It might not look like much now, but the photo above represents a large chunk of the 2009 Meadowwood Garden!
About 3 weeks ago we started a bunch of seeds for the garden. We like to get a head start with tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. We also planted a flat of marigolds because they always sprout first and it makes us feel all warm and fuzzy to see them come up so quickly.
Starting seeds is a lot easier than many people think. What you see is tucked into the corner of our basement and all we do is water twice a day at this point. Granted, we have some (donated) equipment that helps speed things up a bit, but pretty much anyone could do the same thing anywhere in the house with minimal equipment and effort.
We are thinking of writing up a how-to article to assist people in starting their own seeds. Until then, if you are interested in doing it yourself there are a couple things to consider:
- Light — The starts need about 16 hours of light a day. We have a timer, but you could easily turn the light off and on yourself. Just don’t forget! No fancy grow lights are necessary — just pop a warm light and cool light bulb in a fluorescent fixture and you are good to go. The light should be inches away from the plants for best results.
- Heat — Soil temperature is a germination trigger, so having a way to heat the flats REALLY helps. Especially so when you are starting something like pepper plants that take seemingly forever to germinate anyway! If you can’t swing this don’t worry about it too much — it isn’t a deal breaker by any means. Unheated seeds just take longer to germinate.
- Soil — Use a high-quality seed starting or potting mixture.
- Water — The potting mix should be damp before you plant the seeds in it. By damp we mean like a sponge that you have squeezed the water out of. Once the seeds are planted you need to check them 2-4 times a day to make sure the soil doesn’t dry out. In our case we need to water 3 times a day when the flats are heated, and 2 times a day once the plants come up and the heat is turned off. Your mileage may vary.
That should be enough info to get you started. If you have any questions about starting your own seeds feel free to drop us a line.
