Starting seeds indoors makes a lot of sense in the Mohawk Valley. With our short growing season, setting out sturdy seedlings at the time you would normally sow seeds gives you a head start on the growing season of several weeks.
The following information should help provide just the edge that is needed to meet Mother Nature head on. When the growing season is ready for your plants, your plants will be ready for the season! Ask yourself the following questions about your situation:
Is it Time Yet?
• First decide when you want to put your plants outside, usually based on the last chance of frost for your area. Then count back the number of weeks before you should sow outdoors. (Last frost date charts and seed starting timetables are available online.) Check seed packets for germination times.
What Will You Use For Containers?
• Try all kinds of containers and see what works best. Any container at least 3 inches deep for roots to grow will work as long as you can punch holes in the bottom to provide drainage.
What Will You Use for a Growing Medium? (Very Important)
• To ensure success it is worth the extra cost to buy a good quality growing mix. These mixes contain peat moss, vermiculite, and sometimes perlite but no soil. They are often called "soil-less" mixes.
• These soil-less mixes should be sterile and free from insects, disease and weeds. Some mixes have enough fertilizer incorporated for the first 3-4 weeks of plant growth and provide good drainage and water holding capacity.
• Do not use ordinary garden soil. Outdoor soils generally lack fertilizer, aeration and drainage and may harbor insects or disease organisms.
How is Your Light Source?
• Starting plants requires direct light. Even a window facing directly south will not provide enough light to grow the best plants. Many gardeners use plant-growing lamps to supplement the light coming through the window or where there is no natural light.
Are You Sowing the Seeds Carefully?
• Fill your clean containers almost to the brim with moistened medium. Smooth it out and tamp it down. Use a separate container for each type of seed because of the differences in germinating time and rate of growth between different types of plants.
Are You Providing the Right Amount of Water?
• Water is the ingredient that will require the most attention. The medium should be kept evenly moist but not wet or soggy. Too much water will cause the seeds to rot.
What Temperature Will You Maintain?
• Probably no factor will speed up germination time more than a constant warm temperature. Generally, seeds germinate better if their soil (not air,soil) temperature is constantly 70ºF or above, some do best at 80º-85ºF.
How Will You "Harden Off" Your Seedlings?
• Tender seedlings grown indoors must be gradually acclimated to the harsher outdoor sun, drying winds, greater moisture stress and temperature changes.
• Make the transition into full sun and wind beginning with an hour, increasing to half days and then to several full days of sun and wind before the final transplant into the garden.
This article was adapted from a Cornell Cooperative Extension fact sheet by Jay Ephraim, volunteer master gardener for CCEFM. Download the complete Fact Sheet (recommended)