February is too early to start most seeds indoors but not too early to get organized and ready for planting in March-April.  Our growing season is too short for many plants like tomatoes, peppers, and many flowers to sow their seeds outdoors in the spring so we can get a jump start by starting them indoors and effectively extend the season. If we provide the right conditions of soil, light, and temperature our favorite plants can be ready to transplant in spring.  Buying our own seeds also lets us select the best varieties for local conditions (not what commercial sellers do!) and to save lots of money.  There is nothing more satisfying than seeing your own garden plants grow from seed to harvest so let’s get started.

What to Grow?  Easy, grow what you like!  You can always buy young plants later but if you really like certain varieties it’s best to start your own, at least for a few.  I think it’s worthwhile to start tomatoes, peppers, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, and some flowers because we have found certain varieties do better here and they’re easy to grow. For example, we really like Amish Paste, Sun Gold, and Juliet tomatoes.  King of the North sweet peppers produce well here and ripen in our short season.

We are limited by our short growing season of about 125 days between frosts (May 21 to Sept. 24) but we can extend the season by 6-8 weeks by starting seeds indoors.  If we start too early the plants may get too big or lanky for easy transplanting. Late March or early April works well for most plants.  Onions, petunias, and other slow growers need an early March start. 

Seed Starting Basics.  Seedlings need soil, moisture, warmth, and light.  The best medium for seedings is a good quality “starter mix” (not potting soil!) which is very light, porous, and drains well.  The best mixes are soilless with coir (coconut fiber), peat, vermiculite, compost, and other light materials that contain beneficial microbes and drain well to prevent growth of disease fungi. Seeds contain their own initial supply of nutrients so will not need fertilizing for the first couple weeks. The containers you use can be plastic (little pots, 6-packs, etc.), peat or cow pots, or homemade.  Remember to provide ample root space for growing seedlings (not egg cartons) and bottom trays for regular watering. If you start with very small containers or open trays you need less space but your seedlings will have to be “up planted” when they’ve outgrown their containers.

Warmth and light are essential for good plant growth.  I provide warmth with electric germination mats (available at local garden stores and online) because our house is too cool and germination will be better with a steady temperature of 75-80 F.  Mats may seem expensive ($25-30) but last many years and assure good seedling growth.  A worthwhile investment for every gardener.  South facing windows might seem adequate but cannot provide sufficient light intensity or hours of light in March or April.  Artificial lighting with a fluorescent or LED utility fixture over a plant growing table works well and you can use it for seed starting or indoor plants for many years.  Commercial light stands are very expensive but you can use online plans to build one from cheap PVC pipe.  Make it taller so you can raise the lights with the chains or lines as your plants grow but keep your light source very close to your seedlings, no more than 1-2 inches above the top leaves.  My stand (see image) accommodates up to 4 trays with germination mats under them.

Getting Started.  Here are a few tips to help make your seed starting more successful.  Before filling your containers, moisten the starter medium thoroughly so you don’t have to water for a week or more.  Fill each cell or container by gently packing the soil in with your fingertips and fill up level to the very top, leaving no depression or cavity on the surface.  Soil will gradually settle down and any depression helps fungi grow on the surface resulting in “damp off” disease.  If you keep your starting mix in a 5-gallon bucket you can fill each container inside the bucket, avoiding a mess of spilled soil. 

Use a small, pointed stick or pencil to make seed holes, following the package instructions for depth. Sow seeds, usually one, in the middle and gently tamp covering soil.  Once seeds are sown, label every container or pack.  When things get moved, up-planted, re-planted, etc. those labels will be critical.  Clear covers (see image) will hold in moisture and warmth but should be removed when half of the seeds have germinated.  Ideally, watering should be done from below with room temperature water, never pouring water onto tiny seedlings but pour into a bottom tray for absorption, bottom up. Leave enough time between waterings to allow the surface soil to be just dry.  Over-watering is the most common cause of seedling loss from damp off and root rot. (and house plant problems)  Remember that the warming mats will help the soil dry out quicker.

Food & Exercise.  Your seedlings will only need to be fed after they have grown their first “true leaves” that appear above the initial seed leaves (cotyledons) that emerged from the seed.  Liquid fertilizer such as fish emulsion/hydrolysate is best but any soluble plant food diluted to half strength will do.  Apply every 2 weeks until transplanting outside.  Exercise your seedlings with a fan or your gently sweeping hands 4-5 times a day after they are 3-4 inches tall.  Wind naturally exercises (flexes) plants to stimulate strong stems and a fan on low for 15-30 minutes twice a day will do the trick.  This exercising reduces thin, weak stems of indoors seedlings we often see. 

These are just the basics of seed starting.  Watching for fungal diseases (too wet), bugs, and nutritional deficiency (light colored leaves) will keep you busy caring for your plants and learning from them.  Expect some problems, failures even, but enjoy the successes of your own plants.  If you have different ideas, please let me know!