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Starting Your Vegetable Seeds

Hi Reader!

Wow! It's already time to start thinking about my summer garden. As usual, I told myself that I was going to scale back a bit in the garden this season. However, after getting a month or two of rest, I am ready to dive in.

In this edition:

• Why Use Seed Starting Soil
• What Seeds to Start Now
• Zones and Timing

We've had some very cold days here in Georgia, but today the sun was shining, and the temperature was near 60 degrees. It felt so good to sit outside, head back, and the sun on my face.

Today was the season's icebreaker; my first trip to the Home Depot Garden Center for the season.

What did I buy? Seed Planting Soil.

I've heard so much about how this soil isn't really necessary, but I think it helps new seeds take root and get a good start. There are fewer hindrances in this soil in my opinion. It's soft, no chunks and no wood pieces.

My seed starting set up is pretty basic.

I use 4 oz planting pots filling them with the soil. I make my labels first (learned to do this early on after mixing up seeds and labels). I make my own labels from old yogurt and cottage cheese containers.

Just cut the container into strips then cut a point at one end. They last forever and at the end of the season you can use nail polish remover or something like that to wipe them clean, wash and reuse.

After planting the seeds, I put all the containers in a big clear tote and sit it on a heat mat. This gives a greenhouse effect. Seeds need warmth to germinate. Sometimes I also place lids on the cups or over the whole tote if I want to make the seedling babies extra cozy.

Then I clip on my grow lights. I usually don't turn them on until I start to see the first signs of greenery pushing through the soil on any of the pots. They are on a timer set to be turned on for 12-16 hours per day. If the seedlings lack light, they will get leggy from stretching towards any available light source. I don't have an all-day light source inside so grow lights resolve that issue.

I like the idea of putting the little pots in a big tote so I can easily water them and move all of them if necessary.

I learned that it is best to 'bottom water' the pots. I pour water in the big tote, and it is absorbed into the bottom of each pot. This helps keeps the soil moist but not too moist and it helps keep the seeds from being disturbed during the germination process.

I keep a "misting bottle" from the Beauty Supply store to lightly mist on top only until the seeds germinate. They won't germinate in dry soil.

The biggest reason I like to water this way is that it seems to keep fungus gnats away. Have you ever had an inside plant that was kept moist so it would grow but the moisture also attracted fungus gnats?

It's a simple, inexpensive, yet effective way to start your seeds indoors.

So, what seeds am I starting?

I started growing tomatoes only three years ago. I've tried multiple varieties, both heirloom and hybrids. I've narrowed it down to a few favorites.

Last year I grew a variety called ASHLEIGH. It's an indeterminate heirloom tomato variety. I put it in a raised bed on the ground, and it did GREAT! It gave me multiple tomatoes that were average 2 pounds in size. You can read more about my tomato harvest here.

I decided to grow three plants of this variety and one (1) cherry tomato variety. That's it! (yeah, I always say that 🙄)

I'm also starting bell peppers. They take FOREVER to germinate and get to a decent seedling size so it's necessary to start them early, that way, by the time it is warm enough to put them outside they will be a larger size and can take off with the warmer weather.

If you wait, you will still get peppers, but they will come late summer or early fall. You probably will want them earlier to enjoy with other summer vegetables.

I've never started Okra inside because I heard they don't like to be transplanted but I'm trying it this year. I want them to start producing earlier this year. I will also direct plant some outside. Okra is sooooo easy to grow in my zone. If you like okra, you must try it.

A ZONE and FROST DATE Review

I'm in Zone 8a. It is important to know what zone you are living in so you will know when you can know when your average last frost date is going to occur.

Seed starting usually starts 4-6 weeks before your last frost day. My average last frost date is around mid-April. So, I should start seeds 6-8 weeks before that timeframe. I am starting even earlier this year because I want my seedlings to be bigger by mid-April. In previous years they were still small by the time mid-April rolled around.

You can check the Farmer's Almanac to see when your Spring Last Frost date occurs - either by zip code or state.

If you don't know your zone, here is a link that tells you all about hardiness zones and how to find yours.

Gardening Thoughts

☺️☺️☺️... made me chuckle.

That's all for now!

Feel free to write me at jangardener@gardenease.org if you have any questions or comments.

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I'll see you in the next edition!

Peace and Love,

Jan

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If you have questions, comments, praises, complaints, or ideas about gardening or about the newsletter, you can reach me at: jangardener@gardenease.org