A great way to jump-start your garden and
save money is to start your plants indoor
before planting season.
You will also be sure of the conditions the
plants were grown in, unlike plants bought in
stores. There are a few tricks to know to make
your seedlings thrive.
To start, you must choose appropriate
containers for your seedlings. The best ones
to use are wood pulp pots or peat pellets.
It's less trouble for you and healthier on the
seedlings, since you can plant them directly
in the ground. But you can use any small
containers, like egg boxes or yogurt
containers. Just make sure there are holes at
the bottom for drainage.
You must also fill the pots with
appropriate soil. Any well-drained soil will
do, but it is best to use sterilized,
store-bought soil instead of soil from
outside. This way, you can be sure it doesn't
contain any fungus or illness which could be
dangerous for young plants. And you do not
want to bring all the insects and worms from
outside into your house!
You can now plant your seeds in the
containers. Follow the instructions on the
seed packages for depth. You do not need to
put many seeds in a pot. Just a few will do.
You should now water your seeds. When you
are done, cover the pots to conserve moisture
and place them in a hot place. Keep them out
of direct sunlight. They do not need any
sunlight at this stage anyway, but keep an eye
out to make sure they have enough water.
Once the seeds have germinated, they will
need more sunlight. Move them to the brightest
spot you can find, preferably a south-facing
window. You will have to be even more careful
now and water them often, since small pots
cannot hold a lot of water. Also, the
seedlings are fragile at this stage, so do not
drown them or cause them to break by watering
too fast.
If the seedlings get too big for their pots
before planting season, you can move them to
bigger pots to make sure they stay healthy and
strong.
When you have a week or so to go before
moving them to your garden, bring them outside
during the day to harden them. Do not put them
in direct sunlight at first and bring them
back inside during the night.
And finally, when your plants have grown
enough (with at least four leaves) and the
weather is warm enough, you can move them to
your garden.
If you did not plant them in pellets or
wood pulp pots, you will need to remove them
from their pot with a blunt tool, like a table
knife, while you support the plant with your
fingers. Dig a hole slightly deeper than the
height of the pot, lower the plant in the hole
and firm the soil gently around the stem.
Water them carefully and your garden is ready
to go!
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