Now is a good time to begin planting
By Marci Laehr Tenuta
Journal Times | Posted: Thursday, April 9, 2009 12:00 am
More people across the country are planting their own gardens to save money at the grocery store, and many of them are trying to do it as cost-effectively as possible. That often means growing their own plants from seed.
Racine County is no exception.
"A lot more people are buying seeds," said Mark Flynn, owner of D.P. Wigley, 234 Wisconsin Ave., which sells pre-packaged and bulk garden seeds. "We've had trouble getting some seed because so many people are planting this year. A lot of suppliers have already run out of seed."
While growing flowers and vegetables from seed is a less expensive option than buying cucumbers at the grocery store and pansies at nursery, it's also a process that depends on many variables to be successful.
For some plants, throwing a handful of seeds into tilled-up soil in early April is the perfect approach. For others, careful planting into bedding flats that will be set on heating mats and under grow lights is required.
"If you do it right, you can grow nice plants at home," said Ron Peterson, the greenhouse manager for Milaeger's.
What to start outdoors, indoors
The ways seeds are started depends on the type of plants they are, according to Flynn and Peterson.
Some vegetables don't do well if you try to start them from seed indoors, Peterson said. Corn and green beans both like to be planted right in the garden, he said. "With corn you gain nothing by seeding it ahead of time," Peterson said.
Flynn said snap peas and snow peas can be started from seed in the garden now. "Those go in as soon as you can get into the ground," he said. Potatoes, beets and greens also can be planted outside now, he said.
"They actually do better in the cold," Flynn said. "They take very little work."
The peas are slightly more involved because you'll need some type of fence or trellis for them to climb, he said.
Carrots also do not transplant well and should be started outdoors in the garden, Flynn said.
But some vegetables and most flowers have to be started indoors if you are going to grow them from seed, according to the Racine County University of Wisconsin-Extension's Master Gardener Home Vegetable Guide. "Many garden crops, such as tomatoes, originated in tropical environments and require a long frost-free growing season," the guide says. "In most regions of the U.S. if you plant tomatoes from seed after the last spring frost, you'll be lucky to get a tomato or two before the first fall frost. That's why long-season, heat-loving plants like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are set in the garden as transplants."
If you're starting the seeds indoors, it's typically about four to eight weeks until they can be planted outside, but that really depends on the variety of plant, Peterson said.
He said some cold crops, like lettuce, onions and some herbs can be planted outside in the garden earlier, but things like tomatoes and peppers should wait to be transplanted until at least the middle of May, he said.
Common flowering plants such as petunias, pansies and impatiens should also be started inside now, Peterson said. Marigolds should be started by mid-April, and zinnias should be one of the last flowers to seed, he said.
Zinnia only need about four weeks of growing time before they are transplanted to the garden.
"By mid to late April, you should have everything planted," Peterson said. "That will make them a plantable size (for the garden) around Memorial Day."
Coaxing seeds to grow
To grow plants from seed indoors, there are several things you'll need, including bedding flat trays, a good seed starter soil, a grow light and special heat mat. "You can get pretty fancy or basic," Peterson said.
Milaeger's starts their seeds in plug trays, which are seeded by a machine, Peterson said. The tiny spouts are misted by machine and hand-watered until they grow enough to be transplanted into larger trays and watered with overhead sprayers.
Peterson said for people who want to grow seeds from home, he wouldn't recommend using the small plug trays, because they dry out too fast. Instead, he suggests someone growing seeds at home use a bedding flat tray with larger cells.
If the soil mix or pressed peat disks that often come in indoor seed starting trays are not pre-moistened, make sure to water before planting. Following the directions on the seed packet, plant a seed or two in each cell of the bedding tray.
Peterson recommends covering the top of the tray with plastic wrap to keep the humidity around the seeds.
Use a grow light or regular fluorescent lights to provide adequate light for the plants, the UW-Extention guide recommends. It's best to keep the lights just a few inches from the top of the seedlings, because light intensity diminishes the farther it is from the plants.
Don't use incandescent light bulbs, because they can get too hot and burn tender plant tissue, the guide says.
A special heating mat to keep the seeds warm enough is also good, Peterson said. "They like temperatures anywhere from 72 to 80 degrees," he said.
The seeds, and later sprouts, should be watered daily, Peterson said. He recommends spritzing the seeds until they have germinated to maintain moisture.
After the seeds have sprouted, Peterson said you can pull back the saran wrap.
If your planting from seed outdoors, you need a lot fewer supplies. Flynn said he tills his garden soil, puts in manure and peat moss, toss the seeds out into the garden and rakes them over a bit.
"That's about all the cover they need," he said.
Plant requirements
For someone trying to grow from seed for the first time, common vegetables and flowers are typically a good choice, Peterson said. There are flowers, like wax begonia, lisianthus and gerberas, that are just not easy to grow from seed.
Check the instructions on seed packages to see what the plant will require. Some plants have more complicated requirements.
For example, Flynn said, carrots need better soil than most of the other vegetables. "If carrots are turning out poorly, the soil is either too compacted or you're missing something in the soil."
So if you plan to grow carrots, a soil testing kit is a good investment. Little test kits can be purchased for around $2 to $5, Flynn said. But a more exact test can be done by the UW-Extension office, he said.
There are hundreds of different seeds available at local nurseries and garden centers from the most common to the most exotic.
Seeds can be bought in packets, which range in price at Milaeger's from about $1.50 to $3, or in bulk, which costs about $1 for an ounce of seed at D.P. Wigley.
Milaeger's also offers bedding trays to plant the seeds, seed starter potting soil, grow lights, heating mats and kits that come with everything necessary to start plants from seeds.