Adventures in Seedlings

Planting from seed is pretty ambitious. There’s a lot of research, planning, and equipment to commit to and invest in if you’re going to do it properly.

I didn’t do any of that. Truth be told, I’ll typically research how to do something until the point where I go “Oh, I can totally do this” and promptly stop reading and just start the project. Then, when it inevitably doesn’t go quite as planned, I’ll read endless blogs and articles about what I should have done, and plan accordingly for next time. Here’s what happened when I decided to plant seeds. 

I chose the things I would like to eat: Rainbow Chard, Peppers, Tomatoes (cherry & yellow pear), Kale, Cucumber, Green Peppers, Jalapeno, Basil and the things I would like to look at: Marigolds, Black Eyed Susans, & Sunflowers.

These seedlings do not all want the same water, sun, or soil conditions. But I decided that the strong would survive and made them all greenhouse friends anyway. And by greenhouse I mean a cardboard box lined with a black trash bag and covered with a cardboard/saran wrap top. Very sophisticated. 

Some did well (Cucumbers, Sunflower Seeds, most Tomatoes, and Chard). Others never saw the light of day (Blackeyed Susans, Jalapeno, Green Pepper). The rest made some sort of appearance but shrunk during one particularly hot spring morning when I am pretty sure that leaving them in the greenhouse effectively steamed them. A coworker who gardens quite successfully told me that I probably had also shocked them by deciding to transition them from a partially shaded box to full sun and wind in about 24 hours. Lesson learned. 

I also have since found out that peppers are one of the hardest things to grow from seed and tomatoes are right up there too. Well, now I know. 

Things I learned: 

1. Make a chart of which seeds need which conditions and when they should be planted
2. Make seed neighborhoods rather than seed city based on needs and timing
3. Allow seeds to acclimate to actual weather starting with an hour a day
4. Let seedlings get pretty big (4"-6") before transplanting
5. Peppers are extremely hard to grow from seed. Tomatoes are also tough. Probably go ahead and buy these next year as small plants.
6. Zucchini, squash, cucumber, and cantaloupe are SUPER easy to direct sow and are serious about their territory. Plan ahead space-wise. 
7. Eggplant needs its own county.

Transplanting Seedlings to the Garden!