Starting Veggie Seeds I
t is so exciting to see young pepper, eggplant, and tomato seeds burst open and break ground over the cold, snowy, icy winter days we have had lately. Just a reminder that April is coming up soon, and warm season vegetables will start flying off the shelves and into our garden soils. Instead of buying plants of these vegetables, I enjoy growing my own transplants. It is always fun to try varieties that may not be available in local garden departments. However, some of the varieties do not always pass the taste test nor do they pass the Alabama summer humidity test. It may not be a money saver if you only plant a few plants each year. It is also a good bit of work, but with a little preparation, it is easy to produce good quality vegetable transplants indoors if you are not lucky enough to have a greenhouse. Once you have obtained your seeds, it’s time to pick out a growing container. Wooden flats and plastic trays are recommended if you want to start a large number of seedlings in a limited work area because they take up less space than individual pots do. When using these types of trays, seeds are not planted into individual cells so they will need to be divided later and potted into separate pots once they have a few true leaves. Seed trays are available at garden stores as well, typically black plastic trays with cell inserts. There are also biodegradable peat type pots available for starting seeds. Many containers can be found around the house – yogurt containers, disposable cups, fast food salad containers, egg cartons –lots of choices. Just make sure that any container that is used has drainage holes so excess water can run off. Fill the container with a sterile, potting mix to get the seedlings off to a good start. Garden soils are not sterile nor should 18 Lake Martin Living
