Printed in the Contra Costa Times on February 7, 2004

Q. When can I start my vegetable seeds? Can I make my own seed starting
mix?

A. The timing for starting vegetable seeds depends upon whether you are
starting them indoors or outdoors. Outdoors you can be planting spinach,
radishes, parsnips, turnips and lettuce by direct seeding into prepared
beds. You will need to keep an eye out for slugs and snails, as they can
rapidly eliminate emerging seedlings. These pests at night and drop them
into soapy water.  Iron phosphate baits can be used to control these
pests without putting household pets at risk.

 Indoors, you will need to have the correct kind of materials and
environment.  These include a light, well aerated soil mix, the correct
kind of containers, regular moisture, the correct temperature and light.
The germinating mix must be lose and fine, free of weed seeds, disease
organisms and insects; able to hold moisture yet able to drain well.
Clay garden soils are not ideal. Many kinds of soil mixes are sold in
nurseries that are good for seed germination, but if you want to make
your own mix, combine 1/3 sterilized sand, 1/3 perlite and 1/3 peat
moss. Fill sterilized trays or containers with your mix, dampen
thoroughly and plant the seeds at the recommended depth.  This is a low
nutrient mix, so be prepared to fertilize regularly once your seedlings
have their first set of true leaves. Be sure to label your seedlings.
Seedlings of summer crops such as tomatoes will germinate much more
rapidly if the medium they are in is kept warm. Tomatoes prefer a
germinating temperature of 50F, which can be maintained with soil
warming cables. Your seed starting mix needs to be kept moist at all
times until the seedlings have emerged. Some gardeners do this by
placing the moistened containers in a clear plastic bag or covering the
containers with plastic wrap kept at least 1.5 inches away from the soil
surface. Don't place plastic covered containers in direct sun, as they
can get too hot. The covers need to be removed as soon as seedlings
emerge. Seedlings need to be misted regularly, or watered from below,
although you need to make sure that the soil does not stay soggy or the
seedlings will rot.
After germination your seedlings will need lots of light to do well. If
you have a south facing window with good light, that is ideal. If not,
you will need to provide supplemental light. Fluorescent fixtures ( 40
Watt, cool light) placed 15cm ( 6 inches) from the plants, and kept on
for 16 hours a day is the next best. Raise the lights as the plants
grow. As soon as the outside soil temperatures have warmed, seedlings
can be transplanted. For tomatoes that temperature is 65F. Soil
thermometers are available in most good nurseries.