Starting seeds indoors

Growing Seeds Indoors

Growing seeds indoors isn’t hard; it’s keeping them alive that can be challenging. You can save a lot of money by growing seeds depending on how large your planting beds are, but only if they live and turn into robust plants. The main reason I start some plants is to get the varieties that you cannot find elsewhere.

I have killed more seedlings than I care to admit. Armies of tiny seedlings have fallen under my care (or lack thereof). Avoiding these common mistakes will greatly increase your odds of success.

It certainly is easy to swoon over the gorgeous pictures and glowing descriptions found in the tons of seed catalogs that come flying through the ether and into our mailboxes every winter. This often gets me into trouble, causing me to buy many more seeds than I can start, much less nurture into adulthood. Every year I bite off more than I can reasonably chew in the seed department and regret it. I am working on self-restraint in this area and suggest, particularly if you are a beginner, that starting modestly is the way to go. You can always do more direct planting in your beds when it gets warmer.

No matter what anyone tells you, chances are that you don’t have enough natural light in your house to grow robust seedlings because of the length of sunlight this time of year. Even a South facing window usually won’t do. Use artificial light. Either get some grow lights developed specifically for plants or a more economical solution, simply get some large fluorescent shop lights and put in one warm bulb and one cool one. Hang the lights from chains so that you can raise them as your seedlings grow. Keep the lights as close to the seedlings as possible without touching them (2 to 3 inches). After your seedlings appear, you’ll want to keep the lights on for 12 to 16 hours a day. To make this easier, you can easily hook up a timer to turn your lights on and off automatically. If warm outside, I place them in a cold frame or plastic greenhouse and bring them inside when I get home if the temperature is cold.

Give your seedlings too much or too little water – either way, they are toast. This is perhaps the most challenging part of growing plants from seeds. Because seedlings are so delicate, there is very little room for error when it comes to watering. You want to keep your sterile, seed-starting medium damp, but not wet. I water from the bottom when the plants are tiny.

  1. Cover your container with plastic, until the seeds germinate.
  2. Water from the bottom. By letting the plants soak up water through holes in their pots, there is less chance of overwatering.
  3. Check your plants at least once a day.

DO NOT START YOUR PLANTS TOO EARLY. Lots of plants don’t like the cold and exposing them to chilly air and soil will just stress them out and stressed-out plants are more susceptible to pests and disease. Most plants are ready to go outside four to six weeks after you start the seeds. For our area, the frost-free date is usually mid to end of May depending on the year.

Seeds are finicky when it comes to how deep they like to be planted. Some seeds need complete darkness to germinate and some like light as in head lettuce. This information is usually on the seed packet. If there isn’t any information, the rule of thumb is to plant seeds twice or three times as deep as they are wide. This can be a challenge to figure out, but if you’re not sure, err on the shallow side – don’t plant your seeds in too deep.

For seeds that need light to germinate, you’ll want to make sure that they are in contact with your seed starting medium, but not covered. To do this, first press the medium gently down to make a firm surface. Then place your seed on top of your medium and gently push down, making sure the seed is still exposed.

For seeds to germinate, most must be kept warm at 65 to 75°F. A favorite place to do this is on top of the refrigerator. There are special “seedling mats” that you can buy to put under your seeds. You can also use a small heater and put on a timer placed next to your seedlings. You will only need to worry about this until the seeds sprout. After that most can tolerate fluctuating temperatures (within reason). Also, whatever type of light you use, natural or artificial should produce enough heat to keep them happy. I use the back bedroom as my plant room for the growing lights and the temperature stays on the cool side.

Every year I am determined to do clear, organized labeling of my seeds, but I often find things growing and don’t quite remember what they are or when exactly I planted them. I have had labels get lost or moved or they have become illegible from being watered. Here’s my advice. Get popsicle sticks and write the name of the seeds and the day you planted them in permanent ink. Stick it into the soil next to the seeds you’ve planted or label by row. 

When it comes to planting labeling, Sharpies are your friends. Also taking photos with your phone always is a good idea for keeping track of everything.

Starting seeds can be a real pain. It takes dedication, attention, and time. That said you can’t beat eating a tomato that you have nurtured from day one. I would say that the biggest mistake in starting seeds would be to give up, even if you’ve made a few or even a few hundred seed-starting mistakes.

This year I am trying to sow a few seeds, just a little more than I can use in case some die. I am getting too old to leave plants at someone’s door, ring the bell, and run away.

Lawns

Time to Think about Spring Lawn Care

Now is the time to think about spring lawn care. First, rake up the dead grass under the growing grass. This is called thatch and if it is ½ thick or greater, you want to remove it to allow better water and air penetration to the soil. Thatch is usually caused by mowing too tall of grass blades several times during the summer.

If you have small areas of dead grass due to foot traffic, dogs, or heavy snow, you can overseed or dig up those areas and replant them. Fall is the preferred time to redo large areas of the lawn.

Fertilize with lawn fertilizer, especially if not done in the fall. A good time to apply is before rain or water in. Applications are made from May to early June. If you keep the clippings for mulch, wait till after two mowings before using so there is no herbicide residue left in the grass blades.

If you use a weed and feed type of fertilizer, wait till you see weed growth then fertilize. Always follow the rates and directions on the bag. You will have to go around later in the season and spot-treat those pesty weeks with a liquid fertilizer with a hand sprayer. In using a weed and feed fertilizer do not water and make sure there are at least 2 days without rain so the herbicide is not washed off. When applying, do it early in the morning when there is a due on the grass blades so the granules stick or water the lawn first.

The main question is always when to apply a preemergent crabgrass control. Crabgrass germinates when the soil temperature gets to 55 degrees. So, it is best to apply the crabgrass control granules before this. Crabgrass control usually lasts 4 weeks in the soil unless it rains heavily then much less time. The preemergent herbicide kills the crabgrass seeds as they germinate, so it does need to be watered down into the soil. This can usually be timed for when the lilac blossoms swell and when they start to open. Some people apply two applications four weeks apart if their lawns have been overtaken with crabgrass.

Home Buying

Homes Generally Appreciates

Let’s keep it simple, homes generally appreciates. Home buying is the biggest purchase of your life. Living in your home for years raising your family then selling is the norm and you will make a profit when it’s time to sell.

Smaller is bigger right now. Homes with 1200 square feet have appreciated by 7.5% and homes larger than 2400 square feet appreciated by 3.8%. This demand is caused by first-time home buyers with limited borrowing capacity and smaller families.

The number of bedrooms is a factor in valuations. 3 bedroom home appreciates 6.3% and five bedrooms appreciate by 4.3%. If you convert a bedroom into an office or study, this offsets the lower appreciation.

Two-car attached garages are what people look for. If the garage is separate, enclose it to the home with a breezeway. This would give you a sunroom if designed properly. Since most homeowners have 1.9 cars along with a lot of “toys”, 3 car garages are the gold standard.

Open-concept homes are on trend for watching the kids while you cook, entertaining guests, or for older people with mobility issues. Homes with curb appeal have a 6.9% appreciation and a nice fenced-in backyard have an 8.9% appreciation. To bridge the home to the backyard, a patio is a good investment.

Surprisingly whether you have stainless steel appliances or granite countertops does not make a difference in appreciation because people have their own opinions on these matters.

Of course, keeping your home maintained over the years with some remodeling keeps your interest in your home and will make it more contemporary when you do go to sell it.