Page 29 - Organic Gardening 3 Part Series

The possibilities are truly endless, and you're only limited by the amount of space

you have at your disposal.

Planting Indoors

Starting your seeds indoors gives you greater control of the environment which
will give your seeds a better chance of germinating. If you're in a cold climate, it
will also allow you to get started earlier and have vigorous seedlings ready for
transplantation after the last frost.

Timing is Everything!

To know when you should start your seeds, count backward from the date of the
last, expected frost. Check each plant's requirements to determine when to sow
and when to move the plants outdoors. For example, hot weather plants like
tomatoes and eggplant should be started from seed from 6 to 8 weeks before the

last frost.

You can start your seedlings in

just about any container as long
as it has holes for drainage.

Seedlings started in their own
individual pots won't need to
be potting up later so using flats
with separate cells will save you
an extra step.

They're also great for plants
which don't do well during
transplanting like cucumbers.

The growing medium should be
light and moist. As we discussed in our section on composting, you can use
compost as a potting medium. Once your seeds have germinated and produced
leaves, you should water them with an organic liquid fertilizer which has been

diluted to half strength.