Planting Indoors

Starting plants from seed is a great, inexpensive way to grow the plants you want. It is also a great educational experience for children (or anyone) wanting to learn how things grow. Starting seeds indoors requires almost the same basic elements as growing plants outdoors: Seeds, Soil, Water, Temperature, and Light.

Lets begin with seed. You can purchase your seeds from a store, off the internet, or trade with fellow gardeners. Start with one or two varieties. You will be limited by the amount of space you have to devote to seeds.

Soil. There are several opinions on what soil to use...whether it be special seeding soil, compost, etc. I use special seeding soil. With the reasons being, it is made to be free of weeds or disease. You can also make seeding soil from potting soil by placing it in the oven for 15-20 minutes to kill any weed seeds or disease.

Containers.You can use several containers specially made for starting seeds which can be purchased at a retail store or through the internet. You can use just about any container...just make sure it has been washed thoroughly. Some inexpensive options are cardboard egg cartons, making pots from newspaper or toilet paper rolls. You can also purchase peat pellets which expand when wet, and is also handy for placing into the garden without disturbing the plant.

Light. Seedlings require bright light immediately after germination. Try placing your seeds in a Southern window. This will allow the plants to get the most sunlight. Another option is to purchase special grow lights. Special grow lights are suitable, but more expensive. The lights should be no more than 6 inches above the top of the seedlings. Mount the light fixture so it can be raised as the plants grow in height. Day-length requirements vary with different plants. Petunia, snapdragon, phlox and China aster require short daylight periods of 10 to 12 hours. However, most plants that are started from seed benefit from 16 to 18 hours of light.

Temperature. Keep seedlings in a well-ventilated, cool location. The temperatures should be 55 to 60 degrees F at night and 65 to 70 degrees F during the day. These temperatures encourage compact, bushy, vigorous growth while minimizing disease.

When to plant your seeds indoors
Whether you're planting indoors or out, determine the last frost date for your area.  If you don't know the average date of the last frost for your area you can look it up in the Farmers Almanac, or your local extension agent. Other options are looking it up on the internet, or asking fellow gardeners. Normally you will want to start your plants 4-8 weeks before that last frost date.

Now, to begin...place the soil into your containers (or wet the peat pots with luke warm water) to within 1/4" of the top. You can either make a furrow, or use your finger (or pencil, etc) to poke the seeds down a bit. A general rule is for the seeds to be covered by dirt aproximately twice the thickness of the seed.   Say you have a kernel of corn that is about 1/4", it would need to be covered by approximately 1/2" of dirt. It you have very tiny seeds, such as catnip, marjoram, thyme, then they will just need to be lightly tapped into the soil.

Once you have your seeds planted, make sure they are marked, so you remember what they are. I use the seed packet or a plastic re-usable stake. You will want to water the seeds from below. If you water them from the top, you have a chance of loosening the seeds or washing them away. Bottom watering also encourages the roots to grow deep. You can use a mister for the top, in addition to watering from the bottom, but it is not necessary. Place a plastic or glass top over the seeds to help retain heat and moisture.

When you begin to see the seeds germinating, vent the top slightly or there is a chance that the excess moisture will grow into mold. Once the plants have emerged, you can take the top off entirely.

If you have sown too many seeds, you can begin to thin them by carefully transplanting them to another pot, or pull them out. When they are growing too closely together, they both fight for food, and neither plant will do as well as it should.  Once the seeds have germinated, you will see two seed leaves or cotyledons. Eventually, these seed leaves will wither. Next, true leaves will form. These true leave look like the plant's typical leaves. Transplant the seedlings to individual containers once the first set of true leaves appear.

Since the seed starting medium is not particularly fertile, a good but weak, mixture of fertilizer can be added to the watering schedule after the plants emerge. Apply a liquid fertilizer high in phosphorous weekly. Fertilizer with a 1-2-1, N-P-K ratio is recommended. Dilute fertilizer 1/4 to 1/2 the label's recommended strength and apply sparingly. Always use a liquid form of fertilizer.

You can now begin to expose the seeds a little at a time to more light and cooler temperatures. This is called the hardening off period. Plants grown indoors must be gradually introduced to outdoor conditions. If seedlings are not hardened off, leaves may be burned by the intensity of the sun or damaged by wind. Acclimate plants by first placing them in a cool, protected location, such as a porch. This first step in hardening off allows plants to adjust to outdoor temperatures. After 7 to 10 days, move seedlings into a shaded area of the garden for 2 to 3 days. This will prevent sunscald. Finally, hardened seedlings can be planted directly into the garden as weather permits. Planting on a cloudy day or late in the evening will help plants ease into the transition and help prevent shock.