Sowing the seeds

Growing your own vegetables can be easy, educational and delicious

For those who enjoy growing their own vegetables and herbs—a pastime that took o during the COVID-19 pandemic—spring has great promise. As the days begin to lengthen you can start sowing seeds in anticipation of the growing season ahead.

Mastering the basic horticultural skill of starting your own produce from seed indoors is both easy and rewarding. Here are some tips to get the best of this year’s garden bounty.

Great beginnings

You don’t need a heated greenhouse to do this; even seasoned growers use their windowsills to grow seedlings. Take, for example, gardening expert Charles Dowding (charlesdowding. co.uk), a Costco member and champion of no-dig gardening.

“All my early sows go on window-sills,” he explains. “It’s fun to watch them germinate and see the tiny shoots come up—and sowing indoors means you’re getting back in a positive, growing frame of mind even if it’s still cold outside.”

Germination, Dowding points out, doesn’t require light—just warmth. “You can use a warm cupboard, and then as soon as you see little shoots pop through, bring them into the light.”

From seeds to success

You need basic equipment: shallow seed trays for scattering small seeds before carefully transplanting the emerging seedlings into larger pots; modular plug trays for larger seeds. If you reuse old containers, make sure they’re thoroughly cleaned first. A proprietary fine seed compost is best, as this will contain few nutrients, which could damage sensitive seedlings.

Beware of overwatering, which can cause seeds to rot. “I get the compost properly wet before sowing and then cover [the trays] with glass while [the seeds are] germinating, although plastic wrap works too,” says Dowding.

The soil just needs to stay damp—tiny seedlings don’t draw up much moisture. “A good clue as to whether it’s time to water is to lift your pot and feel its weight,” advises Dowding. “If it feels very light, then gently water, but if it’s middling or more there’s still enough moisture in there.”

Keys to cultivation

“My rule of thumb is to get the seedling to 7 centimetres [2.75 inches] with at least three true leaves,” says Dowding. “Don’t wait much longer than that, because you want to give them a chance to make a good root system.”

Harden o the seedlings before putting them into the ground by letting the young plants spend increasing amounts of time outside in a sheltered spot over the course of a couple of weeks. Once the risk of overnight frosts has passed, transplant the seedlings into the ground.

As the temperatures rise further into spring, plant starts and future sowings can go straight into the ground; again, follow the instructions on your seed packets for when and at what depth they need to go in. After that you just need to water regularly, weed as needed and watch out for the slugs while you wait for your bountiful harvest.

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