My Tips for Seed Starting

Sometimes you get lucky and you plant a seed, give it a bit of water and it grows.  Other times it takes more effort to get things growing.

1. Remember that each seed variety germinates at a different rate.  Example:  Beans can take as few as 5 days to germinate while tomatoes may take up to 14 days.  Cabbage can germinate in as few as 5 days and peppers typically germinate in 10-14 days.

2.  Soak your seeds.  Not all seeds should be soaked (corn) but others like my peppers and tomatoes germinate quicker after a 12-24 hour soaking.  I soak beans for only 3 hours before I plant.

3.  Water.  It is important to keep your soil moist but not drenched.  Standing water is a no-no for germinating seeds.  On the other hand, if you let your soil completely dry out you might kill the delicate germinating seeds.

4.  Soil.  Most of my seeds are planted in Peat Pellets.  I know that the soil has not been contaminated with soilbourne fungus or disease AND Peat pellets make transplanting simple and easy.  When transplanting peat pellets I place the entire pellet into the ground or soil-filled container and cover with dirt.  EASY!

5. Warmth.  Seeds and seedlings should be kept warm during germination and growth.  Some people use grow lights.  I use my laundry room where I have plenty of natural light and no air conditioning.

Before you plant seedlings into their permanent home it is important to know the quality of your soil.  If your soil is like mine was when we first moved in it might take a few months (or a year) to grow a thriving garden.  To see the beginning of my garden check out Organic Gardening in South Florida.  Here's a teaser...
"In our current yard I was appalled at the state of the dirt when I first dug in. About 12 inches deep I found hard-packed, sandy soil.  About 6 feet away, also 12 inches deep I found construction junk like broken tiles."

Organically grown Serrano Peppers, Fine Verde Basil, Purple Opal Basil and Genovese Basil

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