Last year I began to get much more serious about starting my plants from seed. As my garden has grown in size each year, I saw the wisdom in starting my own seeds. Never mind the increased pressure to make sure we have a sustainable food source during these turbulent times. I reasoned that starting my own seeds would give me a jump on the growing season. I could control for erratic early season weather and I would save a great deal of money as the price of seedlings as the nursery has been doubling in price. I have been expanding my growing space in order to increase the amount that we eat from the garden versus need to buy from stores.
With the shutdowns and food scarcity issues, the popularity of growing your own garden has increased greatly. So just finding the seedlings you want to grow is more than a little difficult. I cannot find many heirloom seedlings grown in organic soils at our local nurseries. In fact, one of the more popular organic nurseries locally was shut down for much of the spring this last year. And lastly, starting your seeds indoors when possible may address some of the changes in our weather we are seeing as the Grand Solar Minimum continues to impact our growing season.
My hope is that if I can have healthy, strong seedlings that have begun in a controlled environment, they will have a better chance of dealing with weather variations that might occur in May and June in our local area. For instance, too much or too little rain, late frost dates, and colder than normal temperatures all may occur. Stronger plants may tolerate these variations better when it comes to planting time. Only time till prove me right or prove me wrong. Nevertheless, these are my excuses for investing in seed growing equipment and so far, my spouse is in agreement with my plan.
I have an abundance of windows in my home which face both east and west. So last year I purchased sterile potting mix and filled 72 cell seed containers. I then proceeded to move these containers from my east windows for early morning light to my west windows for late afternoon sun. I did so on a daily basis to maximize the light. I did not add any amendments to the soil or extra light. My plants got lots of daily care and nurturing but nothing else. Well, I did end up with lots of seedlings, but they were leggy, started too soon to plant into my garden and I lost many of the seedlings. In the end, I did not achieve any jump on the growing season. In fact, I delayed it as many of my plants experienced transplant shock and it took even longer before they began producing, if they did at all.Continue reading“Starting Seeds Indoors: Tips and Trials, by CAL”
