STARTING VEGGIE SEEDS

It 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

Get an early start on your vegetable garden

they be used as a potting media. The easiest thing to do is purchase a bag of a pre-mixed potting mix. These are composed of vermiculite, perlite and peat moss. These mixes are suitable for long term transplant production (4 to 10 weeks).

Note that this is not potting soil, but a potting mix. If you would like, you can also mix up your own potting soil with peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite. Potting mixes for planting seeds generally do not contain fertilizers. It will be many weeks before the seedling planted has roots to take up nutrients.

Before you fill your containers with the potting mix, thoroughly wet the potting mix. It is easier to do this in a large container like a 5-gallon bucket.

Potting mixes are hard to water when they are completely dry. It is likely that the water will run out of the bottom of the container if you try to wet the potting mix after it is in the container. Wet the mix so that a bit of water drips out when you squeeze the mix in your fist. Fill the containers with the moistened potting mix. Make a small indention in the top of the mix with a pencil or other implement. Plant seeds about two to three times their width. Cover with mix and tamp down gently. Better seed-to-soil contact speeds up germination. You may wish to plant more than one seed per pot to ensure a seed germinates. These can be thinned down to one plant per pot once they have germinated and grown a week or so. Once containers are planted, use plastic wrap to cover the flats. This will hold in the moisture and create a humid environment for germination. Spring Is Coming Seed starting Get ready for spring kits come with now with a Tallapoosa a clear dome lid County Extension seed that does the starting workshop. same thing. Use

your imagination, plastic cola bottles can be cut in half to create a clear dome lid as well. Keep the lid on the tray until the seeds have germinated. You will not need to water again until germination because the clear lids (plastic wrap) keep the water from evaporating.

The growing area must be warm. Generally, the air temperature should be between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit at night and 70 and 75 degrees F during the day. Soil temperature is dependent on crop being grown and is very important. Soils that are not warm enough result in poor germination and sickly plants. For example, the best soil temperatures for eggplant germination and growth is 75 – 90 degrees F.

Heating mats are available that keep soils warm while the seeds are germinated. The top of the refrigerator is a good place GARDEN TALK to keep germinating seeds, but will not keep the potting mix temperatures evenly warm. Keep seedlings away from cold windows or drafts from air vents. Once seedlings have germinated, remove the wrap or plastic dome and subject the seedlings to light.

Often warm, sunny windows are not enough for young plants. They become very tall and spindly. South-facing sunrooms make great locations for Dani Carroll seedlings. Fluorescent and grow lights can also be used. A fixture containing two 40-watt, cool-white fluorescent or growlight tubes spaced 3 to 4 inches apart is sufficient. Place seedlings about 2 to 3 inches from the tubes, and leave the light on for 16 to 18 hours each day. Raise the lights as the plants grow to prevent leaf burn as the plants grow.

Keep an eye out on the media as it will dry out quickly. Water as necessary without letting the soil dry out. About two weeks after the seedlings emerge, the plants will need fertilizer. Water soluble fertilizers work well. Dilute the fertilizer to only 1/4 to 1/5 of the recommended amount and apply once a week.

The size of the container may be very small, and if the seedlings are planted From seed to sprout Top Left: Buying seed and trying new varieties too early, they may need to be repotted into a larger container before being of vegetables and planted outside. flowers makes gardening Don’t forget to harden fun; Middle: Seed the transplants off before starting greenhouse planting them in your kits that use expanding peat pellets are an easy way to grow transplants; Bottom: A light source of 16 to 18 hours per garden. Over a two week period, set the plants outside in partial shade to receive lower temperatures day is required to grow during the day, and then healthy and sturdy bring them back in at night. tomato transplants Increase the amount of indoors. time each day the plants

are outside and subject to the full sun. In case of frost or cold weather, be sure and bring the transplants in.

While gardens are still full of cool season vegetables now and the next couple of months, it will be tomato season before you know it.

For help on other home and garden questions, contact your local county Extension office or visit us at www.aces.edu.

Homegrown Goodness

Right: Sowing seeds at an Extension workshop brings excitement and anticipation of another gardening season; Below: In a few weeks, these home grown pepper plants will be moved outside to the spring vegetable garden.

~ Dani Carroll is a Regional Extension Agent for Home Horticulture serving East Central Alabama.

Seed Starting Workshop

Alabama Extension will host a seed starting workshop on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Zazu’s Verandah in Dadeville. Participants will choose varieties and start their own trays to take home. Emphasis will be on starting tomato seeds and growing various transplants for the spring garden. Cost for the workshop is $10 per person to cover supplies. Contact the Tallapoosa County Extension office at 256-825-1050 to register.