Growing plants from seed varies greatly from getting pre-established plants from the store. There is a reason why many people overpass this step and go right to the Garden section of Home Depot or Lowes- seedlings can be tricky! But, a much cheaper option in the long run and you can be sure for certain that you are growing organic, non GMO plants. For these reasons, and due to the amount of vegetables we grow, this was really the best option for us.
If you have never grown seedlings from start to finish, you may not know what to expect in the process. There are so many sources of information and advice out there that it can be a bit overwhelming. Here are some basic rules some things you should expect if planning on growing from seed. All of this comes from personal experience I have learned through trial and error the past few years.
If you have never grown seedlings from start to finish, you may not know what to expect in the process. There are so many sources of information and advice out there that it can be a bit overwhelming. Here are some basic rules some things you should expect if planning on growing from seed. All of this comes from personal experience I have learned through trial and error the past few years.
1. LIGHT!
I cannot stress enough the importance of a good light source. My first year, I put seedlings on a table near my best window. I thought this would be adequate. Not so! Perhaps if I had a good South facing window, but it faced East and only got direct sunlight for part of the day. The result was stringy, leggy seedlings. They grew this way to stretch themselves as much as possible towards the light. After a while, they were so leggy that they simply fell over and never recovered. I had to replant the whole lot all over again. This year and part of last, we have had plants in the greenhouse. Even a cloudy day in the greenhouse is better than the sunniest of days for the plants inside near the window. Not one plant has had to be removed this year due to legginess. What an improvement! Trial and errors, people. Live and learn. And I am learning! Plants are squat, strong and healthy.
2: TIME
Seedlings take a while to become established plants, and not all of them grow at the same pace. Some plants will need months of care before they become the healthy plants you might pick up at the store. This includes varying germination periods before plants even appear. It can be easy to assume that the seeds did not work and replant after a time. But be patient! Some plants need up to 3 weeks or so before they emerge from the soil- especially plants with waxy seeds such as peppers and eggplants. Pay attention to germination times and recommended planting dates on seed packages. Set up a schedule ahead of time, so that you know when each plant should be started. Surprisingly, it may need to be as early as February. In the end, it will mean lots of plants ready to go in the ground at the proper time. Check planting zones and last expected frost dates before putting your precious plants in the ground! There is nothing sadder than loosing these little babies to a night frost because you put them in the ground too soon. Gardening, it seems, to be all about patience. Patience for the seeds to emerge, patience to see which seedling will be the strongest, patience for months providing constant watering and light, and finally patience before putting it in the ground.
3. THINNING
I don't know about anyone else, but after all the time and care I put into my seedlings, I get sad when it is time to thin them. It makes me sad to kill some of the plants I so lovingly coxed out of the soil- but alas, it must be done. As plants grow, they need more nutrients from the soil and room for their root structures to grow. One strong plant should be aloud to remain in each cell or else they may choke each other out. So which little seedlings get the boot? This is sometimes hard to decide, other times it is obvious. The strongest and healthiest of seedlings should remain. I usually wait to thin until after multiple tertiary leaves have emerged. This is often a better indicator of the plant's vigor than hight (a mistake I made in past years). When plants emerge, they open with only 2 primary leaves. Tertiary leaves appear later and only if the plant is healthy and receives enough light. Tertiary (coming from the Latin word for third) leaves have the shape of the final plant. Until this point, it may be hard to tell certain varieties of plants from each other as primary leaves don't have the same shape. After tertiary leaves appear, sometimes the primary leaves shrivel off and die. Don't be alarmed, this is normal. They have served their purpose and now there are better more established leaves available to do their job. The plant with the most healthy tertiary leaves at the time of thinning is often the winner.
Seedlings take a while to become established plants, and not all of them grow at the same pace. Some plants will need months of care before they become the healthy plants you might pick up at the store. This includes varying germination periods before plants even appear. It can be easy to assume that the seeds did not work and replant after a time. But be patient! Some plants need up to 3 weeks or so before they emerge from the soil- especially plants with waxy seeds such as peppers and eggplants. Pay attention to germination times and recommended planting dates on seed packages. Set up a schedule ahead of time, so that you know when each plant should be started. Surprisingly, it may need to be as early as February. In the end, it will mean lots of plants ready to go in the ground at the proper time. Check planting zones and last expected frost dates before putting your precious plants in the ground! There is nothing sadder than loosing these little babies to a night frost because you put them in the ground too soon. Gardening, it seems, to be all about patience. Patience for the seeds to emerge, patience to see which seedling will be the strongest, patience for months providing constant watering and light, and finally patience before putting it in the ground.
3. THINNING
I don't know about anyone else, but after all the time and care I put into my seedlings, I get sad when it is time to thin them. It makes me sad to kill some of the plants I so lovingly coxed out of the soil- but alas, it must be done. As plants grow, they need more nutrients from the soil and room for their root structures to grow. One strong plant should be aloud to remain in each cell or else they may choke each other out. So which little seedlings get the boot? This is sometimes hard to decide, other times it is obvious. The strongest and healthiest of seedlings should remain. I usually wait to thin until after multiple tertiary leaves have emerged. This is often a better indicator of the plant's vigor than hight (a mistake I made in past years). When plants emerge, they open with only 2 primary leaves. Tertiary leaves appear later and only if the plant is healthy and receives enough light. Tertiary (coming from the Latin word for third) leaves have the shape of the final plant. Until this point, it may be hard to tell certain varieties of plants from each other as primary leaves don't have the same shape. After tertiary leaves appear, sometimes the primary leaves shrivel off and die. Don't be alarmed, this is normal. They have served their purpose and now there are better more established leaves available to do their job. The plant with the most healthy tertiary leaves at the time of thinning is often the winner.