Start seeds of cool season vegetables and flowers
It is so much fun and rewarding to see the plants come up from the seeds that you plant. So give it a try for this season. There are many good websites out there for starting seeds, so you can do some research. I will not reinvent the wheel and give you how to do steps but just some advise.
1.Many, many different containers out there for starting seeds, just try one that you think is easy and where it will fit your growing area.
2. You will need sun shine to start the germination process. You will need to know if the seeds you are starting need to have light to germinate and if so you will put on top of the soil, or if you can put them in the potting mixture for them to germinate which would be the seed needs dark.
3. Don't start too early. Please count back from the days that you would set out the plants to the time it takes to grow them. Even though you would want to put tomatoes out in April or early May you will have to make sure that there is no more frost. On the average our last date of a frost in May 15th, so you should use that as a guide line date to be able to set them out. Ground, air temperature needs to be all right and then they will grow.
4. During the growing process sometimes the best is at night, is to have the temperature cool. Not many seed starting websites will tell you this, but I have learned over the 30 years of starting seeds, but you need the temperature to be cool. 45-50 degrees. During this cool down period, that is when the stock will get thick and be able to be transplanted out and not get lanky like the ones that grow too quickly tall because of the heat. I highlighted this step because it is really important. As I have learned the hard way.
5. Damping off is another problem with seed starting. So make sure Avoid "damping off" trouble. If your seedlings suddenly collapse and die, one of the fungal diseases called "damping off" or "seed and seedling rot" may be to blame. In one type of damping off, the seedling's stem collapses at or near the soil surface; in another type, the seedling rots before it emerges from the soil, or the seed decays before it even sprouts. To prevent these problems, use pasteurized potting mix and new or thoroughly washed and disinfected containers. Take care not to overwater seedlings; be sure to provide good air circulation and ventilation, so tops of seedlings stay dry and standing moisture is kept to a minimum. Thinning seedlings to eliminate crowding is also helpful.
Don't let all of this scare you off from trying because there is so much reward is seeing a small seed grow up to become a plant. I get lots of rewards from seeing it myself. It is a time to see the miracle of God's growing plants, called FAITH. Till next time, this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty
It is so much fun and rewarding to see the plants come up from the seeds that you plant. So give it a try for this season. There are many good websites out there for starting seeds, so you can do some research. I will not reinvent the wheel and give you how to do steps but just some advise.
1.Many, many different containers out there for starting seeds, just try one that you think is easy and where it will fit your growing area.
2. You will need sun shine to start the germination process. You will need to know if the seeds you are starting need to have light to germinate and if so you will put on top of the soil, or if you can put them in the potting mixture for them to germinate which would be the seed needs dark.
3. Don't start too early. Please count back from the days that you would set out the plants to the time it takes to grow them. Even though you would want to put tomatoes out in April or early May you will have to make sure that there is no more frost. On the average our last date of a frost in May 15th, so you should use that as a guide line date to be able to set them out. Ground, air temperature needs to be all right and then they will grow.
4. During the growing process sometimes the best is at night, is to have the temperature cool. Not many seed starting websites will tell you this, but I have learned over the 30 years of starting seeds, but you need the temperature to be cool. 45-50 degrees. During this cool down period, that is when the stock will get thick and be able to be transplanted out and not get lanky like the ones that grow too quickly tall because of the heat. I highlighted this step because it is really important. As I have learned the hard way.
5. Damping off is another problem with seed starting. So make sure Avoid "damping off" trouble. If your seedlings suddenly collapse and die, one of the fungal diseases called "damping off" or "seed and seedling rot" may be to blame. In one type of damping off, the seedling's stem collapses at or near the soil surface; in another type, the seedling rots before it emerges from the soil, or the seed decays before it even sprouts. To prevent these problems, use pasteurized potting mix and new or thoroughly washed and disinfected containers. Take care not to overwater seedlings; be sure to provide good air circulation and ventilation, so tops of seedlings stay dry and standing moisture is kept to a minimum. Thinning seedlings to eliminate crowding is also helpful.
Don't let all of this scare you off from trying because there is so much reward is seeing a small seed grow up to become a plant. I get lots of rewards from seeing it myself. It is a time to see the miracle of God's growing plants, called FAITH. Till next time, this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty
