Planning Your Spring Garden and Starting Indoor Transplants

I remember as kid I loved to “go get the mail” for my parents.  Getting to ride my bike to the post office and be the first to sort through our mail was a big deal to me.  Now as an adult, walking to the mailbox isn’t near as exciting, especially when the bills come around.  Even though getting mail isn’t near as much fun, there are still a few pieces of mail that I get excited about; seed catalogs.  I could sit and look at seed catalogs for hours, carefully reading every description while trying to decide which varieties I want to plant that year. 

            It is hard to think that spring is just around the corner with all the freezing temperatures that we have been experiencing.  However, now is the time to be planning your spring garden, selecting which varieties you will plant and purchasing your seed (especially if you plan to start seeds indoor).

            When planning your garden, site selected needs to be at the top of your priority list.  Be sure to select a spot that is in full sun for at least eight hours each day, not shaded, relatively level, well‑drained and close to a water source.  Once you have selected a site, map out your garden on paper, carefully selecting which vegetables you plant where.  Make sure you place tall plants (sweet corn, tomatoes, pole beans) on the north or west side of your garden.  This will help ensure that your sweet corn doesn’t block out your okra’s sunlight or that your tomato cages aren’t so close to your cucumbers that they take over the cages. 

            A good piece of advice for all gardeners is plan only as large of a garden as you can easily maintain. Speaking from personal experience, I wish I had followed that advice in previous years.  Beginning gardeners often overplant, and then they fail because they cannot keep up with the tasks required (weed and pest control). 

            When going through those colorful seed catalogs it is easy to get carried away choosing seeds.  Be sure to select varieties that are recommended for our area.  Also, make sure you choose vegetables that your family and friends enjoy eating.  You don’t want to see fresh, homegrown produce go to waste because no one likes to eat it. 

            Once you have selected and purchased your seeds, you can start your seeds indoors.  For indoor growing, sow seeds in a plant tray containing an artificial growing medium of peat moss and perlite available at garden centers. Adding compost to the potting media at up to 25% of total volume can reduce the need for fertilizers later and potentially encourage seed germination.  Enclose the seeded trays in a plastic bag and keep them at room temperature until seedlings begin to emerge. Then, remove the plastic and transfer the trays to suitable growing areas.

            The average windowsill is one location for growing plants, but it usually does not get enough light. So, you have to use artificial light to supplement. Use cool white fluorescent lamps alone, a mixture of cool white and warm white fluorescent lamps, or a mixture of cool white

and plant growth fluorescent lamps. Locate the lamps 5 to 10 inches from the foliage and operate them 12 to 18 hours/day. Be sure to keep seedlings cool enough (60° to 65°F) for strong, sturdy growth after they germinate.  Once a day lightly brush your hand over the tops of the seedlings in different directions.  This will help the seedling develop a stronger stem.

            Plants should be “hardened off ” about two weeks before planting them in the garden. That is, you toughen the plants so that they can withstand the outside environment. To do so, begin exposing them to lower temperatures. One way is to take your transplants outside in

the daytime and bring them in at night. However, don’t let them get caught in a frost. Reduce your watering and fertilizing of transplants to help “hardening off ” about one week before transplanting. Do not let them dry out and wilt.

            Soil preparation for your garden varies from home to home.  Be sure to have a soil test done on your garden site and follow the recommendations accordingly.  Few home garden sites have the ideal soil, but most soils can be modified to provide more favorable growing conditions.  Soil samples can be done through the Extension Office for $7 or you can have them done at the place of your choice. 

            For more information on spring garden planning, starting transplants indoors or home vegetable gardening in Kentucky, contact the McLean County Cooperative Extension Service at 273-3690.