Starting Seeds Indoors

Every month for the past year (with the exception of the holiday months) I have put together community gardening classes free of charge for the public.  Myself and other master gardeners who have been so kind as to teach or co-teach the classes, have brought a wealth of knowledge to the topics discussed.  For the month of January, I had my friend and master gardener, Fred Eldredge come and teach on how to start seeds under lights indoors.  It was an excellent class and we all enjoyed learning and getting our hands in the soil to plant seeds.  A fast cure to those winter blues!  We used soil blockers and large 2-inch plastic trays to plant our seeds.  If you haven't ever heard of soil blockers you can see what they look like here http://www.allsun.com.au/Blockers.html

They are an excellent and very economical way to start seeds.  I have had great success with them in the past year.  Here is a look at what my lights and seeds are like.

To make soil blocks, first mix a lot of water in with your potting soil or peat moss with a little osmocote to the consistency of oatmeal. Block the soil (water should come out of the top of the blocker) and place in tray to release blocks.  Plant the 2 or 3 seeds in each block and cover with soil according to package directions.

Cover with plastic wrap or a plastic dome and place in a warm sunny window seal  or other warm well lite area of the house.  Once the seeds have germinated, take off the cover and place under lights.

 I have set my lights up under storage wire shelves.  I am able to grow 6 trays with this set up (3 lights all together and about 28 soil blocks per tray).  That is a lot of plants!  I only have broccoli and celery growing now, but as the growing season gets closer I will start all my herbs, peppers and tomatoes under here too. 

As you continue to grow your plants under lights, it is very important to remember a few tips.

- keep the lights 1-2 inches above the actual seedlings

- water the tray for the soil blocks to absorb moisture from the bottom up

-only water when the tops of the soil blocks begin to dry out (too much water can cause fungus and disease problems)

-keep the lights on the plants 12-14 hours a day and a minimum of 8 hours of darkness. 

-fertilize plants every 2-3 weeks with a good organic product like fish emulsion.

-allow an oscilating fan to blow on the plants occasionally to strenghthen the root systems and harden off plants before putting them in the ground outside.  

Seeds that can be started now are:

broccoli

celery

spinach

lettuce

chard

kale

cabbage

perennial herbs

onions

leeks 

garlic

etc.

(any cold crops that are not considered to be in the root crop family)

Happy Gardening!