If you read part 1, it was all about how and why we seed inside vs outside, and how to read those seed packages. This post is all about our process of indoor seed starting. Before I go any further I want to say that everyone has their own method when it comes to starting seeds, and what we do might be different from others, but it's what works for us. We have both worked in greenhouses over the years, and we've noticed that the method most greenhouses use is a lot different from what many flower farmers use. Honestly, I'm not sure why that is. Our method is what we've learned years ago in the greenhouse, and so far so good!
First thing we do is get plastic trays. You can get them from your local garden centre, a greenhouse supply store, or even amazon! Just make sure that the trays have drainage holes on the bottom. If yours don't have drainage holes, you can always make some. We disinfect them and reuse them each year. After a while they tend to break down a little so we double them up when that happens. We use 10.75x10.75 for our seed starting and switch to 10x20 when we transplant them.
Second thing is soil. We use "Sunshine Grow #4 Mix" which is a peat/perlite mix. This too is easy to get in big bags from your local garden centre. We recommend using new soil always for seeding. Old soil or re-using soil can breed mould, fungus, disease, and weeds none of which you want. You will need to breakdown the soil you get in any of the bags or bails you purchase. You don't want clumps, we have a soil table where we break it into small pieces, but if you have limited space consider using a rubbermaid bin to reduce the mess.
The next thing you'll need is vermiculite. We cover most seeds with vermiculite, some more than others depending on what the seed package says. A few of the things we seed require darkness to germinate. These we cover with a piece of black plastic.
When we start seeds indoors, we start most of them on a heat mat. The seed package will tell you what temperature things like to germinate at. Anything that says over 70 degrees we start on the heat mat. Below that we start without the heat mat. Lots of people don't use a heat mat to start their seeds, but in our experience using a heat mat increases the germination speed and percentage.
Because we use a heat mat to start the majority of seeds, we start them in small trays very close together. When you're starting as many varieties as we have, space is at a premium, so we don't use cell trays or soil blockers. By seeding things close together you save a huge amount of space, and in our case this allows us to start things inside before moving to the greenhouse thus saving us $$$ by not having to heat up the greenhouse right away.
Having a grow light is pretty important for our climate. Some seeds require up to 16 hours of sunlight, and our winters don't give us that no matter how close to a window your trays are. Not everything requires that much sunlight, but everything will grow faster with more sunlight hours.
The other things we use for starting seeds is a kettle, a clear propagation dome to keep in moisture (also available where you bought your trays) and a vibrating seeding tool(Johnny seeds has a great one but you can purchase from many different places). The kettle is to warm up water we use for soaking the tray and the seeding tool makes it easier to get the right amount of seeds where you want them especially when they're small seeds.
Ok, now it's time to seed! We start by filling the tray almost to the top. It doesn't need to be filled all the way to the top you can leave a couple centimeters from the top. Then we soak the tray in warm water from the bottom. We don't pour the water over the top. We place the tray in another tray (that doesn't have holes) and let it soak. Once the soil is soaked, we remove the tray from the watered tray and we use the thin edge of a small piece of plywood to make rows in the soil by pressing down gently (you can use anything to make the row but we have a piece measured to make our job easier when doing lots of trays). The rows are about 4 centimeters apart. Now we sprinkle the seeds down the row using our seeder or our hand so that they are quite close together (maybe 1/2 a centimeter apart, or almost touching) and then we cover with vermiculite (or plastic depending on the seed), place on the heat mat (or not depending on the seed) and cover with a clear dome to keep in moisture. Make sure you label your row. We cut apart ice cream lids and write on it with a sharpie, but you can use whatever works for you. Now you wait!
It's important to keep an eye on these seed trays. Too much moisture, and your seeds could rot before they have a chance to germinate. Too little and they will start to germinate and then die before they turn into a seedling. It sounds more difficult than it is, but keep an eye on them, and make sure they don't dry out before they pop out of the ground. Once they pop out of the ground, most things like to be dry before they are watered again. When you do water them, make sure the stream is gentle and that you do not use softened water.
When the seedlings have their second set of leaves (or generally are about 4 centimeters or an inch and a half tall) you can transplant them. Make sure the day you do this they are dry as it's much easier to do if your soil isn't wet. We do this net step by preparing our trays the same way as previously done (but now we use the 10x20 tray) and then by scooping up the row of seedlings and gently pulling a seedling out, making a hole for it in the soil (we use a planting tool but a sharpie does the same thing), and then plant it in the soil and cover it up. Most things don't like to be planted too deep (think just covering the bottom roots or the same depth they were in the last tray) with the exception of a few things (tomatoes like to be planted very deep). Most things also don't like to be handled too hard. We try to gently hold the top leaf while gently covering the bottom roots. Our general rule for spacing is that a 10 inch by 20 inch tray has 48 seedlings (6 rows of 8) Some things can be a little closer and some need a little more space, but most things will be quite happy just like this until it's time to plant into the garden. Once you've planted these seedlings into the tray, water them using a transplanting fertilizer from the bottom. (we use Miracle Grow quick start planting and transplanting solution)
Now all you have to do is continue to water and fertilize your plants until it's time to plant them outside. When that time comes, SOAK (i mean dripping soaking wet) the tray and pull out the plants in clumps trying not to disrupt the roots. It's important that once the plants are in the ground that you soak them in again using a hose or watering can so that they have the best chance to adapt to their new environment.
Expect the plants to take a couple days or even a week to adjust to their new environment. Remember they've never been out in the elements and it's common for them to be set back a bit from the shock of being moved. After a week or two they should be adjusted.
We hope that this guide helps you successfully seed and transplant your plants into your garden. If you have any specific questions about different varieties of plants or something we've written isn't clear, please reach out!
Happy Seeding!
-M
Commentaires