Durham Master Gardeners Indoors and Out Durham Master Gardeners Website: www.durhammastergardeners.ca Email: info@durhammastergardeners.ca
Learn from the Seed Package
Seed starting times Check the dates based on last frost in your area
Conditioning Your Seeds Some seeds with a hard seed coat need to be soaked or scarified before planting
Starting Seeds Indoors Use sterile, clean pots Use a starter growing soil Plant depth = 2 x seed diameter Label your seeds – they all look alike when they are small!
Germinating Seeds Some seeds require humidity to germinate Some seeds require dark to germinate Check soil temperature guides if planting outside Some seeds require heat to germinate
Cotyledon Phase
First True Leaves
Turn on the lights when the first true leaves appear Using Grow Lights Turn on the lights when the first true leaves appear Raise the lights as the seedlings grow
Thinning Seedlings Thin your seedlings to one or two plants per cell pot in order to give them room to grow. Snip the extra or “tease” them from the pot and transplant into a new pot.
Transplanting
Conditions to Watch for Mealy bug White fly Downy Mildew Damping off Aphids
Watering Best to water from below and allow to drain well Overwatered Seedlings too dry
Phosphorous or Potassium deficiency Fertilizing Fertilize when first true leaves appear Use water soluble fertilizer – 25% solution to start, then build to 75% Fertilize every two weeks Phosphorous or Potassium deficiency Nitrogen deficiency
Easy seeds to start indoors Basil Beans Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Leeks Lettuce Peppers Tomatoes Alyssum Columbine Cosmos Hollyhocks Marigolds Pansies Shasta daisies Snapdragons Zinnias
Hardening Off
Planting Outside Transplant outside in containers or beds after hardening off and after the last frost has passed
Seeds to direct sow in the garden Beans Carrots Chives Lettuce Onions Peas Pumpkins Radishes Summer Squash Winter Squash Coriander (Cilantro) Summer Savory Calendula Cosmos Johnny Jump-ups Love-in-a-mist Morning Glories Nasturtium Portulaca