Starting Vegetables and Perennials

Sometimes you learn the best through trial and error. I have done this while starting plants, and would like to pass on what I've learned to speed your progress in starting your own vegetables and flowers.

The items you will need to purchase:
* Grow Light
* Starter Soil
* Pots
* Seeds
* Fertilizer
* Container to hold pots

Grow Light - I purchased  a 4 foot fluorescent light fixture that holds two tubes (bulbs). You don't have to get an expensive fixture, but I do recommend that you make sure it is UL approved for safety. You will need to purchase the correct size growing lights to put in the fixture. (Growing lights are different than regular fluorescent lights.) I use a small-linked chain to hold my light. This allows me to adjust the height of the light from the plants.

Fluorescent Light Fixture with
Grow Light Tubes (bulbs).
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2016

Starter Soil - This is different than potting soil or top soil. It is lighter, making it easier for seeds to germinate and roots to grow down. I use organic starter soil.

Pots - I like to use 3 inch peat pots to start my plants. These pots allow you to transplant your plant into your garden - pot and all. This reduces the shock transplanting causes. As the pot breaks down, it adds nutrients to your soil. (When I am ready to transplant, I make vertical cuts in the side of the pot in the lower section. This allows the growing roots to get into your garden soil quicker and deeper.)

Seeds - your choice. If you want to grow perennial flowers, check the growing zone the perennial is rated for, making sure it is for your zone. If you get something that is for a warmer growing zone than you live in, the plant will not survive the winter - it basically becomes an annual. (Example - if you live in zone 4, and you buy perennial seeds rated for zone 6 and higher, it will grow the first year, but will not come back the next year. It will freeze out during the winter.) When it comes to vegetables seeds, they come in organic as well as non-organic. Organic seeds will not be genetically modified and will not have traces of harmful chemicals like pesticides on them.)

Fertilizer - Since I grow organically, I purchased fertilizers for organic use.

Container to hold pots - I use a plastic sweater totes. You need something because of watering pots/plants.

Now you are ready to get your seeds started. The starter soil must be moist. I pour it into a 5 gallon bucket and add water, mixing it around. This is the quicker method. You can just add water and wait for it to absorb into the starter soil, but it takes a lot longer.

Next fill your pots to just below the top, but don't pack the soil tightly.

Peat Pot with soil just
below the top.
Photo By T.R. Simmons 2016

Now it's time to add your seeds. Each variety of vegetable and flower has a different depths to plant the seed. You will have to read the planting instructions. Some seeds need light to germinate, others do not. In addition, seeds have different number of days it takes for them to germinate. This will all be on the planting instructions. (Starting plants should be done 6 to 8 weeks before frost for most plants. You can also start plants in the summer for fall planting.)

Since I start about 48 plants, I use a Popsicle stick to label each pot. You can keep it with the plant even after transplanting in your garden. The wood will decompose.

Once all your pots are ready with seeds planted, all you can do is wait for the seeds to germinate. Keep the pots moist, but not overly wet. You can add water to the whole tote and allow it to soak up through the peat pot.

Once your plants are visible, you will need to have your grow light just a couple of inches from the pots - this is what most people do not understand. Plants will reach for the light. If the light is far away from the plants, all growing energy will be put into the stem to get the leaves closer to the light source. An extremely long stem is thin and weak, so keep the light source close to the plants. As the plants grow, raise the light, but still keeping it close to the top of the plants. By doing this, your plants' stems will be thick and strong.

Grow Light just above the tomato plants.
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2016

When it comes to tomato plants, their first leaves are not the "true leaves". Once they get their true leaves, you need to start fertilizing them. All plants need fertilizer, but I use my tomato plants as a predictor of when to start using the fertilizer. (The starter soil doesn't have all the nutrients to keep plants growing strong. This is why you need to fertilize them.)

Banana Pepper and Perennial Flowers
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2016

Lastly, once your area is frost free, you can transplant your plants into your garden. Remember to make the vertical cuts in the side of the peat pot in the lower section to allow the roots to grow into your soil quicker.

Happy Planting!