Growing your own food can be challenging, but with dedication, it is extremely rewarding! This will be my fourth year starting tomato plants from seed. I’ve tried peppers and okra, and they didn’t take off as well. Instead of spreading myself too thin this year, I’m going to pick one crop and go with it! Avoid getting overwhelmed before even beginning.

To do this, timing and supplies are critical. When you head to the store to pick out your seed packets, the back side of the packet tells you what you need to know as far as timing is concerned. One packet I’m looking at as a reference simply says, “Start seeds indoors, 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost.” This lead time allows the seedlings to grow strong in a protected environment, ensuring they’re ready to be planted outside when there’s no longer a risk of them getting killed by temperatures that are too cold.

And, of course, the date of our last frost varies from year to year. To track when this date generally falls in your part of Georgia, visit http://georgiaweather.net/, then click “Calculator” and see “Last Frost Date”. Some years it’s been as late as April 22nd, but generally, we consider April 15th (Tax Day) to be a good, ‘safe’ date.

Supplies! I start with clean seed trays, 2 bags of seeding mix, seeds and water! And each year, I watch Joe Gardener’s Master Seed Starting videos to boost my confidence in this undertaking.

Soil in the trays must stay moist, the area bright, and conditions humid until the seeds germinate. This means using a clear top or covering over seed trays. With tomatoes, that could be 7-10 days. Once there are seedlings, remove that covering.

Next are staying on top of watering and proper lighting. I use a timer and start with 14 hours on and 10 hours off. Sometimes watering is best done from a flat tray beneath your seed starting tray. This way, moisture is ‘wicked up’ through the soil. Overhead watering can be too hard on tender seedlings. Treat seed before planting or buy treated seed for protection against seed-borne diseases, seed decay, seedling “damping off” and soil insects. To prevent damping off and to help strengthen those little stems, I keep a small fan blowing gently towards the tray.

This is certainly a topic we’ll visit on Green and Growing throughout the months of February, March and April. And I hope you’ll weigh in by calling the show on Saturday mornings and by checking in on the Green and Growing Facebook page! Good luck!

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