The greenhouse my best friend got me for Christmas is just wonderful. I have managed to grow almost everything I have attempted and all indoors. Even the potatoes are looking suspiciously happy.
So I thought I would share with you the couple of different methods I used to get the greenery growing.
1.) For starters (and I found this on Pintrest) I took a couple pieces of paper towel and lined a 9x13 casserole pan with a lid. I used a Pyrex with a rubber lid and lined it and divided it into boxes with a pencil. Each one of these boxes will be used for each variety of seeds you are looking to grow. Plan out what you want to grow by companion planting, time of year and the region you live in. Again, Pintrest is a wonderful way to do this easily. Sort out your seeds and stick a sticky note on the top of the container. Before you put the lid on spray the seeds down so the paper towel is wet but not sitting in a puddle. I stuck my lil guys in the green house but a sunnyish window will accomplish the same thing. Check those bad boys everyday until they start to sprout. Plant them as soon as you see those little tails because they will naturally try to root in the paper towel and you will damage the sensitive roots trying to transplant them.
tip: When you see a white fuzz on any of the seeds then you probably have a little rot and you should clear those seeds out.
2.) Once your new friends are ready to strike out on their own and take root you can do one of two things. In my case I live in New England and spring doesn't always behave as we would like so sometimes we add extra steps. I took my sproutlets out and planted them in paper dixie cups. Yeah you heard me. Smaller things go in those little bathroom cups and since it is made of paper you can always rip the bottom off and plant the rest in the ground. I use this method in the little greenhouse until they are sizable seedlings. Spray them with a spray bottle to gently water them and keep up humidity.
tip: Follow the directions on your seeds for transplant times etc, if you live in the right zone you might be able to put the sprouts right in the ground assuming your have accounted for seed eating rodents and other pesky critters.
3: Now that I have cute little seedlings its time to harden them off. This is good in most regions to allows the little fellas so adjust to the changing weather, wind and natural occurrences they don't experience inside the stagnant environment of a greenhouse or a temperature controlled home. This part certainly wont send you running for the produce section just yet. I simply stuck the little cups on a cookie sheet or something and stick em outside. Yup, that's it. Granted, you will want to put them outside when it is warm enough not to freeze them and bring them in once the sun starts going down. You will want to do this for about a week or so.
4.) This is the part that requires a little more physical labor. You gotta dig out the bed you plan to plant in. (Doesn't apply to container gardening. Once your seed sprouts it can go right in the container. All done.) This year I have a raised bed attached to the new house we bought and while tilling it I discovered a decent amount of worms and the home has been untouched for three years. This leaves me with very, very fertile soil and I probably won't need much fertilizer. (Seriously, I got my hands in there and it's the most rich and wonderful soil and probably full of castings, I can't wait to plant it.) Without that discovery I would have needed a supplement like Miracle Grow makes. It's just called garden soil but you mix it in a couple of weeks before you plant and it replaces what your regular ground soil is missing. Once that has been mixed in and settled you can plant your tiny masterpieces. That part is simple... really just dig a hole and drop em in.
5.) Watch the weather, water them when they look dry but don't drown them, fence the plants that need fences and trellis the ones that need them. In a container you should try Miracle Grows moisture control potting soil, I have been using this and I am very happy with it. My routine changes all the time and this protects against under AND over watering. This is great for busy, active people. For containers you still want to get them outside as much as possible for best results but now you can grow year round.
There you are, from seed to garden, but I also tried one other thing that went well and that was using toilet paper rolls. I cut four even slits in one side and folded them to make a container and sealed with electrical tape. I also tried another method and it also worked well. I cut the top off of an egg carton and filled it with dirt and planting in each one of the egg cups. Once sprouted these also can go right in the ground since they are biodegradable.
Finally, there is seed tape. I have not tried this method myself but it sounds like it would work just fine. You roll out some toilet paper and fold a crease down the middle the long way. Space your seeds out according to directions fold the top over. Wet down with a spray bottle and stick in a container. Once they sprout you can just dig a trench and lay the 'seed tape' in. Your plants will be perfectly spaced for even beds.
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