Quick Fixes for Problems when Growing Seed Indoors

Since I've started vegetable gardening, I've been told a few times that "real gardeners" start from seeds. I think it's debatable that you only earn your green thumb if you use seeds, but there's no denying that growing from seeds have their benefits. From the larger number of available plant varieties to the much lower price, seeds are a great way to grow. However, my experience with seeds has been less than stellar. So, I did what farmers and gardeners have always done. I sought advice from others, namely Dave Malicki who is a long-time gardener in Pittsburgh and Judy Nash, the Nursery Manager at the Lake Wilderness Arboretum in Wisconsin. Here's what I learned.

* Use a soil-less potting medium.
Soil-less mixtures are less thick and not as likely to become water logged. Ms. Nash uses a specialized mixture of peat moss and perlite covered with chicken grit. Mr. Malicki uses Miracle-Gro® Seed Starting Potting Mix which is similar, but with added fertilizer.

* Or use peat disks.
An alternative to a potting medium are peat disks. These can be plopped right in the ground when transplanting. This avoids damage to tender roots. Since I've starting using peat disks, the number of surviving seedlings is much higher. These disks are the size of a half dollar and expand into three inch cylinders when immersed in water. Just drop a seed into the hole in the top and wait. Make sure to keep seeds constantly moist. When you transplant, the peat needs to be completely covered by dirt, otherwise moisture will escape rapidly into the air. Remove the netting around the disks prior to planting to avoid having a build up of the plastic strings in your garden.

* Disinfect your containers.
This is one of those things that we know we should do, but often never get around to it. Seedlings are very susceptible to bacteria, viruses, and fungus spore that may be left in pots from prior years. Ms. Nash says that everything they use is first washed in a bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water). Before using the pots, be sure to rinse thoroughly with water.