Hardening off takes two weeks, and entails gradually exposing your tender seedlings to the elements until they can be transplanted and live outside comfortably.

Beginning the Process

Start the hardening-off process two weeks before the seed’s outside planting date, which is dependent on the hardiness of the plant and the last frost date in your area. Once you’ve determine the date, begin by setting your seeds outside for a couple hours during the day in an area that’s shielded form sun and wind. Direct sun is a definite no-no for young seedlings at this stage, because it will burn the tender leaves. Remember to bring your seedlings in at night. Over the following days, you may increase the time your plants go outside, but do so gradually.

Your Seedlings are Almost Ready

After a few days of gradual and protected outside exposure, you can step up your efforts a notch. Leave your plants out longer and put them in sunnier, cooler, and windier spots. Although some evidence suggests that tomatoes respond well to fertilization at this point, generally it’s not a good idea to feed or overwater your plants right now – remember, you’re trying to toughen them up!

Ready, Set, Grow!

After two weeks of increasing exposure, it’s time to plant them for good. Water the ground thoroughly, and dig a hole just a few inches deeper than the pot in which your seedlings are currently residing. Holding your seedling by the stem, place the seedling in the hole and cover it gently with soil. Once the hole is filled, create a depression around the rim of the plant where water can collect. Be sure to water frequently and to fertilize after this final step. If your weather turns nasty, you can protect your seeds with sun shields, wind blocks, or Gurney’s Tunlcover™ Plant Protector cold covers.

On a Feeding Schedule

Now that the plant has sprouted and gone through the food supply provided by the seed itself, you’re responsible for feeding the burgeoning baby plant. You should feed your seedlings one-quarter strength plant food. If the solution is too strong, it will burn the baby plant. Use room temperature water when you are watering your plant.

After the little plants have formed their second set of real leaves, they are ready to be transplanted into bigger pots. Dislodge the soil using a fork or pencil and gently lift the plant out of the pot, then dangle the plant over its new pot and sprinkle the roots with soil. Once your seedlings have grown a few more inches, they’ll be ready to face the great outdoors. You have to introduce them slowly, however, through a process called hardening off. We’ll go over this process in our next blog post!

Gurney’s Seed Starting Kit

Looking for an easier way to start seeds? I’m really excited about our new Seed Starting Kit. We’ve assembled the absolute best way to start seeds. You’ll get healthy and hearty plants every time! The best part is it’s clean…no fussing with messy potting soil or Dixie cups.

Our Seed Starting Kit allows you to quickly, easily and successfully start all kinds of seeds. Each kit contains everything you need for fast germination and vital root growth. The soil-less grow plugs are made of natural, biodegradable materials so that each plug can be directly transplanted into the garden greatly reducing transplant shock. Each grow plug contains beneficial bacteria to aid in maximum seed germination.

The lightweight 55-cell growing tray wraps each grow plug in warmth and floats them in the water-filled reservoir tray, allowing each seed to get the perfect water-to-air ratio. The humidity dome holds in the warmth and moisture, ensuring early and uniform seed germination

I recently had the opportunity to give the Seed Starting Kit a try, and let me tell you, it works! This is by far the easiest method I have ever used. It allows me to do more – and easily. Give it a try today!

Let’s Get Started

Once you’ve found the right seed varieties for you, you’ll need to determine the proper start date. Typically, seeds are started indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost.

Get your seedlings off to a good start by using the right growing medium. A perfect growing mix is very light and holds moisture well. Avoid using potting soil, which becomes too dense after a few waterings and doesn’t allow good air and water circulation. Additionally, regular potting soil can introduce bacteria to a young seed, resulting in its death. If you don’t want to buy a mix, you can create your own by combining 2 parts peat or sphagnum moss with 1 part perlite and 1 part vermiculate. This will not have the nutrients usually included in a commercial mix, however.

