Question

Scenario:

In April a friend stops by to visit. The conversation turns to gardening, and your friend tells you he tried to get an early start on his vegetable garden by starting seeds inside his house back in February. He reports to you that he has had little success. Only a few seeds had sprouted, but many did not. The seeds that did germinate, with a couple of exceptions, did very poorly.

Most of the seeds he planted were from seed packets he bought from the garden center. Some seeds he saved from the previous year’s garden. He planted them in plastic cups with no drain holes (to retain water he says), and placed them in his kitchen window which is on the North side of the house.

What advice and suggestions would you provide to your friend for next year’s attempt?

Answer 1

Advice and suggestions for vegetable gardening at home

One of the most important points to keep in mind, when starting with vegetable garden at your home is to try and use seeds that are healthy and good quality. For good start it is important to be selective with seed selection process.

Vegetable plants are not difficult to start, but you need to focus on seed quality, favorable conditions and ideal climate (temperature and moisture) levels.

1.             Always maintain perfect records

It is important (even if you are doing it on small scale) to maintain records. Your record should include the exact dates when you purchased the seeds. You should also maintain record of sowing date for each seed and transplanting dates.

Apart from this you can initially also maintain success and failure rates as well. This is always beneficial for future.

2.             Proper storage

If you are going to use stored seeds then it is important to store the seeds perfectly. You should keep in mind that seeds are more fragile and get damaged easily. They are subjected to sharp viability decline. There are only a few seeds that may in fact survive for longer time.

For seeds to survive, you have to maintain perfect conditions. It is important to pay extra attention so seed dormancy is well maintained. Try and store seeds in a place that has less access to light. The humidity level should be low and so it is ideal to store in refrigerator

You can store them in plastic canister or disposable bags. Before sowing always check with the viability of the seed. Soak the seeds in water and if the seed is alive it will sink right at the bottom of the container.

3.             Use right containers

Selection of best containers and plant pots is very important. Try and avoid overcrowding each container. It is better to select containers or pots made up of clay material. The container should be shallow and wide and should hold right level of moisture.

You can also make use of plug trays for better results. The container has to be maintained clean and well sanitized using bleaching powder. This has to be done before sowing. Sanitization has to be done for about fifteen minutes.

4.             Tamp seeds in the soil

Begin by spreading soilless seed in the container. The depth has to be maintained at least twice the diameter of the seed. If the seed needs light for germination process then it should always be spread out on the surface of the soil.

You can also cover the planting medium using meshed cloth. It is important that seeds you sow should be in direct contact with the moisture. You can tamp the seeds very gently in the soil.

5.             Drainage and air flow

For germination seeds need proper and sufficient supply of air and proper drainage. The seed will damp if the air is not sufficient or if the soil has excess of moisture. You can try and make use of best cultural techniques of present time.

You can also use chicken grit and sphagnum in equal ratio as spread on the top of the surface. His will ensure that pathogens don’t grow on the top of the soil surface. Air circulation can also be maintained by providing small fan at the base of the container. This will keep the air in circulation.

6.             Use plastic wraps to cover

Covering is done so the seeds can be protected during germination stage. It will also maintain moisture level in the right proportion. Seeds are very delicate and so overwatering and under-watering should be avoided.

Avoid touching the seeds during germination stage. Secure the entire pot using plastic wrap material. It is important to check the pots for germinating seeds on daily basis. The container can be rehydrated on regular basis.

You can try and place the pot or the container in few inches of warm water. In case you feel that the top soil layer is dry then you can also remove the plastic covering.

Use spray bottle to wet the soil. During germination stage, it is better to avoid using plastic wraps.

7.             Maintain warm temperature

Temperature makes a big difference during the germination stage. The temperature should be maintained warm but not hot. In general 60 to 75 deg F temperature is ideal but may vary from one seed to another.

You can also try and heat the pad that you place under the pots. This simple technique will help in maintaining germination stage.

8.             Turning seedlings

It is advisable to turn seedlings daily for faster germination process. Sunlight is important for better germination. You can place the pots or the container in direct sunlight on daily basis for few hours during the day.

9.             Proper nutrition

Seeds need nutrition so it is important to feed them at consistent rate. After germination, seeds will usually depend on the nutrients from the soil. Depending on the plant type you may have to select the nutrition. These can be added directly to the soil along with water.

You can make use of organic fertilizers for vegetable plants. Once the saplings are strong then you can transfer them into the soil directly.