Make Your Seed to Garden
1. Choose the right containers
You can start seeds in almost any type of container, as long as itās at least 2-3 ā deep and has some drainage holes. If you love to DIY by yourself, you might start growing seedlings in yogurt cups, milk cartons or even a paper cup.
2. The āpotting soilā
Choose the potting soil thatās made for growing seedlings.
NOTE: Do not use soil from your garden or re-use potting soil from your houseplants. Start with a fresh, sterile mix that will ensure healthy, disease-free seedlings.
3. Planting
Some of the small ones can be sprinkled right on the soil surface. Larger seeds will need to be buried. After planting seeds, you have to moisten the newly planted seeds. To speed up germination, cover the pots with wet paper or a plastic dome. This helps keep the seeds moist before they germinate. When you see the first signs of green, you have to remove the cover.
4. Watering, feeding, repeating
As the seedlings grow up, you have to keep the soil moist but not soggy. Let the soil dry slightly between waterings.Ā Remember to feed the seedlings regularly withĀ liquid fertilizer.
5. Light
SeedsĀ need a lot of light. Set the lights on aĀ timerĀ for 15 hours a day. If youāre growing in a window, choose a south-facing exposure. Rotate the pots regularly to keep plants from leaning into the light. If youāre growing under lights, adjust them so theyāre just a few inches above the tops of the seedlings.Ā Keep in mind that seedlings need darkness, too, so they can rest. As the seedlings grow taller, raise the lights.
6. Move to outdoorsĀ
Itās not a good idea to move your seedlings directly from the protected environment of your home into the garden. Youāve been coddling these seedlings for weeks, so they need a gradual transition to the great outdoors. About a week before you plan to set the seedlings into the garden, place them in a protected spot outdoors (partly shaded, out of the wind) for a few hours, bringing them in at night. Gradually, over the course of a week or 10 days, expose them to more and more sunshine and wind. AĀ cold frameĀ is a great place to harden off plants.
