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Index : Landscape Plants
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- 16. Expand Your Options - Grow Garden Plants from Seed - Top
- Many home gardeners limit themselves to growing flower and vegetable varieties they can purchase as small plants in the garden centers. The problem is, most garden centers have a very limited number of varieties to offer. Even their seed racks offer a limited choice and often include varieties that aren’t well-suited to the Southwest. And if your looking for transplants for your spring garden, they’re usually available in the stores too late to get a jump on our hot weather! The solution to these problems is to order varieties from quality garden catalogs and grow your plants from seed.
Start now, by looking through garden seed catalogs to find heat-tolerant and early ripening varieties. You may also obtain a list of recommended vegetable varieties for Southern Arizona at: www.ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening or by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Garden Seed, 4210 N. Campbell Ave, Tucson, 85719.
It’s not difficult to grow your own flower and vegetable plants from seed. Starting them indoors in the next few weeks will insure you’ll have small plants ready to set out in the garden by early March.
When you receive your seed, read and follow all label directions. You can plant seed in special pots and trays made for seed propagation, or use containers you have around the house. Egg cartons, the bottoms of milk cartons and plastic liter soda bottles, styrafoam and paper cups, and clean pots are just a few of the items you can use. Be sure to put drainage holes in all container you intend to use.
Fill your seed-starting containers with a prepared seed-starting mix, available at garden stores, or mix your own using equal parts of peat moss and vermiculite. In addition, vermiculite used alone makes a good medium for starting small seeds.
Watering to keep the soil moist after seeding should be done using a misting bottle to prevent disturbing the seed or soil. Never let the soil dry out! Seeds will fail to germinate and seedlings will die if the soil isn’t kept evenly moist. To help hold in moisture, cover the seed containers with tents made of clear plastic trays or plastic wrap. After seedlings emerge, poke some holes in the plastic covers to prevent heat build-up and allow excess moisture to vent out. Gradually remove the covers to condition the plants to drier air. But, always keep the soil moist!
If window space is not available, grow seedlings under artificial lighting. The combination of one warm white and one cool white florescent tube in a utility fixture is best at reproducing natural sunlight. Keep florescent tubes just a few inches above the seedlings to provide sufficient light intensity.
Warm soil hastens seed germination. If your starting seeds indoors, set them in a warm location. A sunny window is the best. Using special heating mats, available from local garden stores and mail order garden catalogs, do a good job of keeping the soil consistently warm, even overnight.
Whether growing your seedlings in sunlight of artificial lighting, if they notice the seedlings growing tall and thin, increase the amount of light. Weekly applications of a water soluble plant food (at half-strength) will keep the seedlings green and growing.
Finally, some vegetables grown from seed cannot be easily transplanted. These include; bean, corn, cucumber, cantaloupe, pumpkin, squash, and watermelon. Rather that starting them indoors, they should be sown in directly in warm garden soils, beginning in May.
Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona,
520-626-5161.
- Updated: January 29, 2006
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