How to Start Your Vegetable Garden From Seeds

Starting a vegetable garden can be a satisfying experience, whether you buy the vegetable plants from a greenhouse and plant them straight into the garden or start your vegetable garden indoors from seeds. Starting your vegetable garden from seeds can save you money, but it involves some effort and planning. Seeds usually need to be started indoors about 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost. So now is the time to start planting your vegetable seeds!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Seed starter trays
• Seed starter potting mix
• Water
• Seed packets
• Markers
• Fertilizer
• Plastic spoon

1. Read the planting information on the vegetable seed packets; it will tell you how long it takes to germinate, how deep to sow the seeds, when to start the seeds and a lot more. Sort your vegetable seeds according to length of germination. Results are better if you plant seeds with similar germination times in the same tray.

2. Start your seeds in a seed starter tray. Seed starter trays are plastic trays that can be bought at your local nursery, from seed catalogs or your local department(‘Mart) store. The trays measure 11 x 21.75 x 2.44 inches, and are available with or without drainage holes. They usually come with a clear plastic humidity dome. If you wish to save money, you may use an old cake pan or other similar tray for your starter tray.

3. Fill your tray with seed starter potting mix. Fill the tray with the starter mix to about 1 inch from the rim of the tray, and add water. If your tray has drainage holes, the best way to wet the soil is by placing the tray in another tray containing water and let the potting mix soak up the water. If your tray doesn’t have drainage holes, wet the soil, but be careful not to make it over-wet. Starter mix should be kept moist but not soaking wet since too much moisture will cause rot to occur.

4. Plant the seeds according to the depth recommended on the packets. Plant the seeds in rows, using markers to label what type of seeds you have planted.

5. Place the clear plastic humidity dome on top of your tray, this helps with the germination of your vegetable seeds. If you don’t have a humidity dome, placing plastic wrap over your tray will also work.

6. Place the tray in a sunny location, or if none, place under a fluorescent light.

7. Once the seeds have germinated (which may be from 4 to 10 days or more), you need to remove the humidity dome from the tray.

8. The cotyledons are the first “leaves” that you will see; these are not true leaves, but are the "seed leaves" that contain the stored food reserves of the seed. They will eventually wither up and fall off of the plant. The next two leaves that appear are true leaves. Once they appear, it is time to fertilize your plants. Use a weak solution of liquid fertilizer on your plants about once per week.

9. Once you have about two sets of leaves, it’s time to transplant your vegetable plants to individual pots. To do this, you should first water the plants, as this helps prevent shock.

10. Transplant each plant by gently scooping it up with a plastic spoon. Make sure you don’t hurt its roots in the process. Place each plant in its individual pot, and gently plant. Water lightly.

11. Continue to fertilize and water the plants when needed until it’s time to harden them off and plant them in the garden.

[evgnspaces]

on 6/12/2009 Starting vegetable garden seeds 8 weeks before the spring is such a nice way to get ready for outdoors.

[consignmentchic]

on 3/17/2009 Very insightful article full of information on how to do this correctly! THANKS! 5** Recommended ya!