Starting seeds

Your garden is supposed to work for you. It needs to provide you with fresh produce while saving you money. You want it to be full and lush, but there is work to be done first. Like most things in life, you need to start from a firm foundation if you want to build something successful. When it comes to gardening, “starts” are that foundation.

Your starts could come from a green house, or you could grow them yourself. I intend to arm you with enough knowledge to get your own garden starts from seeds. I am assuming that you have already decided what you want to grow and have a garden space all planned out. If that is not the case, be sure to read the garden planning article from earlier this month. If you’re ready to take the next step, you need to know how long it will be until your plants mature.

Maturity rates

Different plants will mature at different rates, even if they are different species in the same kind of plant. For example, one type of watermelon might take 80 days to become fully mature, while another might take 110 days. That is one month difference. You will want to time your starts based on this information which should be on the seed packets.

If you want to harvest watermelon in July, you will need to plant 80-110 days in advance depending on the variety you have chosen. Also, you can consider staggering your starts, planting the same variety in one week intervals. This will help to ensure that you have a longer harvest, keeping you from getting too much of one thing at a time. It is especially helpful with plants that have a short harvest window, such as sweet corn.

Plant more than you need

Something to consider is that your starts are not guaranteed to survive. Plants, like any other living thing, can die early for a number of reasons. I have learned the hard way to plant more than I think I need for my garden in case of a catastrophe. Over-watering, under-watering, disease, fungus, bad soil, and spills can take your starts from vibrant and healthy to staggering disappointment very quickly. If your starts all happen to survive, you will have extra to plant, or you could give some away to your friends and neighbors.

Seed starting kits

Jiffy Seed Starting Greenhouse (Amazon)

Seeds can be started in just about anything, but there are some good kits that can be purchased online that will help ensure successful results. These act as little greenhouses and also help protect your plants from pests that might get into hour home, or your pets. They also serve as a tray to keep the water on your plants and not your floor.

Warm up the soil

Seedling Warming Pads (Amazon)

If you plan to have your plants in the sunlight that beams through your windows, the soil will likely get warm enough to cause the seeds to germinate. However, not everyone has that much sun coming in, but there is a solution. Warming pads that you can put under your seed trays will provide enough heat to help start the germination process. Some seeds, such as Carolina Reaper, need the extra boost provided by heating pads. I had a very low success rate getting these plants to germinate without the extra heat.  In fact, most hot peppers and tomatoes appreciate the extra warmth.

Plenty of light

Seedling Grow Lights (Amazon)

When you plant your seeds, they don’t see any kind of light until they emerge from the soil. At that point, they start to seek out any light they can find and will compete with nearby plants for it. You can make sure they are getting enough with a good grow light. A grow light differs from regular fluorescent or LED lights by producing a wider spectrum of light. They are designed to give your plants all the light they need to thrive. Your light will need to be closer to the plants than you might think, so don’t be afraid to put it as close as a half inch away. Be prepared to adjust it as your plants grow.

Proper watering

Watering in a tray is easy. You have to pour the water in the tray part, not over the plants, and the soil will absorb it all. Be careful not to overwater your plants, as they will suffer root rot, or start growing harmful mold. Once watered, the tray’s lid will act as a greenhouse and retain much of the moisture that the plants shed. Without a lid, the plants are open to the air circulating in your house, which will dry them out faster.

Building a seed starting rack

Metal Rack for Seeds (Amazon)

If you don’t already have something in mind to keep your starts on, you could consider building a starting rack. Take some wire shelving, your grow lights, your warming pads, and seed trays, and put them all together. Get wire shelving that will fit your seed trays, and place your heating pads down. set your trays on top of the pads, and hang your lights from the shelf above, and run all of your cords to a power strip. The rack you end up with will give you a place to hang your grow lights from as well as provide a neat and tidy look to your operation. Remember, you have to look at it for a couple of months.

Pro tips:

Be sure to label or otherwise catalog what seeds you planted, and where they are. That way you don’t get mixed up when they start to germinate.

Make sure you use good fresh seeds. Old seeds often will not germinate, or the plant will not produce well.

Planning Phase

Garden planning is a vital component of having a fruitful garden harvest. There are many options depending on location, soil, and available space.

Each year, my wife and I sit down and discuss our plans for the garden. We pour over gardening catalogs and check our inventory of seeds we saved from the previous year. We discuss the things we did well, and areas where we could use some improvement. If we put away stock of a certain fruit or vegetable, we talk about how our family used it over the winter and make decisions concerning the amount we are going to plant, or whether to forgo planting it again this year. To get the most out of gardening, the planning phase is crucial.

As is the case with most who garden, we have limited space dedicated for this purpose. While planning for each year’s garden, we discuss whether to till some more land, keep our current amount of space, or let the lawn take over some space for the year. As our children grow, they start to consume more food. We will obviously need to till some more space in the near future so we can keep up with their ever-growing needs.

You may find yourself in a similar situation, or you may be planting a garden for the first time. What ever the case, there are some things you need to consider first:

1. Plants need sun. If you are surrounded by large objects such as trees or buildings, look for the area of your property that gets the most sun. That is where you are going to put your garden. Alternatively, you could trim or remove trees to give your plants more access to the light. Just make sure they are your trees, or that you have permission to cut them.
2. Now that you have identified your garden space, you need to make a few decisions. What do you want to grow? How much of each type of plant are you going to plant? Each plant type will have spacing requirements, and your seed packets should give that information. If not, information is abundant online. Then, determine the size of your garden and start breaking ground.
3. You need to pay attention to what zone you are in. There is such a thing as Hardiness zones and individual plants species will either thrive in certain zones, or not. Most of Michigan is in zone 5, but some areas are zone 4,or 6. Maps are available online if you are unsure which zone you are in. Some plant species, such as most figs, will simply not survive in Michigan but there are cold hardy varieties available. If you are unsure if your desired crop will survive, or the information is not available where you are ordering seeds, research the specific strain online to make sure it will do well.

