Starting Seeds

The weather here in Ohio (hardiness zone 5-6) in spring has its ups and downs. A lot of the midwest is in weather turmoil. The soil is too wet to work with in most places. If you are able to work the soil, there is limited time and plants that are able to be planted. So until the weather decides to finally be warmer, you can start seeds inside.

Most seeds are started early to late March. Some plants such as eggplants should have already been planted but should be okay if you watch them closely at the end of the season (such as a cold frame or greenhouse). Come the end of the season, around the end of September, it will get cold and eggplants will likely die if not protected. Flowers such as violas and pansies should have already been planted. They are less likely to thrive in hotter weather. But you can start them for a fall crop of flowers.

Not many supplies are needed to start seeds. Just some soil, seeds (you can buy online or at any store especially home and garden stores), containers and a nice sunny window.

Most seeds require at least six hours of sun to germinate . If you don’t have a sunny window that can get this amount, you will have to buy grow lights. You can buy these at most stores and should be able to find them at your local home and garden departments. They don’t have to be anything spectacular and expensive. They are also sometimes called aquarium lights. The trick with the lights is to get the right distance from light to plant. It should be no more than five inches from the plant but no closer than one inch. Three to four inches is best for maximum efficiency.

As for containers there is a wide variety to select from. You could have the typical pots, clay or plastic. You could buy seed starting materials such as peat pots, peat pellets or seed starting flats. These are popular among home gardeners.

Seed Starting Ideas

Try to buy a germinating mix. It is usually a soil-less mix, meaning it doesn’t have dirt persay but it has peat, vermiculite (a moisture retaining substance) and other things a newly emerged sprout needs to get going. Once the plant reaches a certain height, if the weather hasn’t warmed up enough to transplant outside, then you can transplant it to a larger pot indoors.

Make sure you note the germination time, growing time and all that from the seed packet. The days given to maturity are often from transplant and don’t include germination time. For most plants, germination time is about a week. Some take longer, some don’t take near as long and some it depends on conditions (such as temperature and moisture). Usually when the plant is about four to five inches tall, it is ready to be transplanted.

Just make sure the seeds get all it requires of life (sun, water, and food) and the seeds should start great. Happy seed starting time! Get the kids involved. They will love it.