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Starting Vegetable Seedlings Indoors

Source: NDSU Extension Service Horticulturist

Transplanting is the moving of a plant from one place to another. Transplants may be started indoors at home, or purchased. In many cases, it is easier to buy transplants. Be sure to purchase stocky, well-grown plants, not tall, spindly ones. If you grow transplants yourself, you can grow the varieties you want and plants will be on hand when you are ready to plant.

You can grow transplants at home if you know what the plants require. Plants should be grown in direct sunlight (12 or more hours per day) and on a cool windowsill or porch (min. 55 degrees F at night). Home-grown transplants are often tall, spindly and weak because they are started too early, grown too warm, over-watered and given too little light.

Plant seeds in a shallow pan or in a horizontally-cut milk carton. First punch drain holes in the bottom. Fill planting tray 3/4 full of well-drained soil. Sow seeds thinly and cover with soil or sand 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep and water thoroughly. Cover the planted tray with newspaper or plastic and place in a warm room (70-75 degrees F). Peek in on them each day to see emerging seedlings. As soon as seedlings start emerging, remove the cover and place the tray in a well-lighted window. Do not over-water.

After the seedlings have developed one pair of true leaves, transplant them to containers filled with well-drained soil and space them 1 inch apart in trays or individual containers.

Start cabbage, peppers and broccoli no earlier than April 1; sow tomato seed about April 20 for ideal garden transplants. It is often wise to purchase prepared soil mixtures for growing transplants.

For future reference, you may want to obtain a copy of Extension bulletin H-618, "Everybody's Garden Guide," which is available at your county office of the NDSU Extension Service.

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For More Information Contact your North Dakota County Extension Office of the NDSU Extension Service for additional information or see our main NDSU Web Page for publications and articles on Agriculture, Horticulture, Youth and Family, Business and Community and Food and Nutrition at  http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/