So you have decided on what kinds of plants you want to grow, purchased your seeds and are ready to get them growing. You will need to gather some:
· Soiless medium, soil can hold pathogens that can harm your seedlings. There are many brands available at your local Wally World or gardening center, just about any will be fine. I tend to avoid any that have time released fertilizer, as seedlings need none until their first true leaves. You can also make your own medium, as I do, by mixing 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 pearlite and 1/3 vermiculite. It makes for a light, fluffy mix that holds moisture for the seedlings. I also use the same mix when transplanting after the seedlings are about 4 weeks old.
· Containers, you can plant in just about any container you want, I use empty butter tubs, cottage cheese containers and I especially like small pastry containers (these have a top) made from clear plastic. Punch several holes in the bottom of these vessels with a sharp object for drainage. You can also buy the peat pot types at your garden center. I have found that this type can get pricey if you’re starting thousands of seeds, like I do.
Whatever vessel you use, make sure it is clean and dry. If reusing, clean and let sit in a bleach/water solution for a few minutes to kill any pathogens.
Now place whatever soiless planting medium you have chosen into the vessel, up to ½ inch or so from the top and lightly pat it down with your hand. At this time I like to water the medium, as it comes very dry from the store. Before watering, make sure you have your vessel sitting on a tray, or something, to prevent the water from running everywhere. Place your seeds on top of this medium, leaving about ¼ inch between seeds. It’s not critical if some are a little more or less, just give them a little room to spread out as they come up. Now lightly cover the seeds with more medium, you just want enough to cover the seed, not a lot, and again lightly pat the medium down. At this time I like to water again, until I see some water coming out of the bottom of the container. Now, loosely cover the vessel with plastic wrap (like you use in the kitchen) and set it somewhere warm and out of the way, like the top of your refrigerator. Some people use heat mats or other sources of heat to keep a warm environment for their seedlings, but I have never had any trouble sprouting seed at room temperature.
In 5-10 days, you should see the seedling coming up. As soon as you notice that the majority of your seeds have sprouted, remove the covering from your vessel, to allow air to get to the plants. Then move the vessel to a sunny window or a place you have prepared with as much light as you can give them.
Keep the medium moist to the touch, not waterlogged to avoid damping off. I have seen whole trays of healthy seedlings die overnight because the soil was too wet. I like to “water from below” by pouring water in the tray the vessel sits in and let them sit in the water for about 5 minutes to absorb enough water.
After a couple of weeks you will notice a set of “true leaves” develop on the seedlings, at this time I add a little fertilizer to the water. There are many types available, such as Miracle Grow, Peters, etc…, just read the directions and remember to go lightly to avoid burning the seedlings (I use only half of what the directions tell me).
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