Where to Start Your Seeds

The first container for your seeds should be no more than three inches deep and provide good drainage. If you don’t want to buy containers specifically designed for starting seeds, you’ll need to create your own: empty egg cartons, cut-off milk cartons, or deep-sided disposable aluminum pans work fine. Make sure you punch drainage holes in the bottom.

Planting Your Seeds

The general rule of thumb is to plant seeds four times as deep as the seed is wide. Fine seeds, such as petunia seeds, should be sprinkled on top of the medium but not covered. When using individual containers, plant more than one seed in each cell; you’ll need extras since you seldom get 100% germination. If you’re using flats, space seeds a half inch apart only if they’ll be transplanted into a separate pot following germination. If they’re going to stay in the flat until they head outside, space the seed one to two inches apart. Label your seeds, because most seedlings look alike.

Watering Your Seeds

Once they’re planting, you won’t have to worry about feeding your little guys at first. Seeds contain their own food supply packaged neatly within their shells. Make sure you keep them mist, since most seeds absorb water and use it to bust through their shells. Daily checkups are necessary at this point. To water, you can either use a spray bottle, or set up a bottom watering system (this way, seeds can take as much water as they need.) If you choose a bottom watering system, it’s important to avoid letting your pots sit in a pool of water; this can lead to a moldy pot and a dead seed.

Peanut plants perform best in loose, well-drained soil that’s several inches deep. The plant is susceptible to frost, so if you’re growing outdoors, plant after the last expected frost for spring and summer growth. Seeds should be placed 1-2 inches into the soil and approximately 6 inches apart; rows should be kept 3 feet apart. If you’re planning on growing indoors, seeds should be placed in individual pots approximately 3 weeks before the last expected frost. Keep the plants moist throughout the growing season, but do not over-water.

Your peanut plant will be ready for harvest when the leaves begin to turn yellow, usually in late summer or early fall. When the plant is ready to be harvested, pull it out by the root and allow it to dry for 3-4 days. This will naturally alleviate a low level toxin the plant produces while growing so you can enjoy these delicious, versatile legumes.

Take a close look in your garden, and you may find that you already have a few species of beneficial insects calling your garden home. These may include lady beetles, green lacewings, hover flies, parasitic wasps and predatory mites. The predators, such as lady beetles, lacewing larvae and mites, prey on aphids, caterpillars, mealybugs, leafhoppers, whiteflies and insect eggs.  The parasites, such as wasps, defend your garden against tomato hornworm, cabbageworm and tent caterpillars by laying their eggs on or into them.

Your friends at Gurney’s have the perfect solution for attracting beneficial insects to your garden: Gurney’s Beneficial Bug Blend! This superior blend of flowers and herbs has been specially formulated to attract beneficial insects to your garden. Irresistible to good bugs such as ladybugs and lacewings, which work to eliminate pests that do damage to plants and crops – also attractive to pollinators such as honeybees and butterflies.

Container Basics:

The size of the container should be compatible with the size of the plant. Small plants in big containers put their efforts into root production, stinting foliage and blooms. Large plants full small pots with their roots, leaving little room for a nutritious planting medium. Think Goldilocks and go “just right.”

If your container doesn’t come with holes for drainage, use a drill to create some. For breakable materials like terra cotta, cover the bottom of the pot with tape to avoid cracks.

Fill your container with moist, but not soggy, planting medium. The best mediums are comprised of sand, soil, and light planting material such as sphagnum or coir fibers. Garden soil is not a good choice for container planting, because it’s too heavy and retains too much moisture.

When you’ve got the right container and the right medium, fill the container to 2” below the rim. While filling, break up any clumps of soil, and gently press down the soil to remove all air pockets.

If you’re starting with seedlings or transplants, set them on top of the soil in an arrangement that works for you, then remove the plants from their pots and place them in their spots. Next, fill in the space around each plant up to its crown. If you’re starting with seeds, plant according to the depth and spacing requirements specified on the seed packet, and finish by providing good gentle soaking of water.

