Start Your Seeds Indoors For A Jump On Spring Planting
|
Article by: Mary Hanna Spring is creeping in, hallelujah, and it's time for us to start digging in the dirt. For all of you frustrated gardeners that live in colder climes I bet you can't wait to start planting your garden , Lawn Care Information beds with flowers, , Organic Solutions For Pest Control herbs , Dandelions, Friend or Foe? and vegetables. , Flowering Cherries Over the long winter , Selecting Outdoor Benches you forget how much you miss those showy blooms and the riot of color , Patio Table Covers a beautiful garden , Japanese Plum Yew - Cephalotaxus Harringtonia 'Prostrata' can supply. If you live up north, there are a variety of ways to cope with the short growing season. , Japanese Plum Yew - Cephalotaxus Harringtonia 'Prostrata' Frost, which can happen as late as May or June, delays your plans , No Dig Gardens - How to Build One for planting seeds. , The Dangers of Chlorine Free Pool Chemicals With the many quick growing plants , Understanding Integrated Pest Management this does not pose a problem but with vegetables , Landscaping Tips and ornamentals a little head start is very helpful for healthy, , Teak Garden Benches lush plants. , Landscaping Can Make or Break Curb Appeal for Homebuyers Starting those plants , Tulips: Anything But Typical indoors solves the problem of unwelcome frost. Getting an early start indoors , Selecting Outdoor Benches will really make a difference for frost intolerant plants. , A Touch of Elegance: The Very Best Outdoor Decor Another benefit of starting seeds , 5 Great Tips For Building A Fish Pond indoors is that as soon as the frost danger has passed, you can plant , Landscaping Can Make or Break Curb Appeal for Homebuyers your seedlings into your garden , No Dig s - How to Build One giving you a good extra month of gorgeous blooming flowers. , No Dig Gardens - How to Build One When starting seeds , Tulips: Anything But Typical indoors, you must simulate the same conditions as those planted outside. , Dream Yard Your basics for all plant , Park Benches life, whether inside , Orchids: A Luxurious Look That's Really Not Hard To Achieve or out, are soil, , Do You Know About A Bamboo Orchid water , Mosquitos... Beware! and light. , When to Fly Old Glory The difference is that your indoor , Controlling Spider Mites seedlings will need a little more attention and each plant , Organic Solutions For Pest Control will have its own considerations. Always start with sterilized soil, , A Teak Table - Accent Your Outdoor Decor With One this is essential. There is a fungus known as Damping-off-Disease that can wipe out your hard work in a matter of days. For some reason the propagation of plants , A Portable Perennial Garden indoors allows just the right conditions for the spores of these fungi to grow , Patio Table Covers rampantly. You can easily avoid this plight by using sterile soil , Tillers - How to Find the Right Tiller for the Job or a sterile medium. You can use your own soil , The Care of Cattleya Orchids but it involves a lot of work and may not be worth the effort when commercial mediums are readily available. To use your own soil, , 5 Backyard Patio Ideas you must sterilize it in the oven after sifting out the clumps and debris. Most commercial mediums sometimes referred to as "soil less" are usually a combination of peat moss and vermiculite. When using these mediums make sure it is clearly marked on the bag that they are sterilized. After deciding the medium that you will use, there are a variety of containers available to start your seeds. , The Care of Cattleya Orchids I have used flats, , The Care of Cattleya Orchids peat pots, , Organic Solutions For Pest Control dixie cups and even egg cartons successfully. As with any plant, , Parsley: A Cook's Best Friend the size of the container used is determined by the plant , Understanding Integrated Pest Management you are growing , A Touch of Elegance: The Very Best Outdoor Decor and only experience can guide you here. Seedlings require an enormous amount of light, , Add Value to Your Home - Landscaping either sunlight or artificial light , Add Value to Your Home - Landscaping or a combination of both. If they don't get sufficient light , The Dangers of Chlorine Free Pool Chemicals the plants , Pink Hibiscus will get "leggy" or "spindly", denying them a healthy , Planning the Vegetable Patch start on the way to your garden. , The Feng Shui of