From Seed to Garden
by Kim Tilley
http://www.frugal-moms.com/

You've bought your seeds, and want to get started, but how to do get them ready for the garden?

The journey from seed to garden is a profound one, and great fun to watch. With a little bit of patience and observation, you'll see the miracle of life unfold before you in a few weeks. This is great to include the kids in! 

Indoor Seed Starting

Seeds can be started in your home before gardening season. Here in Illinois, depending on what I'm planting, I usually start my seeds in March and April. Planting season here is sometime in May. Check your gardening zone for your "last frost date"- this will show you when it's safe to start a garden without it freezing. To be safe, add two weeks to that date. Here are some guidelines for seed starting inside: 

Seed Starting Time

How long will it take your seeds to sprout? How long will it be before you can place the seedlings in the garden? All of this information is found on the back of your seed packets. Peppers and tomatoes are generally started 6-8 weeks before your last frost date (this info is easy to find out once you know your gardening zone). Large seeds like sunflowers, squashes, and morning glories can be started 2-4 weeks before putting into the garden. Beans and peas should be sown directly into the garden. Flowers can be started any time during the spring, both indoors and out in the garden. 

Containers

You can start them in any plastic container (the little greenhouse-type flats you get in the store work well too.) I have used baby wipe containers, plastic and paper cups, yogurt cups and once I used egg cartons (too small). The ideal setup is to poke some holes in the bottom of these containers and place a plate or tray underneath. The growing seedlings can then be watered from the bottom, which is much easier on the plants. 

Jiffy Mix

Fill your containers with some "Jiffy mix" (seed starting medium, not the corn muffin mix!) from your local garden center. Dampen the mix before putting your seeds in. You can make your own mix later to save money, but start easy, and work your way up to the more complicated stuff! 

Sterile Environment

Seedlings have a tendency to "dampen off". Dampening off is caused by a fungi in the soil. That is why you should always buy sterilized seed starting medium and use sterilized, clean containers. Be sure to plant extra seeds too, losing a few to dampening off is inevitable, unfortunately! 

Seed Depth

Check the back of the package for what kinds of conditions your seeds will need to sprout in. Most seeds need to sprout in darkness, but some sprout only in light on top of the soil/Jiffy mix. You also want to be sure you are placing them at the correct depth in the seed starting mix. A good rule of thumb: sow the seed twice as deep as the thickness of the seed. The larger the seed, the deeper they can be sown, but never more than 1/4-1/2 inch beneath the soil in your containers. 

Cover it Up

Once you've planted the seeds, wrap the containers in plastic wrap tp keep in moisture. When you see the seedlings popping up through the soil, take off the cover, set the seedlings in the light (south facing windows do fine, just be sure the seedlings don't get sunburn!). 

Seedling Care

The first things you'll see when your seedlings sprout are seedling leaves, don't be disappointed if they don't look like the picture on the seed packet! The second set of leaves called "true leaves" will soon appear, looking much more like the plant you are trying to grow.

Water the seedlings from the bottom, daily at first, gradually weaning them to twice a week as they get bigger. Since they are sitting in the sunlight, keep an eye on them to be sure that the soil/Jiffy mix does not dry out. 

Transplanting

Your seedlings will eventually outgrow their containers, so be sure to have bigger ones on hand. Transplant your seedlings to new containers with extreme care. Their tiny root systems are very fragile.

Why transplant to bigger pots? The last thing you want is a plant that becomes "root bound"- where its roots grow in a circle at the bottom of the pot because it has run out of room. Potbound plants never grow as well as their well-tended counterparts. 

Hardening off

Once your frost date has passed, it's time to get your seedlings ready for their new home outside. This process is called hardening off, because you are getting the plants ready for the harsher, outdoor conditions of wind and sun.

I like to start by moving my plants out to my porch and deck for an hour or two each day. I extend this time a little every day until they are outside all of the time. It helps to get them accustomed to the same conditions they will face in the garden. A north facing porch will not prepare them for the intense sun of a south-facing garden.

Some people also use cold frames to harden off their plants and to extend their harvests. These are wooden boxes with a window on top, and can be made from scrap wood and old windows easily. You stick the plants in their containers in the box, opening the window lid a little to vent the heat out. A great book to learn more about cold frames is The Four Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman. 

Planting

This big day has finally come! Here are a few things to keep in mind as you plant:

-Protect your seedlings from animals. You can fence your garden in with vinyl-coating gardening fence that will last for years, or you can use chicken wire, or even nylon netting. The netting will keep the birds away because they don't like to get their feet caught in it. I like to use the vinyl-coating fencing- it keeps the rabbits out, which are abundant here. If you have big pests, such as deer, you may have to be more radical. Some people with deer problems put 6-ft tall fences around their gardens. Others simply plant extra for the deer.

-Water your seedlings immediately after planting and daily for the first week. Then wean them down to once a week waterings. If you live in very dry climates, you may need to water them twice a week.

-Mulch your seedlings to avoid competition from weeds and to keep the moisture in. Grass clippings work fine. 

Outside Seed Starting

You can also plant seeds directly in your garden after your last frost date. Seeds started outside are usually hardier than their indoor counterparts, but at a cost- lots of animals would like to feast on them before they even sprout, or soon afterwards. Be sure to protect the seeds from birds and other uninvited garden guests by covering them with nylon netting.

Check the depth that your seeds need to be planted in, sow them accordingly, and water frequently. You don't want the seeds to dry out or they won't sprout.

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