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Springtime is here! For you who live up north, it might take a little longer, yet for enthusiast gardeners, we are always trying to push the limits ''What if I could just start the season a little early?” Yes, you can! A small greenhouse or a good window could do the trick. Seedlings do not need much light at the beginning, but they do need some. The important concept to understand is that these baby plants need to be protected against the elements, heavy rain, and cold weather can take your plants in a second. Furthermore, they always need to be moist, and they need a great soil mix for seedlings. They are babies, but if you give them what they need in the right environment, they will grow healthy and strong. Remember that most veggie plants are domesticated plants, like pets, so they need us to thrive.
Like always, I would emphasize the importance of the seedling soil mix. I will give you the exact recipe, yet I want you to understand the logic so you can get the main concept. When you put soil from the ground in a small pot or a seedling tray, the soil is not going to behave the same as it behaves when it is on the grown. Especially the draining qualities will change. That’s why there is a special potting mix soil; it is designed to drain and maintain humidity at the same time in a regular pot. Now, when it comes to tiny pots or trays for seedlings, it goes a step further. It needs to be the right medium so the water drains, and humidity stays, but also so the seed can grow easily. The seed must break up through the soil mix and grow roots down in a very small pot. And that’s why you will need a special seedling soil mix to grow from seed successfully. Yet, there are plants that do better like carrots and beets, if you plant them directly in your garden beds. I personally like to use a 50-50 percent mix of peat moss and perlite. The peat moss will maintain the moist and some nutrition and the perlite will help the drainage. Perlites are small volcanic rocks that help drainage in any soil mix. You can also add it to your garden beds if your soil needs to drain better. Some people also like to use coconut coir with perlite. If you want to go cheap or super sustainable, some people, to grow their seedlings, also use their own compost and sand to help the drainage.
The second step is to plant your seeds at the right depth; most seed bags have that information. Once the seeds start growing, you can spray them with a little fish emulsion and EM1 once or twice a week, but make sure you water them very gently every day. You can dilute one tablespoon of fish emulation in one gallon of water, and one quarter of that gallon or less can be EM1. That liquid nutrition will give the baby plants the bust that they need to grow with an intense green color and robust little bodies. I always like to grow more than I need, you can pick the best and give the other ones away. Remember that it is all about try and error, just make sure that you plan accordingly with your zoning to make sure you plant your veggies at the right time.
And have fun watching your little babies grow!
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