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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Starting Garden Seeds Indoors...

It is almost that time of year!  The time of year where we can start thinking about what we are going to plant in our garden. 

This will be the fourth year that I have started my garden seed indoors.
Let me tell you, I have learned a lot from that first year!

I order all of my seed from Jung's.
I'm sure there are millions of other good places out there, but they have always treated me well. 
The first year I invested in some cell inserts and flats as well as some plant markers.

Always make sure to label.

I may have learned this the hard way.
I usually plant 2-3 different kinds of tomato plants and , after a while, all the plants start to look the same! 
I just fill each tray with dirt and somewhat pack it down, but you don't want it to be too firm.

You don't want the dirt to be too dry or too wet.  Sometimes it is fine straight out of the bag, but sometimes I will pour it into a bucket and add a bit of water to it and then mix it.

Then I take my pointer finger and poke a hole into each section.

Plant the seed and then cover it with dirt. 

Then LABEL!!!!

I typically like to start the seeds about the last week in March.

Then I put them in a warm and sunny location and watch them grow.
I have a sunroom which is perfect, but you can also set them in front of a window in your home.

Now, here is the trick.

You can buy the clear plastic lids to go over the trays, but I use plastic wrap.
Everyone has plastic wrap in their house, right?  Much cheaper.

Cover each flat with plastic wrap.  This will help the plants absorb heat and help the soil retain its moisture.



Once the seeds begin to sprout, you can remove the plastic wrap.

B feels that talking to them helps them grow... 

If your plants get too tall and it isn't time to transplant them yet, pinch them back to the bottom two leaves.  This will also make them stronger!









Note: I only start my broccoli, and tomatoes indoors.  Most seeds can be planted directly outdoors and will do fine, such as beets, radishes and green beans and therefore, I do not recommend starting indoors.  Make sure to check your labels.
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7 comments:

  1. Great tips...I'm not going to do anything with them, but I learned a lot. Love the plastic wrap tip!

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  2. I have yet to start plants indoors, mainly because I just don't have any extra room. Also a plant that looks strong inside usually gets clobbered by the wind out here. :) Your plants look great! I know I'm itching for spring planting too!

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  3. great tips....the plastic wrap is a good idea...

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  4. Ok, How many cherry tomato plants do you plant? Those dudes produce like 1000 little red tomatoes per plant don't they?????? Looks like lots of fun for the kids to watch. We have to put cans and buckets around our "stemmy" plants out here or the wind would just shred them to pieces. It's been crazy out here on the ridge ever since we came home from break. The wind just lulls me to sleep.....like right about now at 3:00 in the afternoon......zzzzzzz ;-)

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