Congratulations! The precious seeds that you have sown with care have finally sprouted. But on closer inspection, you notice there’s something else growing in your seedling trays, too. Before you pat yourself on the back for a job well done, you should probably determine what the slimy green stuff actually is. Your seedling soil can…
Before growing cucumbers for the first time, I’d heard that they were finicky, fragile little seedlings. Like with many of their cousins in the cucurbit family, there’s this assumption that they don’t enjoy being moved, transplanted or their roots being messed with. As someone who starts 80% of their vegetables indoors, let me tell you – this is not true!
If you have a greenhouse, polytunnel, or indoor grow light setup, you’re already luckier than most gardeners. This means you can cheat the cold weather and start seeds under cover where they can comfortably germinate. Lettuce is one of those favorite vegetables that we’re all excited to grow come spring.
I’m a big advocate of starting many of my vegetables in modules or containers and moving them into my garden as they mature. For a small garden, this method ensures that I don’t get as many empty patches as I would get with direct sowing and spotty germination. But starting seeds indoors has its trade-offs, and the biggest one is transplant shock.
Starting seedling can be a straightforward process, but as we keep them indoors under constant observation, we may start to notice issues like yellowing leaves, legginess, damping off, etc. It happened to me, too. I started some of my seedlings early, but the weather didn’t allow them to go in the ground yet. After nearly a month, some of the bottom seedling leaves were turning yellow, and I soon learned why.
People garden for a variety of reasons: for improving their health, as a pastime, or to provide clean food to their community. We are looking at a revival of organic gardening and health awareness. Growing vegetables isn’t just for retired people anymore, and it never really was. But if you’re an active student, an overwhelmed…