Skip to content

WATERS: It's time to sow some seeds

Starting seeds indoors is one way to use fewer seeds and at the same time give your plants an easier start
250205-crm-l-gardening-pic
Timing is important, says Marion Waters. Seedlings planted too early may be too far into their growing cycle before it is safe to plant them out into the garden.

Though the ground is white with frost, it’s time to start thinking about seeds!

Seeds have become more costly in recent years. And, there are often fewer seeds per packet, especially in the case of specialty seeds. This has influenced how we use them. When seeds were plentiful and cheap, it was typical to over-plant seeds, knowing a good portion of them would be lost to birds or washed away. Tiny emerging seedlings are vulnerable to late frosts and hungry pests. Some need to be thinned out, taking away another percentage of your precious seeds. 

Starting seeds indoors is one way to use fewer seeds and at the same time give your plants an easier start. There are various ways to go about this. A greenhouse of any size is a great asset. A cold frame can also be used or you can start your seeds inside your house with the help of grow lights. Use a potting mix which is lightweight and easy for new roots and shoots to push through. You can make your own by sieving some regular potting soil and adding in equal amounts of coconut coir. Sprinkle in some all-purpose organic fertilizer. This is a very basic mix just to get your seedlings started. A sprouting seed gets all the nutrients it needs from the seed itself and really needs no additional fertilizer until several leaflets are showing. 

Before sowing seeds, wet the soil mix so it is evenly moist throughout. Use a sprayer for watering to avoid flooding the seeds and perhaps displacing them. For plants that need to be started as early as February, you will need a source of warmth such as a heat mat. Most seeds will germinate at a temperature of about 18 C. Some, such as peppers, will benefit from even more warmth. A transparent plastic covering, even a plastic bag, will help to hold in moisture. Remove the covering and allow air to circulate occasionally.

Light is perhaps the trickiest to regulate. A sunny south-facing window will work only if you have huge windows. Even then, you will need to turn your seedlings ninety degrees every day to avoid growing spindly, bent seedlings. Grow lights are a great tool when used properly. Select smaller-sized ones so you can use individual lights for each type of seedling. As seedlings grow, raise the lights accordingly – situated close enough to the leaflets to provide lots of direct light but not so close as to burn them. Seedlings need about sixteen hours of light per day, so grow lights may be necessary even in an outside greenhouse.

Timing is important. Seedlings planted too early may be too far into their growing cycle before it is safe to plant them out into the garden. Sown too late, seedlings may not have adequate time to complete their growing cycles and won’t produce much before the season is over. So much stress! Consult growing charts for the south coast, but be mindful that we are slightly farther north and have generally cooler temperatures. Start everything about two weeks later than indicated. As a general guide, leeks and onions can be started indoors in February. Brassicas, tomatoes, peppers, and lettuces can wait until March. Flowers such as marigolds, zinnias, nasturtiums, hollyhocks, and delphiniums, can be started in March as well. Squashes, cucumbers, melons, and sunflowers need to be started in late April to have them ready to plant out when the soil is thoroughly warmed.

It can be difficult to find space indoors for all the seedlings you would like to grow without sacrificing too much of your living space! Thankfully, some seeds have good success rates when sown outside directly into the garden. Mescluns, kale, spinach, peas, beans, carrots and beets all grow well when sown directly into the soil without the need for transplanting. Cosmos, calendula, lupins, snapdragons, and sweet peas also thrive when directly sown. 

Starting a few seeds indoors, while it’s still winter outdoors, is wonderfully satisfying. You can save money, enjoy earlier harvests and reap a more productive crop. Those first salad greens of the season may taste even better if prices of California vegetables suddenly skyrocket.