees is ideal, for tomatoes and peppers at least. They should also be placed in an area with a lot of sun and (again, tomatoes and peppers) should have lights on them for a majority of the day. See linked article for more information on lights.

5) Transplant seedlings. Once their second set of leaves appear, which are their first "true" leaves, transplant them to the jiffy pots with more soil. Continue to use lights.

Tips and Tricks

* You don't want leggy (aka tall) plants. Shorter, bushier plants will hold up better when transplanted outside. Ways to avoid this are not keeping them extremely warm (which encourages too much growth) and providing them with artificial lights. Otherwise they will bolt toward the window light in an attempt to reach it. Keep lights within a few inches of the plants, raising the lights as they grow, so they don't try to grow too quickly toward the light.

* Rotate your seed trays from time to time. This ensures they won't develop a bend since they will naturally try to grow toward their light source.

* Brush your hand very gently over the small plants for 30-60 seconds every few days. You can also put a fan on them. This simulates the wind and encourages them to grow thicker stalks so that they can withstand blowing.

* Be gentle when you water them. Misting with a spray bottle is best while they are small, and as they get larger and sturdier you can move to watering them with a small cup or something similar.

* When you are ready to plant them outside you will first need to harden them off. This is basically letting them spend more and more time outside instead of suddenly planting them which can put them into shock. We did not do this last year and it seemed to work out fine, but it is probably not a bad idea either!

jiffy pots, plant light and seedling soil

For more information on starting from seed click here. 

There are some extra steps involved, but it's all pretty basic and I am excited to see everything start growing! It's also a great things to do with kids. Adelle is at the age where she loves to help with anything and everything, so she was excited to help me plant all the strawberry seeds. And if you have any questions or if you're going to grow some starters as well, feel free to chime in in the comments section! Also, I know a few friends have asked for a post talking about container gardening. I am working on that post as well as a general gardening post that talks about where to start and what you need for gardening. Be on the lookout for those soon!



- Kelly