Gavin's Seed Starting Information

   Hello, my name is Gavin Prumatico. You may have seen me in hallways or classes and I would like you all to know I am very passionate about plants. I am the vice president of FFA for the school. For those who don’t know what FFA is, it’s an acronym for Future Farmers of America. So today, we are going to talk about when to start your seeds whether you have a garden or are planning to start one. There are many tips and tricks to start your seeds properly for higher germination rates. Let’s get started with some of them.

First: You need to pre-soak the seeds you plan on growing for 24 hours because seeds stay dormant until they acquire enough water to grow. So by pre-soaking your seeds, you’re making the germination rate higher and the seeds will grow faster.

Second: During the winter the weather is unstable since it is constantly changing. This means that you have to start your seeds indoors with a grow-light and a heater so the grow-light acts as a sun. Seedlings need about 14-16 hours of sunlight/grow-light a day. The heater will act as a warm summer day but heaters lower humidity so you have to check the soil’s water content regularly.

Third: Make sure your seedlings are not cold or hot because both will reduce the time it takes for seeds to germinate. Also, make sure you do not plant your seeds too deep into the soil of your seed starting pods since they won’t get enough light to germinate.

Fourth: Last but not least when the seedling has three to four leaves it is ready to be transplanted to a new pot. If you don’t transplant your seedlings your succession rate may go down from the lack of space for the plant’s roots to grow.

Usually, a safe time to plant seedlings is after the last winter frost. The last winter frost is usually in early May right after Mother’s Day. On every single seed packet, there’s an estimated time of germination which is very helpful to see if your seeds are running behind or they are very early. I can say from my experience that all of the steps from above work very well and have given me plenty of beautiful flowers, vegetables, and fruits. Have a great day, and hopefully, you all have liked my very first article!