Sowing Seeds Indoors
Although most seeds can be started from seeds reliably indoors, many varieties are just as easy to sow outdoors, where they are to grow. In general Beans, beets, carrots, corn, kale, okra, peas, radishes, soybeans, spinach, and turnips are easier to sow outdoors. Just about any type of vegetable could be sown outdoors, but there is little benefit to starting these particular vegetables inside.
Planning
Timing is the key to having transplants of the right size to set out in the right weather conditions. The three most important things to know are:
- The first and last expected frost dates for your area
- The kind of weather preferred by the seedlings
- Time from sowing seeds to transplanting into the garden outside
You could ask your local county extension
agent for the frost dates and other seasonal benchmarks for your
area. The information is also available online in this report with freeze frost dates for cities across the united
states. Some seeds will need warm temperatures, other will
need cool temperatures or maybe even freezing to germinate properly.
Once sprouted, young plants called seedlings will have a variety of
preferred climates as well. It is important to start the seeds
at the proper time to provide them the type of climate they prefer.
To find out when to sow the seeds, first find the day of the first
freeze in your area. Then count back the proper number of
weeks to grow garden sized transplants (these dates are conveniently
listed for just about every vegetable on this site! It may be
a good idea to sort your seeds based on this timing, and their cold
hardiness, so you know which ones you can start together.
Before you sow, be sure to pick a location in your house for the
seed trays. To find out how many seeds to sow, first you need
to figure out how many plants you need. For each 50 square
inches of tray surface area (5" x 10") you could sow up to 50 large
seeds, 100 small seeds, and 5150 tiny seeds. You could sow
multiple varieties in each seed tray, just make sure they are
compatible in growing temperature and timing. If you are
starting seeds in individual cups or cells, plant 2 seeds per cup.
Preparing seed flats
Choose your sowing medium carefully. It should be porous and
well drained, but absorbent and soft as well. Finely textured
humus or compost is fine, or just pick up a bag of seed starter soil
at your local garden store. If reusing seed flats, make sure
they are sanitized. You can use a weak bleach solution (10
parts water, 1 part bleach) to sanitize the seed flats. Make
sure to dry the seed flats just prior to planting seedlings.
This will ensure the seeds have a sanitary environment for
germination. For each flat, add 4
cups of soil and 1.5 cups of water to a plastic Ziploc type bag.
Squeeze and shake around to moisten the soil completely and
thoroughly. Place in seed flat and pat down slightly until the
surface is level. Repeat of necessary until the soil is
approximately 1/4" from the edge of the tray.
Make shallow furrows 1" in the surface of the soil using a pencil or
similar object. The furrows should be 1/4" deep for small
seeds, and 1/8" deep for tiny seeds. Larger seeds
can be poked
into the soil. To sow seeds evenly in the furrow, open the
packet of seeds and press the edges so the packet stays open.
Fold the middle to create a trough for the seeds within the packet. Hold the packet over the trough, and move it slowly while tapping it
with your finger to dispense the seeds evenly. To cover the
seeds pinch the furrows closed. If some seeds end up too close
together, use a pencil to spread them apart.
Watering
Once seeds have been sown, check the moisture daily. If dry, sprinkle the top gently, or use a gentle spray from a spray bottle, or better yet, water from the bottom with water at room temperature. Allow the water to soak up until the surface becomes moist, but not so heavily that the medium stays soggy. Aim for a constant, moderate degree of moisture.
Emergence
Emergence occurs as the baby plant breaks out of its seed coat, and the first stem rises from the soil. The first leaves are the so called seed leaves (cotyledons), which often bear little resemblance to the true plant leaves. Remove the clear plastic cover as soon as the seedlings start to emerge.
