(gardening) Starting Seeds Indoors.pdf

University of California Vegetable Research and Information Center

VEGETABLE

GARDENING

Starting Seeds Indoors

The authors are Harwood Hall, Farm Advisor, Susan Wada, Technician, and Ronald E.

Voss, Extension Vegetable Specialist.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

SOIL FOR SEEDLINGS

Starting seeds indoors can be helpful

because: transplants lengthen the

growing season and planting transplants

reduces some of the hazards (birds,

insects, heavy rains, weed competition)

common to seedlings.

Soil for starting seedlings should be

disease-free. You may purchase a

commercial mixture at a local nursery or

garden supply center, or you may mix it at

home. A good soil mixture consists of equal

parts of garden soil, sphagnum peat moss,

and sand.

Requirements for successful raising of

transplants include:

To protect seedlings from damping off (a

fungus disease caused by disease

organisms in the soil which make the

seedlings rot before coming to the surface),

sterilize soil before mixing. First preheat

your oven to about 200° F, fill a container

with the moist but not wet soil and bake.

The soil should reach a temperature of at

least 180° F for at least 30 minutes. An easy

way to determine when the soil is done is to

place a raw potato in with the mixture before

placing in the oven. The soil will be done

when the potato is cooked. Mix ingredients

together and sift out lumps, rocks and other

debris.

Disease-free growing medium

Warmth and moisture for seed

germination

Adequate light for vigorous

growth

Adjustment of indoor plants to

outdoor conditions.

VEGETABLE GARDENING

WHEN AND WHERE TO START

TRANSPLANTS

For most vegetables, transplants should be

started in a sunny, warm room about 6 to 8

weeks before the recommended planting

time. Germinating seeds need temperatures

of between 60°and 75° F; seedlings

between 50°and 65° F.

PLANTING CONTAINERS

Clay or plastic pots, nursery flats,

commercially available peat pots, and metal

pots may be used for planting seeds

indoors. However, after soil is sterilized any

introduced disease organisms will multiply

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University of California Vegetable Research and Information Center

more rapidly than before. To avoid damping

off, use pasteurized fiber seed flats or peat

pots.

After two sets of leaves have developed,

transfer seedling to an individual peat pot or

set in groups in larger flats, using more of

the sterile soil mixture. To transfer, carefully

dig up the small plants with a large knife,

putty knife or spatula. Let the group of

seedlings fall apart and pick out individual

plants. Poke holes 2'/2 inches apart in the

soil mixture of the new container and set the

seedlings in, taking care not to pinch the

tender seedlings. Firm the soil and water

gently. For seeds sown in individual pots,

thin to one plant per pot.

If you use wooden boxes, flats, clay flower

pots, or metal containers, clean them

thoroughly. A solution of 1 part chlorine

bleach to 10 parts water can be used as a

rinse. Place containers in the oven for

sterilization at the same time as the soil.

If the containers don't have holes for

drainage, drill at least four holes of not less

than '/z inch in diameter in the base sides of

the containers.

Shade plants for a few days or replace

under a fluorescent light where there is little

or no heat buildup. Continue fertilizing and

watering with the solution until the plants

reach transplant size.

PLANTING

After you have prepared the soil mixtures

and sterilized the container, fill the planting

container with soil mixture to 1 inch from the

top and firm the soil. Water thoroughly then

add '/Z inch of vermiculite, sand or

sphagnum peat moss to the container.

Sow seeds % inch apart. If using

commercially available peat pots, plant two

seeds per pot. Cover seeds with a light

covering of the planting medium and water

gently (mist them, if possible). Label each

container with plant name and planting date

and cover with plastic film, (a plastic bag will

do) or a piece of glass. Water only enough

to keep the soil moist. Most seeds start best

at 60° to 75° F. Don't place the covered

containers in direct sunlight--heat

accumulation can kill emerging seedlings.

Once seeds have sprouted, take off the film

and put the seedlings in a sunny window or

under a fluorescent light. Room

temperatures between 50° and 65° F are

preferable.

HARDENING, TRANSPLANTING

Before planting in the garden, plants should

be gradually "hardened", or toughened.

About 10 days before transplanting date

gradually withhold watering--but don't let the

plant wilt--and gradually expose them to

outside temperatures and direct sun by

setting flats or containers outside during the

day. Avoid fertilizing during this period.

Transplant seedlings in the ground as close

as possible to the recommended date.

Prepare the garden soil by adding 1 to 2

pounds of 5-10-5 fertilizer per 100 square

The new seedlings will need water and

fertilizer. Provide this by watering them with

a solution of 1 tablespoon of soluble

fertilizer in one gallon of water. Water

seedlings thoroughly but carefully so that

you don't wash them out of the soil.

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University of California Vegetable Research and Information Center

feet of garden area, scattering it on the

surface. (The numbers refer to the

respective percentages of nitrogen,

phosphorus, and potassium within the

fertilizer. Law requires that these

percentages must be listed on the packages

of all commercial fertilizer.) Then turn the

soil 6 to 8 inches deep by spading, rototilling

or plowing.

filling the hole to ground level and add one

cup of starter solution (1 tablespoon of a

fertilizer, 5-10-5 or 4-12-4, to 1 gallon of

water). After the solution has soaked in,

sprinkle some dry soil around the plant.

Immediately before transplanting, water the

plants well.

Plants grown in fiber, plastic or clay pots

should be removed from their containers

before planting. Plants grown in peat pots

can be transplanted intact, but you may

wish to remove the container bottom to

improve drainage. However, in extremely

sandy soil the peat pot should be removed

or it may act like a wick, evaporating

moisture and causing seedlings to wilt or

possibly die.

Protect young transplants for the first few

days. If the two or three days following

transplanting are sunny and hot, cover

plants with newspaper "tents" to prevent

wilting. Water as necessary. If the weather

is cold, cover the transplants with hotcaps. If

the weather is windy, cover the plants with

either newspaper tents or hotcaps,

depending on the temperatures.

To transplant, dig a hole roughly twice the

size of the individual plant soil ball. Then set

the plant only slightly deeper than it was in

the pot. Place soil loosely around the roots,

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

This information is provided by Cooperative Extension, an educational agency of the University of California and the United States

Department of Agriculture. Support for Cooperative Extension is supplied by federal, state, and county governments. Cooperative

Extension provides the people of California with the latest scientific information in agriculture and family consumer sciences, It also

sponsors the 4-H Youth Program. Cooperative Extension representatives, serving 56 Counties in California, are known as farm,

home or youth advisors. Their offices usually are located in the county seat. They will be happy to provide you with information in

their fields of work.

The University of California's Cooperative Extension programs are available to all, without regard to race, color, or national origin.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States

Department of Agriculture. James B. Kendrick, Jr., Director, Cooperative Extension, University of California.

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