Starting plants from seed is an exciting pursuit for any aspiring gardener. Whether you choose to grow food crops as a healthy supplement to your kitchen, or ornamental varieties to compliment your display, that - usually quite impatient - wait that starts the moment you bury the seed will more often than not be rewarded by the magic of a seedling emerging from soil.
This week, I have started a number of seeds.
This week, I have started a number of seeds.
In this entry, I write a general introduction about what you need to consider when starting your own seeds. I will be following up with detailed posts and factsheets about each of the crops and varieties I have started. Currently, the focus of these posts will be on container gardening.
When starting seed for the first time, one can easily be overwhelmed by the amount of information and knowledge available in cyberspace alone (just type in 'starting [x] from seed' to see the number of results returned). A word of advice: keep it simple, don't overreach; at some point, you need to start experimenting yourself - after all, what is experience without trial and error?
But that is not to say you can make do without any planning - simply burying a seed in soil or between two damp towel sheets and waiting for it to germinate is fun and does work; however, for more sustainable results some research and planning is due. To start a vegetable garden, first, make a wishlist of all the crops you want to grow - write them all down.
1. What can you offer your plants? Determine space available and conditions in your planned garden location:
As with any gardening project, the first step will always be to consider the space you have available and the prevailing conditions there. This is discussed in more detail in this post, and I will be posting a detailed entry about lighting for plants soon. Some food crops like zucchini and tomatoes will require full sun exposure, others, like lettuce, thrive in the shade and will not benefit from hot conditions while growing; establishing the conditions and available space in your garden location is the first step to selecting the varieties you will grow.
2. What will the grown plant need? Narrow down your selection of crops and varieties:
Especially with container gardening in the urban setting, you will often find that space and light conditions present certain constraints to what you can grow. Having established the conditions in your garden, perform a very basic research on each of the crops or plant types on your wishlist. Focus on two things: light and temperature, and size and root depth requirements of the grown plant.
This preliminary research will possibly lead to the elimination of some crops or plants on your wishlist: for instance, zucchini requires full-sun exposure and each grown plant will require at least a 50 cm diameter growing area. Can you accommodate for these conditions in your garden? Or will you have to forgo planting this crop?
3. What can you grow now? Start sowing:
Most seeds you buy will have instructions on when you can sow them and when you can expect them to flower. In the northern hemisphere, the number of days between the last spring and first autumn frost are a key factor in defining the growing season for vegetables. In Cairo, this is never a concern, and due to generally warm conditions theoretically any seed can be started any time. However, some food crops, such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, lettuce, will actually not benefit from growing under hot conditions. The plant itself will grow, but as a food crop the flavor and leaf texture will be undermined. Hence these crops are better started in late summer or spring so they can grow in winter.
Some easy crops to start now are: zucchini, eggplant, cucumber, tomatoes, chili and sweet peppers, cantaloupe (its recommended starting time actually ends in June, so hurry and get some seeds if you want to try it this season). Zucchini, eggplant, cucumber, and cantaloupe will require a deep container for growth; while a lot of tomato varieties and chili pepper can be grown in shallower pots and troughs as windowboxes.
To start seeds you will need the following:
And you are set. At this stage, perhaps you will want to do some in-depth research on how to start the seeds for each of your selected crops and varieties (I will be publishing detailed posts for each seed I am starting this season, along with downloadable instructions and factsheets); but generally, when sowing seeds, observe these simple rules:
Last I want to add that this is my first major seed starting attempt and the first step to my container vegetable garden. I can't wait for the seedlings to start sprouting from my sown seeds. I am very excited and hoping for a good late-summer crop.
When starting seed for the first time, one can easily be overwhelmed by the amount of information and knowledge available in cyberspace alone (just type in 'starting [x] from seed' to see the number of results returned). A word of advice: keep it simple, don't overreach; at some point, you need to start experimenting yourself - after all, what is experience without trial and error?
But that is not to say you can make do without any planning - simply burying a seed in soil or between two damp towel sheets and waiting for it to germinate is fun and does work; however, for more sustainable results some research and planning is due. To start a vegetable garden, first, make a wishlist of all the crops you want to grow - write them all down.
