The Basics: Starting Seeds Indoor

There are some obstacles you can run into when starting seeds indoors. From root rot and bugs, to seeds never sprouting at all. Here are the basics of what you need to know.

1. Containers:

• Containers should have very good drainage. Poke additional holes in your container if you aren't sure.
• Transplanting: are you able to transplant the starts into your garden without disrupting the roots on your plant? 
• Material: do not use anything that has been treated, such as stained wood or treated metal. Try using old plastic bottles, milk cartons, tofu containers, or egg cartons. 
• Make sure to disinfect containers that have had plants in them before. I rinse any old pots or containers with a watered down bleach solution. 

2. Heat:

• Seeds need an average of 65-75 degrees to germinate (this is soil temperature).
• Heat from the bottom works the best.
• If your seeds are taking a long time to sprout, one reason may be the soil temperature.
• You can purchase a heat mat for seeds, they are a little expensive but I find worth the $20. Other options: place near your heater, place under a lamp, on top of an appliance such as a dryer or refrigerator. Once the seeds sprout you can move the seeds to a more "discrete" location.

These shop lights are perfect for keeping the soil warm and providing extra light. I purchased mine for $7 at a hardware store.

3. Humidity:

• Your seeds need humidity to germinate quickly.
• Light is not necessary at this point, so don't be concerned that you are blocking the light with your cover. Try plastic grocery bags, storage lids, sandwich bags, plastic bins, you could even use a glass baking dish upside down. 
• Make sure your humidity cover is a few inches off the dirt to allow the seed to sprout. 
• Once the seed sprouts, remove the "humidity" cover.

4. Air flow:

• Find/buy a small fan and set it to oscillate (on low) across your starts.
• This will help prevent bugs and root rot.
• The "wind" blowing across the start will also make your starts stronger, preparing them to be transplanted outside.

5. Water

• I recommend watering your indoor starts from the bottom. You will avoid drowning your seeds and plants this way.
• Make sure that your soil stays damp. A big mistake is either over or under watering during the early stages of the seeds development. Once the plant is more established it will be more forgiving. 

6. Soil selection:

• I do not recommend using standard potting soil as you can run into some problems with this (bacteria, and large particles in the soil can cause the problems).
• Search for dirt that says it is for starting seeds. 

7. Light:

• You'll need to get your plants some Vitamin D (and if you are in Seattle, maybe you need some too).
• Your seedlings do not actually need sunlight until they have developed their "true leaves" (the second pair of leaves that grow) which are the leaves that are able to do photosynthesis. That means you have a few weeks to figure out how you are going to provide your seeds with enough light.
• I do recommend a grow light, which sounds scary, but I will cover this in another post. 

Phew. Lots of typing and not many photos. But hopefully useful. 

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Temperature Tips on Tomato Tuesday

 I'd like to thank my sister-in-law for coming up with the clever alliteration. My apologies if you are one of those "read out loud" types as I imagine you now have spit on your screen courtesy of today's tomato title...I'm on a roll, somebody stop me.

Tomatoes are one of the most popular plants to grow, but also the most finicky....sigh

Fear not! For it is my hope that in a few short months we will be sharing salsa recipes, munching on caprese salad, and watching "Fried Green Tomatoes" whilst stuffing our faces with...you guessed it!

Generally speaking, tomato plants do well with a range of 50 degrees F to 80 degrees F.

In the Pacific Northwest, our evenings are still dipping below 50 degrees,  so our tomatoes aren't quite ready for the garden.

Growing tomatoes in containers is the easiest way to solve this dilemma. You can leave your tomato plant outside during the day and bring it in at night. Just make sure to bring the plant in at night as soil in your container tends to be cooler than in your garden.

So what happens if you already planted your tomatoes in your garden? What most likely will happen is your tomato plant will not bear fruit. When a tomato plant is exposed to colder temperatures,  the blossoms drop off of the vine before they are able to be pollinated. 

You can however stage an intervention and protect your harvest from temperatures below 50 degrees by implementing the following techniques. If you have been following my blog, you know the drill. 

• Hot Kaps you can leave these around the base of your tomato plant until temperatures warm up.

• Automater trays: I have not used these before and I've read mixed reviews. The purpose of them is to keep the soil warm, evenly distribute water and fertilizer to the roots, and prevent weeds from growing around the plant. If you have used these before, please share your thoughts!

• Water walls (Wall-o-water): See this post from Suburban Hobby Farmer on Water Walls. I have used these before, I did notice a difference!

• Cloches/hoop house: using a large cloche combined with a layer of mulch can increase your soil temperature by 10 degrees! 

My blogging buddy at Cohocton River Rock Minifarm said that these are also called hoop houses, or low houses.


Get ready for some terrifically, tasty, tender, tomatoes!

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Creative Containers

  If you want to get a head start on your garden without the preparation I have mentioned in earlier posts, I have a solution for you! These are so great for getting a head start on your garden. I became addicted, after realizing how easy these are. It took me about 2 minutes and I was able to recycle our plastic bottles.

The best part about these little buggers is that they are self watering, and maintain a humid atmosphere for the seeds.

How to make your own:

1. Find a plastic bottle (2 liter is what I use, but you can use any plastic bottle). Peel off the label on your bottle. I'm not picky about getting all the glue off of my bottle, but I've heard Goo Gone, or nail polish remover will do the trick.

2. Sterilize the bottle with a diluted bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water), swirl the mixture around, and make sure to rinse well afterwards. I have heard of people using hot water, but I don't believe you can get the water hot enough to kill bacteria without melting the plastic. Hot water and plastic also release hazardous BPA's which are not good for us, or our little plants!

3. Cut your bottle about 1/3 from the Neck side. Then trim an additional 2 inches or so from the base side. Your goal is the have the neck of the bottle almost touch the bottom inside the base. The left picture is what you want. The right picture is what it looks like if you do not trim the additional 2 inches

4. Poke several holes in the bottle near the neck to help water seep into your dirt

5. Place a strip of paper towel covering the hole near the neck of the bottle to keep dirt from escaping.

6. Fill your base with water about 2 inches from the top. And your top with seed starter.

7. Plant your seeds (anything you want, lettuce, tomatoes, peas to name a few), spray the top of the dirt to get the ball rolling, and place in a sunny south (or west) facing window.

Voilà!

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