Starting Vegetable Transplants

BY TONY GLOVER

February may not seem like a month to start a garden but for those adventurous souls who want to grow their own vegetable or flower transplants from seed, it is the time to get started. The keys to starting plants from seed are: good quality seed, adequate light, correct temperature, good seed starting soil mixture, correct watering and proper fertilization.

Ideally, natural light is the best and least expensive light source, but if you don’t have a greenhouse or a south facing window with good light you may need artificial lighting. There are several different light sources that can work well, but it probably comes down to cost for small-scale setups. I have had good success with fluorescent grow lights. The grow lights provide the full spectrum of light for good plant growth. The key to success is keeping the light very close to the plants. Place the light fixture on a chain that can be raised as the plant gets taller. The light should be within two to four inches of the top of the plant.

The soil temperature is very important to the germination of seeds and different species have different optimum germination temperatures. Extension has a publication with a list of seed germination temperatures. Visit our website at www.aces.edu and search for publication ANR 1061. The air temperature also impacts growth once the seed have germinated. When they are young, the air temperature of most homes is good, but as the plants get larger they need to be toughened up by exposing them to cooler temperatures. This can be done by moving them outdoors on warmer days and placing them in an unheated garage or utility room on nights with cool but not freezing temperatures.

I mentioned the need for good soil, but actually it is best to start seed using a soilless seed starting mix. If you use garden soil, the chance for seedling diseases is very high and it’s almost impossible to have the proper drainage. Your local Quality Alabama Farmers Co-op store will have a seed starting media made up mostly of peat moss. These seed starting medium will be sterile, well-drained, and will allow for good water and nutrient retention. Some starting mixes have a small amount of fertilizer, but additional fertilizer will be needed for good growth. I like to use a liquid or soluble fertilizer with the three major nutrients (20-20-20) plus microelements. For seedlings, I usually use about half of the recommended garden mixture rate especially when the plants are small.

Watering the plants appropriately may seem like the easiest thing to manage, but it can be the quickest way to complete failure. A good medium will not only hold water but also drain well. That means you can easily keep the plants too wet or too dry if not monitored frequently. Constant monitoring is needed to avoid these extremes. However, as the plants become more mature, you can use the water management to help toughen the plants up. Gradually allow them to get drier between waterings to the point of slightly wilting without reaching the permanent wilting point. This can make the plants both better adapted to outdoors and control excessive stretching and spindly growth.

After reading all this, you may be wondering why I grow transplants at all when I can buy them already large enough to plant out in the garden. I do both, and the main reason I grow some of the plants myself is to try new varieties that are not readily available as transplants. For an advanced gardener, it is another challenge and it gives us something to do in the bleak winter days which give us hope that spring is coming soon.

Grow lights

Young plants