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The Dirty Laundry Behind Organic Seed Germination

© Tamara Galbraith

Remove the lid from your seed tray and put it away - you shouldn't be needing it anymore.

Position the light so that it's straddling the tray and is as low as you can get it over the seedlings. (Although the bulbs I use are fairly cool to the touch, I still don't let them actually rest on anything, but instead prop the light on books at each end. Most of these shop lights also come with hanging kits. If you've got the space, go for it.)

What's important is that the light source is very close to the seedlings. As they grow, you'll raise the light. But if you position the light too far from the seedlings in the beginning of their life, they'll grow too tall and leggy in their effort to reach the light, and it's a tough way to begin for them.

Continue to ensure the pellets stay moist, but not soggy. Provide adequate drainage (never let the pellets sit in standing water), air circulation (don't crowd pellets) and about 14 hours of time under the light each day.

If more than one of the seeds placed in each pellet germinate and start growing, you'll need to clip off the least healthy-looking sprouts so that only one seedling remains per pellet. This will encourage stronger root growth for the remaining plant. Just be sure to clip off the seedlings you're discarding - pulling them out of the pellet could damage the roots of your remaining plant.

Once two pairs of leaves are formed and roots are visibly coming out of the sides of the pellet, it's time to pot up. I usually let my little sprouts take a gradual step up into a 4" biodegradable square peat pot with clean potting soil fortified with a little compost so they don't go through extensive transplant shock. I also occasionally spray the bigger seedlings with weak compost tea to provide a boost of nutrients and protect against diseases.

When the plants have filled the square peat pot, they're probably ready to go outside! Yippee! Tomatoes are the exception. They don't seem to mind being transplanted nearly as much, and can be potted up continually until ready to go into the ground, which works pretty well, since toms shouldn't hit the garden before April in most regions. Other warm season veggies and flowers shouldn't even be started indoors until just after your last frost date.