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If you don’t have lids to fit your seed starting containers, use plastic wrap. I like Press’n Seal® myself, because you can attach it to the sides of the container. It isn’t organic, but it doesn’t touch your plants either. You remove it as soon as seeds are up and growing with two sets of leaves. Insert little vertical plant tags into the soil to keep plastic wrap off of your seedlings.
POTTING SOIL. Potting soil. Special seed-starting soil is sold with seed packs. However, as long as your potting soil is rich in nutrients, well-drained and organic, you can use most potting soil. I find that the seed-starting soils tend to bubble up if I water them from above, and sometimes, it disturbs my seeds. One way to prevent this is to water from below, by placing an inch or so of water in a tray and setting your containers inside it. Once the soil in your containers looks damp on top, dump out the water. Either way works. Make sure your potting soil is damp, but not soaking wet, before you start.
SEEDS.
PLANT TAGS AND A SHARPIE. You simply must write down what you’ve planted because in the rush of getting things into the ground, you won’t remember which plant is which.
A LIGHT SOURCE. Buying lights for seed starting can be as complicated as writing about compost, or as simple. Seeds can be started in a sunny window, but I found mine performed better and grew faster if they had additional light. I started with two sets of full-spectrum fluorescent lights that I mounted beneath the windowsills in our living room. I still use these once plants are growing, and I want to start more seeds elsewhere. Plants get the natural light from the window along with that of your light source.
Once I had grown a few things from seed, I had the seed-starting bug! I built myself a seed-starting station, and it’s located in the dining room next to the kitchen, where it’s easy for me to remember to water. It’s a simple one-two-three thing to set up. (See how on the following page.)
HEAT MATS. Many seeds benefit from heat from below. I’ve listed my source for heat mats in the Resources section at the back of the book.
What to sow?
That’s easy: sow veggies you crave. Always be open to new vegetables, but don’t plant an entire flat of arugula unless you love it.
In warm climates like mine, you can sow seed in late summer for vegetables like kale, chard and lettuce that don’t germinate so well in hot weather. I always sow a flat or two of these yummy veggies to harvest outside in fall.
Build a seed-starting station
To build a seed-starting station, you’ll need the following:
Metal Rack, with adjustable shelves because as plants grow, you will need to move the light source further away. You can also put lights on adjustable chains if you can’t find a rack with shelves that move. Knowing my tendency to go big, I bought a five-foot tall metal closet rack. A shorter one would be fine, but I wouldn’t go taller. This one stretches nearly to my dining room ceiling.
Four Casters to make your seed station easy to move. Mine stays in the dining room near the kitchen where there is water. My potting bench, a./k./a., kitchen sink, is one door away. That’s also where I write so I spend time there everyday. We have a basement, but I’m a forgetful plant mama.
Four-foot light fixtures with full-spectrum, fluorescent bulbs. Note: Fixtures must be grounded, attached to the metal frame and then plugged into a grounded wall fixture to prevent electric shock.
Four large heat mats, or eight smaller ones. Once plants are up and growing, you will no longer need heat mats unless your house is cold. These must also be plugged into a grounded wall fixture.
Seed trays or other containers. If you use recycled trays and inserts, first dunk them in a ten percent, bleach solution to clean them and remove bacteria.
Seeds
Soilless seed starting mix or other potting mix. Don’t try to reuse your potting soil from previous containers as seedlings are highly susceptible to bacteria; and
A watering can or a nearby water faucet. For the first few days, when seeds are covered by plastic, a watering can is great. Later, thirsty plants benefit from soaking in trays of water for a short time. I sometimes use jelly roll pans or cookie sheets with raised sides to soak trays from the bottom. You could also use rubber containers, a kitchen sink, or a bathtub to soak trays.
Assemble the metal rack. I chose metal because water won’t damage the finish. Wood wouldn’t work well in this situation. Attach the lights either with adjustable chains or metal flanges. We like chains best. Insert light bulbs. You will need to stick them into the fixture and usually give a slight turn to lock them in place. Plug lights and warming mats into a grounded electrical outlet. It must be grounded because water and electricity mixed together is shocking and dangerous. Mine are plugged into a grounded power strip. Place heating mats below lights, and your seed starting station is open and ready for business.
How do I know what seeds to buy? (food preferences and food limitations)
I thought I knew what I liked to eat, but after being diagnosed gluten and dairy (casein) intolerant in 2007, I discovered a whole new world of food. Gone were whole wheat breads and fluffy pastries, but in their place, I stumbled upon Thai and Hispanic cuisines. They became the backbone of my diet. For me, suddenly, there was a wide, new world of chiles, Asian eggplant, quinoa, rice – brown or Jasmine – basils, onions, garlic, etc.
