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Page 10 The Wilbraham-Hampden TIMES
April 1 , 01
The promise of Spring
By Roberta McQuaid
Turley Publications Correspondent
Exciting news: After weeks of
saying it was too soon, finally it
came time to start the tomatoes!
My five-year-old’s tiny fingers
carefully dropped one seed at a time into
the furrows I had made in the soil.
The younger sister gave them each a
squirt from the mister bottle. Now, all we
have to do is provide some bottom heat
and wait a few days for a miracle to happen.
After 20-plus years of watching this
process, I am still excited to witness it
each and every time. You can too! Here
are a few tips to get you started.
Choose and sterilize your pots: I
select an open container or shallow pot
to start my seedlings, a different one for
each vegetable or flower I want to grow.
You can use one large flat for different tomato
varieties, labeling as you go, since
they will sprout about the same time. It
is unwise to mix lettuce with peppers, for
example, since germination times and requirements
likely differ. If you reuse pots
from year to year it is wise to wash them
well first with soap and water, then a 10
percent bleach solution. Square half-gallon
containers, yogurt cups etc. all make
great containers for seed-starting, just be
sure to poke a few drainage holes in the
Backyards
bottom of each one before use.
Purchase seed-starting mix: I always
buy a small bag of growing medium
especially suited to seed starting.
The ingredients will be finely milled -
just perfect for covering small seed ever
so lightly. You probably won’t see soil on
the list of ingredients - too heavy and unless
sterilized is potentially contaminated
with weed seeds and disease organisms.
For bulk, the soil in growing medium
is replaced with “essentially sterile” ingredients
like peat moss or coir, with
vermiculite to hold water and perlite to
drain readily, plus starter fertilizer.
To cover or not to cover: Barring a
few exceptions, determine whether your
seeds need a covering of “soil” after
planting by their size. Seeds large enough
to be handled should be planted in shallow
furrows and then covered with the
surrounding soil. Tiny seed can be surface
sown and gently pressed into the soil with
the flat edge of a label or the bottom of
another pot.
Search out bottom heat: If you
think that indoor seed-starting might become
a regular spring activity at your
house, invest in some cables to generate
bottom heat. Seeds will sprout faster
and more consistently by using them. For
those of you who will start a flat or two
of plants, find a spot in your house that
maintains 70 degrees. I have set plants on
a shelf above the radiator, on top of the
freezer, and even close to the woodstove.
All will work.
Provide supplemental light: Once
seeds have germinated it is time to provide
the seedlings with direct light for 14
hours a day. The easiest way to achieve
this is purchase a shop light with two
fluorescent bulbs. Position the plants just
inches away from the lights to produce
the stockiest seedlings possible. Bottom
heat is not necessary for growing on except
for in the coldest locations, otherwise
average household temperatures are
just fine.
Transplant at the first “true
leaves”: Most seedlings emerge from
TIMES photo submitted
(Left) Seed starting mix should be sterile, able to hold water and drain easily. (Right) Once seeds have germinated provide the seedlings with direct
light for 14 hours a day.
Tips for successful indoor seed starting
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These tiny tomato seeds have a lot
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S P O N S O R E D B Y D & R F A R M O F H A M P D E N
the seed unfurling two large cotyledon
leaves. Soon after that true leaves grow.
Transplant at this stage - roots will be
sized right and not intertwined with those
of their neighbor. Remember the mantra
“two leaves but only one stem” and hold
the seedling by a leaf when inserting it
into its individual cell or pot. If it should
tear you have another; tear the stem and
the plant is kaput.
Don’t skimp on the last step: Fast
forward to May. Your transplants look
great. They have received ample light,
water and even a splash or two of liquid
fertilizer. Don’t forget to gradually acclimatize
them to the outdoors before planting
them in the garden. It is a whole new
world out there with bright sun, strong
winds and heavy downpours! Prepare
your plants by first setting them out in a
sheltered spot for just a few hours a day.
Over the course of the next several days
work up to full sun all day long; leave
them out at night as well. Care taken here
will guarantee all your hard work (fun!)
was not for naught.
Roberta McQuaid graduated from
the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at
the University of Massachusetts. For the
last 20 years, she has held the position of
staff horticulturalist at Old Sturbridge Village.
She enjoys growing food, as well as
flowers. Have a question for her? Email it
to journalregister@turley.com with “Gardening
Question” in the subject line.
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