There's nothing wrong with buying your plants at the Nursery. In fact I highly endorse it and have always done it. With the price of seeds and the time and effort put into thinning and weeding if you direct plant or hardening off your inside early starts it is a bargain. Works great too. I buy local though. A good local nursery will purchase locally grown plants or grow them for you. You get a plant that thrives in your environment and was grown in your conditions. shipping cost from online Nurseries are very high and you usually get a plant not suitable for your climate.
Then again I will also be breaking a rule again! I have ordered a plant I'm sure I will kill. Remember this is my obsession and a certain amount of experimentation is allowed. Buying local also limits your choices. Buying seeds online is probably the most economical way to try a different variety of Vegetable or something not available. Crossing my fingers Tomatillo plants are available this year.
As I live in Southern California , semi-desert area, I'm experimenting with year round growing. Not too bad but a bit tricky. A bit of crystal ball, cross your fingers ,hope the frost is predictable, kind of gambling. This year has been a hard first year of year round for me due to the increased number of frost days. My citrus and Avocados were hit hard and I probably will need to replant my lime and Orange trees. My bad for cheaping out and buying very young trees. I will tell you I am amazed at how lettuce and broccoli can freeze solid overnight for weeks in a row and not die.
So armed with my bag of potting soil, washed 6 pack containers and all the seeds I could find I set out to start my garden. This was the last week of January . I checked multiple sources, Farmers Almanac and too many planting guides to mention and I found out our last freeze was expected February 10. This should place me just about right if my plants grew. Yeah right. That didn't happen but that's ok because when you start early you always need a plan "B".
I chose Erin's bedroom window as there was a built in desk there and it was a wonderful South facing sunny window. I had the perfect wire shelves approx 32" wide and adjustable. I planted 14 containers and lined them as close to the window as possible. Erik came up with the idea to include a small portable heater. Worked wonderful. Soon Erin's room was converted into a wonderful warm Rain forest. Smelled like one too. If you do this I recommend using a seldom used room. At least until the potting soil airs out a bit. It was quite dank.
It wasn't long until the squash , beans and cucumbers took off and I'm not kidding when I say took off. The first Saturday my Husband Erik stalked the Squash. I swear they grew 3 " in a day. Erik was just like a five year old watching his first Bean project grow. The plants instantly became "The Babies". But I suspected something was wrong.
I showed them to my sister and she confirmed my suspicions. They were growing too fast and getting leggy due to lack of proper light. Yes I knew this could happen but I'm a cheapo and gave it a shot. Instantly I went to work to find a plant light.
I searched the Internet and found plenty of bulbs for 12 dollars but these would only work in a limited space. Finally I decided on the Lithonia Lighting 24 in. White Grow Light at my local Home Depot. At 50 dollars with the basic coverage I needed and I could pick it up in the store it seemed like the best choice. Plus of course it is an investment in my hobby .
This is why there are rules to this process. Starting your own seedlings inside is a tricky process but very fun if you are ready to take your gardening to the next level .Basically these are the rules I can say are the most important.
1. Give them 12 hours of light in the proper spectrum. A regular light bulb doesn't work. You need light in the spectrum of the Sun. Get a proper grow light . The light needs to be 3 to 8" above the plants .
2. Keep the room at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Our small portable heater on low did great. They sell all kinds of warming mats on the Internet but I think our cheapo heater did wonderful.
3. Soil must be kept moist at all times. Not soggy but moist. Be careful you keep tabs on this. As your plants grow , each of them will need different amounts of water. I lost 1/2 of my Spinach seedlings due to not checking "EVERY" container .
4. When you are ready to plant make sure you do what is called "Hardening off". It is a week long process where you introduce your plants to the garden plot. First day you leave them outside in the shade for 4 hours. Each day add a few more hours . On about your 4th day you take them directly to your garden spot to get them use to the sun. let them have some water stress and make sure the soil is dry before you water them again. Kind of like taking "The Babies" to Pre-school.
Then you take "The Babies" out to the garden and they die. Just kidding . Some will die and some will make it. When you start seeds you need to grow more than you need and have a plan "B". All I can say is I'm having fun watching the process. Starting your own seedlings is definitely for the "Garden Obsessed "
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