Starting Vegetables

Starting Vegetables

TIMING:

Timing is critical for growing good transplants. Check the included table that follows for the number of weeks that it takes to produce transplants. Use that number to "count back" and establish a seeding date. For example, frost tolerant plants may be set into the garden March 15 30 along the Wasatch front. Susceptible plants shouldn't be planted until May. Use frost dates for your area and seed at the proper time.

PLANTING MIX:

The right soil or soilless mix to start seeds is critical for growing quality transplants. The best soil for starting seeds is loose, well drained, fine-textured, and low in nutrients. To prepare a soil having these properties, blend equal parts sand, vermiculite or perlite, and peat moss. For small amounts purchase a ready made soilless mix suitable for starting seeds.

Homemade mixes that contain garden soil must be sterilized to prevent seedling damping off caused by fungal diseases. Moisten the mix so it is suitable for seed germination. Place in a shallow pan and bake at 175F degrees for 30 45 minutes. Turn off heat and wait until oven cools to remove soil. This produces odors.

PREPARING TO PLANT:

Fill containers with moistened soil mix. A 4 inch flower pot may be planted with 18 to 20 seeds. Cover large seeds with 1/4 inch of planting medium. Press them into the germination mix. After seeding, place containers in a shallow pan of water to soak the mix completely. Label all containers.

Place a sheet of polyethylene plastic over the seeded containers. Set them where they can be kept between 60 and 70F degrees unless otherwise specified. The containers need no further water until after the seeds have germinated. Never put plastic-covered containers in direct sunlight. A heat build-up under the plastic could kill emerging seedlings.

Peat pots or Jiffy 7's are useful for cucumbers, muskmelons, and watermelons. Those plants transplant poorly if roots are damaged. Soak the Jiffy 7's in warm water so they swell to full size. Plant two or three seeds in each pellet and cover with plastic as above. often more difficult than buying a mix.

RAISING SEEDLINGS:

As soon as the seeds germinate, remove the plastic sheeting and place the seedlings in the light.

Many gardeners supply light by placing the containers on a window sill. This is usually unsatisfactory. Light on a window sill comes from only one direction, and the period of strong daylight varies from day to day. In addition, the air surrounding plants on a window sill is too dry and the temperature is too high.

For best results, grow seedlings under closely controlled lighting conditions. A cold frame is sufficient for many annuals. Indoors, fluorescent light on a timer placed right above seedlings is adequate. See chart for number of hours required.

After initial germination, expose seedlings to lower temperatures (55oF at night and 65 68oF days) for husky development. Spindly plants are caused by too little light, high temperatures, and lack of fertility.

HARDENING OFF:

About 10 days before transplanting in the garden, gradually expose plants to cooler temperatures and slightly less water. Protect the plants from freezing and wind.

A stocky transplant with dark green color should be the final product. Water with a complete, soluble fertilizer the day before transplanting, Water with the same mix when plants are set in the garden,.

WATERING AND FERTILIZING:

After the plastic is removed from the container, the new plants must be watered frequently and they must be fertilized. You can do both of these jobs at one time by using a solution made by mixing one tablespoon of soluble fertilizer in one gallon of water. When you use this solution, moisten the soil thoroughly. Be careful not to wash out the seedlings when you water them. To avoid this, use a hand mister or pump aerosol (available from garden stores) to apply the solution as a fine mist.

If you do not have a mister, place the solution in a container and place the pots or flats in the solution. This waters the plants from the bottom. Remove pots or flats as soon as the soil is thoroughly moist and allow excess water to drain away.

TRANSPLANTING:

When seedlings develop two true leaves, thin those which are in individual pots to one seedling per pot. Transplant those in flats to cell packs or other flats to provide more space for them to grow.

Using a knife or spatula, dig deeply under the seedlings in the flats and lift out a group of the plants all at once. Let the group of seedlings fall apart and pick out individual plants from the group. Handle the seedlings by the leaves; don't pinch the stem.

Set the seedling in new flats that contain a similar soil mixture. Space the seedlings about one and one-half inches apart in the flats. Continue watering and fertilizing the plants until time for setting them out.

DAMPING OFF:

Damping-off causes seeds to rot, and seedlings to collapse and die. The disease is carried in soil and on planting containers and tools. Soil moisture and temperatures necessary for germination of seeds also are ideal for development of damping-off.

Once the disease appears in a seeding flat, it travels quickly through the flat and kills all the seedlings. It can be prevented before planting by treating the seed with a fungicide and sterilizing the soil and containers.

Treat seeds with captan. Tear off the corner of the seed packet and, through the hole in the packet, insert about as much fungicide as will stay on the flat end of a toothpick. Close the hole by folding over the corner of the packet, then shake the seeds thoroughly to coat them with the fungicide dust. Be sure to follow the label on the fungicide carefully. Use a pasteurized mix or some soilless mix for starting all seeds.