Planting season is on the horizon | News | newsandtribune.com – Evening News and Tribune

We are almost ready to start our second month of 2021 and I know that many people are itching to start their vegetable seedlings indoors. I am right there with you, but it is important to know a few things before starting seeds inside.

Before starting seeds indoors, it is important to read the seed packet. It contains lots of information that is needed to start successful plants. Some of the important information it contains includes: if the seeds can be started inside or if they need to be directly sown into soil, how soon before the first frost should they be started inside, what growing conditions are needed for the plant, and the sell by date of the seeds.

You might think this last item is a bit odd. Why would anyone need to know when a seed packet needs to be sold by, it isnt perishable like milk or any other grocery item. It is important to know when the seeds need to be sold by because the older a seed is the less likely it is to germinate (sprout). Now if you are like me and dont plant all of the seeds that come in the packet because you dont need 50 tomato plants in one year, that is fine. You can save those seeds. You should consider performing a germination test before the next planting season.

A germination test is really easy to do, and is a fun science project if you have kids around. To perform this test, take 10 seeds out of your saved seeds and place them in the middle of a moist paper towel and cover them with the paper towel. This test should be left in a warm location because seeds need warmth to germinate not light. After a few days check on the seeds to see if they have started to sprout. Some plant seeds may take longer to germinate than others, so if you dont see any signs of life after 10 days then the seeds are probably not going to germinate. If 10 out of 10 seeds germinate then you should have 100% success with your saved seeds.

Once you confirm that you have viable seeds, then you can start your seeds indoors. In reading one of the tomato seed packets I have, it says that I can start these seeds 5-7 weeks before the last frost. For our area of the state, the average spring frost date is the middle of April. Planting tomatoes outside in the middle of April just isnt feasible because the soil temperatures arent warm enough, so we would want to look at a date in May. For our sake, lets say the soil warms up and we can plant tomatoes on May 10th. If we count back 7 weeks from May 10th, then we could start our tomato seeds on March 22nd. If you have the space and want some bigger plants you could start your seeds a little sooner than March 22nd, but you may have to transplant them a time or two into larger containers if you have a really green thumb and the seedlings take off.

When starting plants inside, it is also important to think about light and heat. Once plants sprout, they need light. If they arent getting enough direct light from right above them, then they are going to lean and start to grow towards a light source. If plants start to grow towards a light, you can rotate the container a quarter of a turn every week to help even out the bending or create a light source that is directly above the plants. The other item to think about is heat. If placed directly above or below a heat source, the soil that the seedlings are in will dry out very fast and damage may be done to the seedlings. It is import to pick a location that is warm, but not in direct line with heat flow or a draft from windows and doors. Drafts could stunt the growth of the seedlings.

Starting seeds inside is easy, and very rewarding. Just make sure to read the seed packet ahead of time to get all of the proper growing information.

Sources used:

Purdue Publication HO-186-W: Indiana Vegetable Planting Calendar by Michael N. Dana and B. Rosie Lerner

Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service is an equal access/equal opportunity institution.

For more information about starting seeds, contact Gina Anderson ANR/CD Extension Educator at the Purdue Extension Floyd County Office, 812-948-5470, or email Gina at gmanders@purdue.edu.

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Planting season is on the horizon | News | newsandtribune.com - Evening News and Tribune