Starting Your Own Flowers By Seed - Hints And Help To Get Started

The first step is to think of how you would like your flowers to look. Get the visual in your head and then you must bring this vision alive. Some areas have a short growing season but you can get a jump-start before summer is here by starting your own seedlings. Some reasons to start early are a spring plant sale, a community garden, or even sending them home as gifts. Students will frequently start their own seedlings as a great learning process. They will learn how to properly read directions for planting, they will use proper math skills to determine when is the best time to plant, and science skills to know when germination is best.

Scheduling/Planning

The first thing to think of is when you are going to want to have the seedlings ready either for giving away to someone else or to plant outdoors. You can easily develop a planting calendar by using the following guidelines:

Know when the last frost date in spring is. You can check with local gardening businesses or the weather channel

By checking the seed packets you can determine how long the seeds must germinate before transplanting

The amount of time between when it has transplanted and when it will harvest.

By creating a planting calendar, reading the seed packets, and checking gardening catalogs you can determine how well each plant will do with any type of frost. A good comparison report for students is to research the different frost dates around the country and then converse about why these dates may fluctuate.

Supplies

Containers - You can probably find a variety of pots or containers that will work. They should be at least 2 to 3 inches deep and have drainage holes. You can save space by planting the seedlings close together and once they are a little bit bigger you can transplant them into separate containers.

Soil - Soil-less potting is best to start with for your seedlings. It holds water better; it is lightweight and is weed-free. You can do your own comparison by using the soil-less mix versus the heavier garden soil and see how your seedlings do.

Light - Fluorescent lights are the better choice for light. You can however, use your windowsill for light but the seedlings may not do as well. You should provide them with at least 14 to 16 hours of light per day. It is best to keep the light within a few inches of the top of the leaves so the seedlings get the warmth.

Planting - The soil should be pretty damp before planting your seedlings. You can fill the containers with the soil but do not pack it tightly. You can either space them out evenly or just spread out and cover them with soil. A good rule of thumb is to plant the seeds as deep as two times the width of the seed. By reading the seed package carefully, you will find out if the seeds require light to germinate. You need to check these types often to make sure the soil is still damp. You don't want your seeds drying out. If the seeds are particularly small, you can press them lightly just under the soil's surface.

A cotyledon is considered the seed leaf; after this leaf appears you can carefully separate your seedlings into larger containers. Try not to lift the seedlings by the stem, but by the cotyledon instead.

If you have a sensitive plant, you should plant the seed in a container in which it will remain until it goes into the ground. You can place them in the garden after the danger of frost is gone so you don't disturb the roots.

Tending Seedlings - You don't want to over water your seedlings so just water them once the ½ inch of soil is dry. Once their true leaves have come in, you can use a little bit of fertilizer, but not too much as it is harmful. Using the proper amount of fertilizer will keep your plants looking a healthy dark green. It is best to only use half of the recommended amount every week and a half to two weeks.

Hardening Off - You need to prepare your little seedlings for their first time outdoors. This is the hardening process. You start by slowly increasing the amount of time they are outdoors until you know they will survive!

What to Transplant, and When - When choosing your seeds to plant, think of any that might need that extra boost from being indoors first and can endure the roots being distressed. “Cool weather crops� are plants that can withstand the weather a month before the frost is over with. Broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage are examples of cool weather crops. “Warm weather crops� must be planted after the danger of frost is gone. Tomatoes, peppers, and melons are warm weather crops. You should read the packages for any flowers. They can vary from each flower. Corn, beans, peas, squash, cucumbers, and carrots are considered root crops and do not transplant well. Melons take a long time to grow and have very delicate roots, so take care when transplanting the seedlings.