How to Start a Garden Indoors

Over the years, I've heard so many people say that they had given up planting garden seeds because they had no luck. The probable reasons for failures can be summarized quite easily:

Lack of a sterile growing medium.

Lack of soil heat.

Lack of appropriate amount of soil moisture.

Lack of light.

Lack of soil nutrients.

And here are some other hints:

Use a commercially prepared growing medium such as horticultural vermiculite because garden soil might have fungi, such as those that cause damp-off, viruses and other disease vectors.

Pack the medium into clean sterile seed flats or other well-draining containers.

Soak the flats thoroughly with warm water and let them drain.

Plant seeds sparsely in rows - planting too close together might cause weak-stemmed seedlings that are hard to transplant.

Cover seeds with a thin layer of fine perlite or milled sphagnum moss - the thickness should be roughly equivalent to seed thickness. Very fine seeds can be covered with a sheet of clear plastic that is removed as soon as they sprout.

Label seeds well and carry the labeling along with the plants as they are put into other containers and then transplanted outdoors during late April or early May. Extra heat and light, combined with careful watering with tepid water, will encourage fast germination. Grow lights or fluorescent tubes work best and should be about 6 inches above the flats at first, then raised as the seedlings grow. Leave on the lights for 24 hours until the seeds sprout. Or consider purchasing a heating coil or mat to place under the flats.

Check the seed flats at least once a day to make sure that they are not too dry, too wet, too cold or too warm.

Use tepid water; frequent light waterings or sprayings are best for good germination and growth. Tenting clear plastic over the seed flats will help conserve moisture but be sure that the medium does not get soggy.

Use a weak solution of liquid plant fertilizer once a week or so once the seedlings start.

Following this procedure should result in healthy seedlings and little or no disease problems. If you should see signs of seedlings keeling over, buy a garden fungicide and apply it as a fine mist according to directions. If insects are spotted, apply insecticidal soap or an insecticide according to directions.

When seedlings have two sets of true leaves, transplant them into other flats, peat pots or containers. A wooden pencil makes a fine dibble to loosen the seedlings from their first flat and to make new planting holes.

If in doubt as to requirements for seeds, read the growing directions on the back of the seed packets. It's really amazing how much good information is packed into those few paragraphs.

Without exception, they give each variety's requirements for soil temperature, light requirements and transplanting recommendations.