Outside of cooking and writing, gardening has to be one of my favorite things to do as a hobby. Nothing instills more pride in your work like watching something grow from a seed to a full plant that is feeding you, not to mention all the money you can save on groceries. So, starting this month I will be doing a monthly installment on growing your own food and where better to start than the beginning with seedlings.
The first thing you have to decide when you are growing plants to eat is what you want to grow. With this, there are a few things to consider: climate, growing space, and preferences. Climate refers to what you can grow where you live, for example, cacti do not grow well outdoors in Michigan because it is too wet for them and neither would a cucumber plant grow well in the desert because it is too dry. Beyond that though you need to consider how shaded or sunny your growing space is, because some plants prefer sunlight over shade. Next, consider how much area you have to grow things. I have just a balcony with a lot of pots so grow space is very limited. We have grow lamps for some indoor growth but mostly we will be depending on that outdoor grow space. Finally, what do you like to eat? What are your favorite veggies or fruits that cost you a fortune in stores? With these in mind, we’re growing cucumbers, grape tomatoes, alpine strawberries, arugula, chard, chives, rosemary, oregano, hot and sweet peppers, thyme, and parsley. These all do well in pots (big ones for the cucumbers but they worked out very well last year!), like our climate, and we’ll eat or share with others (in the case of the hot peppers, I don’t like them very much).
We’ll be growing ours from seed, because that’s what I tend to like to do because nothing is more impressive than having a little seed appear from a tiny cup. We spent the last Saturday in January planting them and now they’re little happy plants.
Yet don’t feel as though you are too late starting seeds now. Last year we only got cucumbers going around June and we had plenty by August and September. For our setup, we have a lot of pots and a handful of grow lamps that help our little guys get much needed light in the dark winter months. The new thing we tried this year was adding these blue/red LED grow lamp bulbs and they are amazing! Our tomatoes and chard have gone crazy under them as compared to the normal fluorescent grow light. We also planted groups of seeds, because it is better to have too many seedlings than too few, especially because there will always be some that don’t grow at all.
Now, if you are growing from seed, you’re gonna want to know when to take your baby plants and put them into a bigger pot. Height should NOT be a factor, because plants will grow as tall as they need to so they can reach the light. The thing you should be looking for is adult leaves. They are your sign that your plant is growing strong and is established enough to be replanted into a larger pot. Wait for at least two to three full adult leaves before you replant. When it’s time to replant, get the new pot ready and treat your seedlings with gentle care. Do not pull out like a weed, dig them out and then plant them deeper into the pot to where their first leaves hit the dirt. This will help make a stronger plant with a stronger root system, and also helps with the top heaviness that young seedlings will get.
However, if you wish to start from a plant from the store, that works well too! Not everyone has the patience for seedlings (I know my mother doesn’t) and they can take a lot of work to get rolling. However, when shopping, make sure you look at the quality of the plant itself. If it is wilting, discolored, or looks eaten, you don’t want it in your garden. Grab only the best plants if you want your garden to succeed. If you have to, go to another store! I recommend home and garden stores, they tend to have the best seeds or seedlings. Don’t be afraid to shop around, don’t start your garden off on the wrong foot because you didn’t want to go to another store.
That’s all for this time, if you have any questions, please ask me in the comments below! Also feel free to give any growing tips that you might have and if you like this addition to food Thursdays.
