February 10, 1999

At our house spring starts the day after Christmas.  That’s when we sow the slow-starting seeds of annual begonias.  Seed begonias need a long time to germinate and once they emerge, they enter a state of suspended animation for several weeks before they begin to grow into sturdy seedlings.

Starting seeds is a lot of fun if you have the space, time, and equipment to do it correctly.  Retail seed racks begin appearing in grocery stores right after New Year’s Day.  Many beginning "seeders" think that because the seed racks are displayed, it is time to start seeds.  And that is the most common mistake- starting seeds too soon.  In February I usually get a call or two from gardeners whose tomato seedlings are getting tall and spindly. Unfortunately, the news I have to give them is not good.  I must tell them to get more seed and wait until April to sow them.

A beginner’s best bet is to get a good book about sowing seed.  It will have a germination table telling you how many weeks it takes for the seed to grow into a sturdy young plant large enough to be moved into the garden.  It will also tell you proper light and temperature requirements.  The University of Illinois has a good pamphlet that will get you on the right schedule.  Your extension office can get it for you.

A proper growing medium is critical to getting seeds started with minimum disease problems.  Never use soil from your yard or bagged "potting soil".   Some seed starting kits even contain "potting soil".  Don’t use it if it contains actual soil.  Use a good soil-less mix made of peat moss and vermiculite.  Such a mix will help minimize disease problems and have the right consistency for good root development.

Fill a seed flat with moist soil-less mix.  You can either broadcast the seed over the surface of the mix or plant the seed in rows.  A common disease problem is "damping off" which causes seedlings to wither and die.  The disease seems to move from plant to plant.  If you sow seeds in rows you can often limit the spread to just a row or two.

Once you have your seeds planted, the tricky part of the project begins-maintaining proper temperature, light and moisture.  The seed packet will describe the requirements.  Controlling moisture just takes practice. Just make sure the seed flat has drainage holes and can drain properly.  Light requirements usually can be met with a florescent light fixture suspended about six inches above the flat.  Light from a window is usually not enough.

Controlling temperature is the biggest challenge.  Most homes are too warm for most seedlings which usually prefer night temperatures of about 65 degrees or less.   A cool bedroom or basement may solve the problem.