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Home gardeners attempting to start their own vegetable transplants need to keep in mind four // points: 1) the time the plants are needed (or seeding dates), 2) potting soil or soil mix considerations, 3) tight, and 4) temperature.
Timing of seeding dates: Most vegetable transplants except the curcurbit family (cucumbers, cataloupes, squash, and watermelons) need about six weeks from seeding until plants are ready to set out in the garden. Curcurbits only need three weeks and may even be seeded directly in the garden.
Calculate the Time to Start
Based on Planting Date
Commonly, transplants are started far too early, perhaps as much as 12 to 14 weeks before the ideal garden planting date for that species. The resulting plants outgrow the container (both the root area available to the plant and the top area or space available to the transplant). The plants are in undesirable conditions such as being potbound, with the roots throughout the container plus completely encircling the outer edge of the potting soil, and tops that are spindly and weak due to crowded competition for light.
It’s not difficult to calculate the proper time to start seeds. For example, if it’s safe to set out tomato plants in you area about May 10, then your tomato seeds should be sown indoors about the last week of March to April 1. This will provide a young, actively growing transplant, not overcrowded in the container and with a rootbaU still expanding and growing downward.
Soil mix: Quite often gardeners or commerical growers try to sterilize their topsoil to produce vegetable transplant. It’s Din to be a do-ityourselfer, using only homegrown resources including garden soil, but the commerically prepared “artificaly soils” consisting of peat moss, vermiculite, perlite, and pine bark are lightweight, free from plant pests and soil-borne diseases, and drain very well. The result is far superior in performance compared to garden soil when placed in cell packs or other small transplant-growing containers.
Light intensity: Many efforts at producing homegrown or windowsill transplants result in far less than the gardeners expectations because of poor light. Unless you have a solar room with overhead sunlight or a greenhouse, chances are your window light, except for brief periods on sunny days, is too shady.
In late winter in Virginia, there generally is a low percentage of sunny days in succession. Most are cloudy, many are rainy or even snowy. Shady or one-sided, cloudy light coming through a window just is not enough to grown stocky vegetable transplants.
Plants Need About 16 Hours
Of Light a Day
To do the job well, fluorescent lights placed about 12 inches above
88.3%