1. What can you offer your plants? Determine space available and conditions in your planned garden location:
As with any gardening project, the first step will always be to consider the space you have available and the prevailing conditions there. This is discussed in more detail in this post, and I will be posting a detailed entry about lighting for plants soon. Some food crops like zucchini and tomatoes will require full sun exposure, others, like lettuce, thrive in the shade and will not benefit from hot conditions while growing; establishing the conditions and available space in your garden location is the first step to selecting the varieties you will grow.
2. What will the grown plant need? Narrow down your selection of crops and varieties:
Especially with container gardening in the urban setting, you will often find that space and light conditions present certain constraints to what you can grow. Having established the conditions in your garden, perform a very basic research on each of the crops or plant types on your wishlist. Focus on two things: light and temperature, and size and root depth requirements of the grown plant.
This preliminary research will possibly lead to the elimination of some crops or plants on your wishlist: for instance, zucchini requires full-sun exposure and each grown plant will require at least a 50 cm diameter growing area. Can you accommodate for these conditions in your garden? Or will you have to forgo planting this crop?
3. What can you grow now? Start sowing:
Most seeds you buy will have instructions on when you can sow them and when you can expect them to flower. In the northern hemisphere, the number of days between the last spring and first autumn frost are a key factor in defining the growing season for vegetables. In Cairo, this is never a concern, and due to generally warm conditions theoretically any seed can be started any time. However, some food crops, such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, lettuce, will actually not benefit from growing under hot conditions. The plant itself will grow, but as a food crop the flavor and leaf texture will be undermined. Hence these crops are better started in late summer or spring so they can grow in winter.
Some easy crops to start now are: zucchini, eggplant, cucumber, tomatoes, chili and sweet peppers, cantaloupe (its recommended starting time actually ends in June, so hurry and get some seeds if you want to try it this season). Zucchini, eggplant, cucumber, and cantaloupe will require a deep container for growth; while a lot of tomato varieties and chili pepper can be grown in shallower pots and troughs as windowboxes.
To start seeds you will need the following:
- containers or germination pots: these can be as sophisticated as a plug tray as used by professional nurseries and established gardeners, or as simple as any plastic containers you recycle: use yoghurt cups in place of 7 cm pots, plastic produce containers covered with plastic bags as mini greenhouses, and mashroom trays as small flatbeds. Most importantly is to always provide for drainage, regardless what container you use: punch a number of holes in the bottom of your container to allow excess water to run off.
- potting mixture or soil: in my last post, I outlined how to make your own potting mixture and the basic ingredients needed. When starting seed, always use sterile fresh soil that has not been used before. For my seeds, I mixed a fairly moisture retentive mixture of 2 parts coco peat to 1 part perlite to 1 part sand. An alternative idea for potting and/or seeding mixture I have come across but still not tried is to "roast" any garden soil you have available with some potato peel for a couple of hours - I will be sure to post something about that once I try it (I know I will).
- plastic wrap, bags, or bottle bottoms: use these as covers and domes to retain humidity around the seed pots and in the soil. If you use dairy containers you can also use their transparent lids after punching some holes in them for aeriation.
- labels: you want to label the containers with the name of the plant and sowing date. Recycled popsicle sticks can be used for this purpose too.
And you are set. At this stage, perhaps you will want to do some in-depth research on how to start the seeds for each of your selected crops and varieties (I will be publishing detailed posts for each seed I am starting this season, along with downloadable instructions and factsheets); but generally, when sowing seeds, observe these simple rules:
- as stated above, always use fresh, sterile potting soil that has not been used before for starting seeds
- the potting mixture should be moist, but not soggy
- make sure the pots and/or containers you use allow for drainage
- when you sow seeds, bury them at a depth that is 2 to 4 times their diameter - for smaller seeds use flatbeds, for larger ones pots
- to sow very fine seeds, e.g. celery seed, mix the seeds with sand and sprinkle evenly, cover with a thin layer of soil
- always be careful to sow seeds as evenly thin as possible
- don't overwater the pots, if they have drain holes, water from below to aviod disturbing the seeds too much, and use a fine mist sprayer to water
- make a habit of boiling your plant water, or at least letting it stand overnight before using it: tap water has a relatively high chlorine content which can be detrimental to young plants (a detailed post on plant watering in general will be published soon)
Last I want to add that this is my first major seed starting attempt and the first step to my container vegetable garden. I can't wait for the seedlings to start sprouting from my sown seeds. I am very excited and hoping for a good late-summer crop.