Intensive Gardening 

If your space is smaller than you would like, you could consider a gardening method known as intensive gardening. We have done this in the past, and it has proven to be effective in maximizing our efficiency. There are plants that “play well” together, such as beans planted in corn rows with squash as a ground cover, or peppers and radishes in the same rows. Do some research on which plants to put together, because there are some that could either cross breed, or one will choke the other out.

Also, you can consider “planting up” to save space. Planting up will require you to build or buy structures for plants to “climb”.  Tomato plants do well in cages, and melons do well on trellises. You can make either one easily out of some heavy gage wire fencing. Left alone, these plants will spread along the ground, and take up a lot of space. 

Survival Gardening 

Something you will want to consider is the reason you want to garden. While it can be therapeutic to get outdoors and put your hands in the dirt, your reason might be that you want to store food in case you need it later. Or you might just want fresh veggies for the year. For my wife and me, it is a combination of all of it. However, if I had to put together a list of plants I would grow to survive off my garden it would look like this:

1. Corn – A very versatile crop, especially if you grow a variety that is commonly ground into flour, or cornmeal. 
2. Pole beans – These are nutrient and calorie dense and will climb up your corn stalks without bothering the corn at all.
3. Squash – I really would rather not add this one, but they are so easy to grow, and store over winter in cool places such as a basement, or root cellar. Plant with your corn and beans. This will keep the soil in the shade, helping to retain moisture and keep weeds at bay.
4. Potatoes – These grow in fields everywhere near me, and I have had some luck with them in my small garden. Potatoes got Ireland through some tough times and they will for you as well. You can live on nothing but potatoes for quite some time. However, the greens, and the potatoes themselves, exposed to sunlight are not safe to eat.
5. Turnips – Easy to grow, and the whole plant is edible. The greens have a high vitamin A content.
6. Kale – Yet another plant I wouldn’t choose unless I had to. It doesn’t provide a lot of calories but is absolutely packed with nutrients.
7. Cabbage – It does well in colder climates, and can be harvested early in the season.
8. Sweet potatoes – I know I already said potatoes, but sweets potatoes are very different. For instance, unlike potatoes, you can eat every part of a sweet potato plant.
9. Herbs – Everyone has their preferences as far as seasonings go, but you would be hard pressed to find someone who likes to eat all of their food without any. Check your zone to see which herbs will grow well for you.
10. Fruit trees – You will need to get started on this right away. It takes years for fruit trees to mature to a point where they produce well. Once established, they will provide some much needed sugar. Fruit can be dried or canned for long term storage.
11. Wheat – It is literally a type of grass. It grows like crazy, and you can store wheat berries for decades if you prepare them properly. If you plan on making flour with it, invest in a mill, or learn how to make one. Otherwise, wheat berries can be soaked and eaten like rice.
12. Hot peppers – I like my food spicy, and cayenne peppers grow well in my garden. They also dry and store well.

Container Gardening 

Another option is container gardening. This is a great option for those who have multiple small spaces of sunlight, or don’t have a means of tilling soil. Containers let you place plants wherever you need them, and some options can be moved if they aren’t getting enough light. There are many reasons to consider container gardening, and there are many ways to do it. However, there are also some challenges to be aware of.

Containers need to be chosen that will suit the needs of whatever you plant in them. Too many plants can end up fighting for nutrients, and you won’t get as much produce. An unstable container can blow over if your plant gets too tall, or too bushy. Another common problem is that over/under watering is more likely in a container. And finally, they usually aren’t very attractive. On the other hand, weeds are easier to control in containers, you don’t have to worry about tilling soil, and you can easily move plants inside if frost is likely to form over the night.

There are many types of containers to choose from. There are some you can build, and some you can buy. You can also use old buckets, coffee cans, or just about anything that holds dirt. Just keep in mind that the plant needs to have space to grow out its root structure. I have tried a few different types, and had some measure of success, and plenty of failures. In my experience, it all comes down to how much you pay attention to your plants.

As I mentioned, watering is an issue with container gardening. In a conventional garden, the ground holds moisture very efficiently. This is not true for containers. They are exposed to wind, and absorb more heat, both of which contribute to evaporation. If you don’t stay on top of watering, it will show. Conversely, if you don’t have adequate drainage, and the elements don’t dry out your soil, you could drown your plants and kill them. This is usually a problem with buckets, as they were designed to hold water.

Some plants do well in containers, and others don’t. If you’re like me, and you like hot peppers, try growing some in containers, the additional heat helps with germination, and root growth in the early stages of development. Potatoes actually do well in containers, and harvesting is a breeze. Just make sure your container is big enough. There are also a few dwarf varieties of fruit trees that do well in containers, such as citrus trees, and figs.

Conclusion

There is no method or reason for gardening that is universally perfect. Consider your situation, and your capabilities, and go from there. The important thing is that you start as soon as you are able. If you do, check back with us in late summer/early fall for some tips on storing your hard earned produce.

Pro tip: Get your canning supplies now before the fall rush to ensure you will have them when you need them. In 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, wide mouth jar lids were hard to find. I don’t think it will be any different this year.