Trees Even in a bright window , Life's a Beach--A Shore Theme in your Outdoor Space with a lot of sun , Patio Table Covers you may still need to use artificial light. , Dandelions, Friend or Foe? If you do need to use artificial light, , Lawn Care Information buy bulbs , The Feng Shui of Trees that are manufactured specifically for that purpose. Even though they are for the singular purpose of growing plants , How To Build A Waterfall you still must keep them on for at least fourteen (14) hours a day. No artificial light , Why Teak Furniture is the Better Choice can compensate for the intensity of direct sunlight. The most important element of growing , Are You New To Organic Gardening your seedlings indoors , Teak Garden Benches is watching the moisture. , A Portable Perennial Garden They must be kept moist but not soggy. The most advantageous way to water , Controlling Spider Mites is from the bottom. Set your pots , Pink Hibiscus in a tray and pour the water , How to Extend Your Living Space Outdoors - Working with Color into the tray allowing the pots , Planning the Vegetable Patch to soak up all of the water. , No Dig Gardens - How to Build One Never let your pots , Understanding Integrated Pest Management stand in water , CO2 for 'Free' as this will cause them to rot. If you have your pots , The Care of Cattleya Orchids in a very sunny window , Selecting Outdoor Benches place them in a tray with gravel. , CO2 for 'Free' Keep the gravel , Park Benches "watered" just under the pots , CO2 for 'Free' to keep them from drying out. When you first start your seedlings cover them tightly with plastic , 5 Backyard Patio Ideas wrap. This helps to maintain warmth and moisture, , Landscaping Can Make or Break Curb Appeal for Homebuyers but be careful to uncover them when they begin to sprout so they don't smother. I know you may become anxious in January to start getting ready for planting season , Landscaping Tips but it is important not to start you seeds , Growing African Violets in Natural Light indoors to early. If they outgrow your pots, , Do You Know About A Bamboo Orchid you will have to thin them and transplant them to bigger containers. This is not the best scenario. For best results, you want to transplant them once outdoors , Patio Table Covers as soon as they are large and healthy , Why Teak Furniture is the Better Choice enough to survive. A good rule of thumb to start with is four to six weeks after sowing the seeds, , How To Build A Waterfall making sure they have at least two sets of leaves. Right before transplanting your thriving seedlings, feed them with a very weak solution of a water , Selecting Outdoor Benches soluble fertilizer to give them strength through the transplanting process. Keep a diary on what has worked for you, since experience is always the best teacher. Experiment a little each year with one or two new flowers, , How To Make Moss On Your Landscape Rocks And Garden Statues herbs , Patio Table Covers or vegetables, , The Feng Shui of Trees this will add variety and spice to your garden. , Mosquitos... Beware! Go to gardening , Orchids: A Luxurious Look That's Really Not Hard To Achieve forums on the internet , Parsley: A Cook's Best Friend and join the group, the experiences of others is always helpful and the spirit of community is enjoyable and satisfying. Happy Planting! Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved. This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens , Soil, Drainage, and Water inside and outside , Patio Table Covers year round. She writes eBooks, Software Reviews and Practical Articles on Gardening , 5 Backyard Patio Ideas and Cooking. Please visit her websites at: http://www.GardeningLandscapingTips.com http://www.GardeningOutside.com and http://www.ContainerGardeningSecrets.com or contact her at mailto:mhanna@gardeninglandscapingtips.com |
  
|
Landscape Gardening
- Bamdoo
- Benches
- Berries
- Bonsai
- Building
- Bulbs
- Compost
- Flowers
- Gardening
- Grass
- Herbs
- Hydroponics
- Landscape Design
- Landscaping Ideas
- Lawn
- Lawnmowers
- Mulch
- Orchids
- Outdoor Furniture
- Outdoor Lights
- Patio Furniture
- Ponds
- Roses
- Seeds
- Sheds
- Shrubs
- Soil
- Tomatoes
- Trees
- UK Home and Garden
- Vegetable Garden
- Vines
Seasonal Gardening
mygarden.net.au Gardening | Landscaping | Climate Change | Home Improvement | How To DIY | Home Garden | Interior Design | Home Security | Home Finance | Forum | DIY | Add Your Link |