Starting Seeds
It’s equal parts dangerous and fortunate that we live down the road from Tractor Supply. Husband has to tolerate my cooing at the chicks and ducklings every time we go. I then drool at the chicken coops and daydream of dragging myself out of bed to feed greedy hens and smoosh them in the afternoon with my love after I steal their eggs. Chickens are a someday dream, and completely legal in my village. Not that I’ve done the research at all…
Back on track though…between seeds and greenhouse trays, Tractor Supply was the one-stop-shop. Flipping through seeds and planning our first garden together was so exciting! It took a lot of restraint, so we were careful to only pick foods we knew would be used.
Hands down, starting from seed is exponentially cheaper than buying mature plants from your local greenhouse, and you don’t have to use every seed in the packet. Before we started planting like crazy people, we sat down a did a little research. What we lack in experience – we make up for with enthusiasm. Between Pinterest, books and and the Google machine…there’s a wealth of knowledge to be had.
Study your seeds! The packet contains everything you need to know for a successful garden!
Plant description
When to start the seed based on your geographical region
How deep to sow each seed
When to transplant outdoors
What amount of sunlight the plant can handle
How far apart to place individual plants
How long until you can havest
We started them in seed trays with a clear lid. I love these trays! They come with compacted dirt pellets that grow and fill out the entire well when soaked with water. Some seeds did well, others went flat and we’ll have to try again. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and flowers did fantastically!
Once they grow their true leaves (eg. second set, not the first set that we’re all so excited to see bloom) they are ready to be put in bigger pots!
Keep in mind that not all seeds are started indoors. Large seeds like peas and pumpkins can be placed directly in the dirt outdoors, no need for trays and transplanting!
After 3-4 weeks in their little greenhouses, it was time to move the plants into peat pots. Husband had already done the tomatoes and cucumbers earlier, so I did the peppers and forget-me-nots. My cats had no idea what I was doing, but were appreciative of the warm sunshine coming through the open front door! And yes, that’s Buffy in the background. I have no shame in binge-watching some corny late 90s / early 00s TV while I get dirt under my fingernails!
Now all the seedlings have more room to breath, grow and root! They are craftily stacked along windowsills and shelving, with enough warmth and sunshine to flourish! The peppers got a little droopy, so hopefully, they bounce back. I think the dirt may have been too wet. I worried their roots might be suffocating, so I broke up the dirt a bit so the roots get more oxygen. Time will tell…
Next big project?
Get the raised garden beds put together for planting!
