A little sunshine in the cold.
February. What does that word bring to mind? Maybe it’s winter, cold, dark, dreary, or maybe it’s first sign of spring, daffodils, love, candy?! These are some things people might think when you say the word February. Most won’t say gardening though…BUT now is the time to begin! In February is when most of your cool weather crops can be started and when you start seeds for your warm/hot weather crops!
For me February is usually a pretty long month, even if it has the shortest amount of calendar days. It’s cold outside, usually not many get togethers, and it just feels so dark outside. The one thing that makes me super happy during February are my seedlings. To see little green shoots poking through and to know gardening season is right around the corner… it all just excites me and re-energizes me.
If you’re following along, January is the time to plan out your garden and order seeds. I gave some tips on how to do that here. If you didn’t catch that blog and haven’t laid out your plan yet, no problem! It is not too late to do your plan and likely not too late to order seeds either!
Now if you have your plan and your seeds, it’s time to get started.
Tip # 1 - Setup, instruments/tools. It is important to have a good setup. You will have better success with your seedlings if you have a good setup. Some of the top items recommended are a heat mat, grow lights, seed trays or soil blocker, cover for trays, and a good seed starting mix. If you don’t have a heat mat or grow lights, you can get away without them but you will need to baby your new plants.
Tip # 2 - Air circulation. Once your new seedlings come up, it is important to have some type of air flow going, not only to reduce moldy soil but also to help strengthen your new plants. By providing some type of airflow, you can simulate the wind outdoors. Your plants will react accordingly and grow stronger.
Tip # 3 - Water. When you originally start your seeds, your seed starting mix will need to be damp. After the seeds have germinated, it is best to water from the bottom, again to help prevent mold issues. Because of the small amount of soil the seeds are started in, they will probably dry out quickly. Check the soil by placing a fingertip about an inch into the soil. If it is damp, wait to water…if it’s dry, water!
Tip # 4 - Potting up. Once your seedlings are established and growing well, it’s likely they will need to be potted up at least once before transplanting. Potting up means placing your seedlings in a larger seed tray or in individual pots. Your cool weather crops will not need to be potted up. It’s likely your tomatoes, peppers, squashes, etc will need potted up. The reason behind potting up is due to root growth, as well as fertilization. The seedlings will use up quite a bit of the resources in the seed starting mix quickly and need new soil to continue to grow strong and healthy. They also need the room to continue to grow their roots. You do not want them to become root bound. You will need a good quality potting mix and some larger containers in order to pot up.
Tip # 5 - Hardening off. After your seedlings are a few weeks old and a week or two before it’s time to plant them outdoors, you will need to harden your seedlings off. This means taking them outside to face the elements! Now there are a few tips for hardening off, which I will post about next month!
Does this seem like a lot? I get it! There is definitely some prep work to starting your own seeds. Why not just buy them from the store or a local grower you might ask? My reasoning is some of the crops I want to try nobody is selling! In order to have the variety I want, I start my own seeds. Another reason is knowing exactly what your seedlings are growing in. I know my seeds are started organically and go in my garden fully organic…there are no synthetic fertilizers in my soil! I honestly like having a bit of control over my plants and knowing I grew the plants myself from seedlings! It’s super exciting and motivating to me to start plants from seeds.
I’d love to help you with your setup, seed starting, or if you haven’t planned yet, even your planning! Feel free to reach out to me any time to schedule a discovery call!!
Don’t forget to come back next month for Transplanting Tips!
