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Start Seeds Indoors for Spring Planting
Even if it’s too early to start planting outside, you can get a head start on your spring garden. Start planting your seeds indoors now, and come spring, your garden will be ready to thrive.
Stop by your local True Value hardware store for all the advice and products you need for a healthy spring garden, then follow the steps below to get started.
Step 1. Prepare Planters
Timing is critical. If you start your seeds too soon, they may grow out of their containers before spring arrives. Start them too late and they won't be ready in time. A good rule to follow is to start your seeds about eight weeks before the last expected spring frost.
Choose a starter planter with proper drainage. Feel free to get creative. Seed flats, peat pots or plastic cups with holes poked in the bottom work well. Even egg cartons or takeout boxes can make suitable planters. In general, your planting containers should be at least three or four inches deep. Fill them to about a 1/4 inch from the top with soil.
Helpful Tip:
- Egg cartons and peat pots need to be soaked in water before adding soil and planting because they draw moisture out of the soil.
Step 2. Select Good Soil
The soil you use should be healthy and free of debris, insects and other seeds. The best type of soil for starting seeds is commercial potting soil or germination mix. These are sterile, free of weed seeds and have the right amount of nutrients for newly emerging plants. Your soil should be full of air and very light. ''Soil-less'' mixes containing peat or peat moss have excellent moisture retention and stay moist longer. Perlite and vermiculite have the same effect. If you want to make your own soil mixture at home, use one part loam, one part clean sand and one part leaf mold or moist peat.
Helpful Tips:
- Certain types of fungi can make indoor gardening go awry, so make sure the soil you choose has been sterilized.
- You can sterilize your own soil by heating it in the oven or microwave with a medium-sized potato. When the potato is baked, the soil's ready to seed.
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Step 3. Plant Seeds
Use a tray to hold your starter containers. Place paper towels along the bottom of each container to keep soil in while allowing water to drain through. Fill the containers with potting mix then spread seeds evenly about an inch apart. Use a pencil to make holes two to three times the size of the seed. Then cover the seed with a thin layer of soil, misting the top with water.
Step 4. Give Them Light and Water
Check the packet instructions to determine how much light your seeds need to germinate. Some seeds need little or no light to sprout while others crave light. To help your seeds germinate, keep them in a warm area. But don't let it get too hot—excessive heat can kill emerging seedlings. Covering the planters with plastic wrap will keep them warm and moist, helping them germinate. Be sure to remove the plastic wrap as soon as the plants sprout. Once the seeds germinate and shoots emerge, move them to an area that stays at room temperature. Water your new sprouts daily, but be careful not to over-water them. Just a light mist will do.
Step 5. Keep Seedlings Healthy after Germination
After they germinate, all seedlings need a lot of light to survive. Place them in a naturally sunny window, or purchase fluorescent grow lights to supplement the amount of light your seedlings receive. If you're using fluorescent grow lights, keep your planters three to four inches away from the light source at least 14 hours a day.
Helpful Tip:
- To keep seedlings from drying out, place your planters on a raised bed of gravel spread across the bottom of a large pan and add water. Be sure to keep the water level below the plant containers.
Step 6. Fertilize
Monitor your seedlings' growth carefully to know when to start fertilizing. The first leaves that appear will be food storage cells called cotyledons. Wait until the first true leaves sprout, then use a quality liquid fertilizer to keep your seedlings healthy. Use a weak solution (diluted to half the recommended strength) once each week.
Step 7. Harden Off
Now you'll want to ''harden off'' the plants, acclimating them to an outdoor environment. When temperatures rise to the 50s at night, place the seedlings outside in a shady spot for half a day. Slowly work your way up to leaving the seedlings outside for two or three full days. Gradually move them into full sun. Don't put them out too early—you don't want any late winter frosts to kill your new plants.
Step 8. Transplant
Generally, seedlings are ready to be planted four to six weeks after seeding. If outdoor frosts linger or the seedlings outgrow their original containers earlier than anticipated, repot them in a larger pot until they're ready to be planted outdoors.
When you are ready to transplant your seedlings, water the ground outside and the seedlings thoroughly. Use a small shovel to dig a hole about twice the size of the root ball. Set the transplanted seedling in gently, covering it and leaving 1/4 inch of soil pressed firmly around the roots. Leave a small depression around the plant stem to help trap moisture. Water daily or according to seed packet instructions.
Congratulations! By starting your seeds indoors, your garden will be flourishing in no time. Head to your local True Value hardware store for all the products and know-how you need to start all of your gardening projects right.
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