I realized I was wasting a lot of time and money (and heartache) just to save a few bucks on artificial lights. I discovered the hard way that they never recover from this, and the plants don’t do well in the garden either. Many of them would just get really tall and skinny, and then eventually flop over. In those early years, my homegrown starts were always weak and spindly. It quickly became clear that my sunny windowsill wasn’t going to provide enough light for all of them. Things got worse for me once I started to experiment with different types of seeds. That worked ok, but my seedlings were always thin and weak looking compared to the ones I saw for sale at the garden center. I’m lucky enough to have a nice large south facing window in my spare bedroom, so I set up a few shelves right in front of it. The first few years I tried growing plants from seed, I didn’t use any artificial lighting for them. Can you start seeds indoors without grow lights?.Should you rotate seedlings under the lights?. How Far Should Seedlings Be From A Grow Light?.When Do I Put My Seedlings Under Light?.How Many Hours Of Lighting Do Seedlings Need?.Benefits Of Putting Seedlings Under Lights.Why Use Artificial Light For Seedlings?.Snip the other seedlings off at the soil line and discard them. You want one seedling per pot, so choose the healthiest, strongest-looking seedling to keep. Once seedlings have two sets of leaves, it's time to thin. Organic fertilizers are a good choice, since they provide a range of nutrients, including micronutrients. At higher temperatures, seedlings may get leggy.īegin fertilizing weekly.Use a half-strength fertilizer once your seedlings have one or two sets of leaves. Finding a cooler room in your house or garage, while still maintaining a good light sorce, will help them thrive. You'll get sturdier, stockier seedlings if you grow them at temperatures in the high 60s. Suspend the lights just an inch or two over the tops of the plants.Ĭool room temperature is best for seedlings. A sunny window will do, but adding consistent light from supplemental fluorescent lights will give you the best results. Strive to keep the mix moist but not saturated with water - think of it as a damp sponge that contains both water and air.Īs soon as seedlings emerge, place pots in a bright location. Keep seed-starting mix moist. Seedling roots need both air and water. Check your pots every day for signs of growth! On top of the refrigerator or near a radiator are usually good spots. Plant extra seeds, because it's likely not all of them will germinate you'll thin out the extra ones later.Īfter sowing, set the containers in a warm location. If you sow seeds too deeply, they won't have enough stored energy to make it to the surface. For example, tiny seeds should be barely covered by soil mix, while large seeds like beans should be sown about an inch deep. The rule of thumb is to plant the seed two-to-three times as deep as the seed is wide. You don't need to measure precisely, but be careful not to plant any deeper than the directions suggest. Check the seed packet for planting depth. Plastic six-packs and flats are good choices and can be reused year after year. You can use recycled pots - for example, empty yogurt containers - but be sure to poke holes in the bottom for draining, so that your seeds are not over-watered. Make sure your containers have drainage holes. If possible, don't use garden soil to start seeds indoors it generally doesn't drain well and may contain plant disease spores. Most importantly, they provide a good balance of drainage and water-holding capacity, and they minimize problems with disease on vulnerable seedlings. These mixes don't contain any actual soil, but they provide ideal conditions for sprouting seeds. (Check out Landreth Seed, our line of heritage and heirloom vegetable seeds!) Purchase your seeds from a trusted source. Fresher, higher quality seeds will have a higher germination rate (meaning more will sprout), and will give you a head-start in growing delicious, nutritious vegetables.
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