Container gardens need frequent watering. Check the moisture level by poking your finger in the soil; it should be moist, but not soggy. If the soil is dry, add water until it runs out the holes in the bottom of the container. In warm areas, you may have to do this twice a day.

Finally, don’t forget to fertilize. Once a week, use compost tea when you water. If that’s too much trouble, use a gentile, all-natural, slow-release fertilizer that won’t cause salt build-up.

This is why we have started a new series here at Gurney’s Blog called “The Minimalist Garden.” Each month, we will discuss ways you can simplify and organize different aspects of your garden! Today’s entry: Vegetable seeds!

If you have a garden space, you can easily get by with a 4’ X 4’ area. No garden? No problem. Just get a half a dozen large pots, about 18-24” across the top, and fill ‘em with potting soil. Vegetables like lots of light, so both garden areas and pots need to be in a sunny spot.

Fresh veggies have lots of advantages. You know where they came from, you know what was put on them, and you will never get anything fresher. Ideally, you’ll want to start them from seed, so that you can be in complete control of your garden edibles. That’s why we’re focusing on vegetable seeds!

So what are you going to grow? Well, that’s up to you, of course. I like to grow lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, and maybe some spinach, but that’s me. Maybe you could try a pepper? Those are always fun to grow.

Okay, so let’s assume lettuce is on your list (since it’s so easy to grow from seed). You can start lettuce as soon as winter’s last frost has passed (now, for most areas). First, moisten the soil. Next, get a small piece of wood, like a ruler. Press the edge into the surface to make a tiny valley. Sprinkle the seeds into your mini-valley ever so gently; try to get them about a half-inch apart. Press the soil back over them so they are about a quarter-inch deep.

Water lightly, and wait a few days for the seedlings to appear. When they are about 2” high, you’re ready for your first garden-fresh salad! You have to thin them out anyway, so might as well enjoy the greens. You’ll want to clip the plant down to about the soil level. About a week later, do it again, removing every other plant.

Lettuce and spinach will re-grow if you cut them about 1-1/2” above the ground, just above the heart of the plant. This method will get you several salads per plant. You can even sow the lettuce and spinach seeds at different times so you can enjoy fresh salad uninterrupted!

The tomato varieties best suited to a small space are the cherry types. They come in all kinds of colors, and they are crazy prolific. Most cherry tomatoes need to be tied to a stake, and they’re very easy to start from seed.

Radishes come in three varieties: the familiar round, red balls; longer French types that look like red baby carrots; and Japanese daikon radishes. The first two pop up and mature with a couple weeks, while daikon takes twice as long. For a constant supply, sow more seed every two weeks, and make sure you thin them out, or they’ll get spindly roots that won’t fill out.

With these few plants, you can legitimately call yourself a vegetable seed gardener! Now go enjoy yourself a fresh and wholesome harvest!

Seed starting is admittedly more complicated, but that doesn’t mean it’s difficult. It’s actually quite the opposite, especially when you have the right resources and a little ambition! So for those of you who are hesitant to try seed starting, fear not! There is a way to make seed starting simple, quick and fun. And contrary to popular belief, you don’t need an elaborate basement operation with fluorescent lights and elegant light fixtures!

I’m really excited about Gurney’s new Seed Starting Kit. We’ve assembled the absolute best way to start seeds. You’ll get healthy and hearty plants every time! The best part is it’s clean…no fussing with messy potting soil or Dixie cups.

Our Seed Starting Kit allows you to quickly, easily and successfully start all kinds of seeds. Each kit contains everything you need for fast germination and vital root growth. The soil-less grow plugs are made of natural, biodegradable materials so that each plug can be directly transplanted into the garden greatly reducing transplant shock. Each grow plug contains beneficial bacteria to aid in maximum seed germination.

The lightweight 55-cell growing tray wraps each grow plug in warmth and floats them in the water-filled reservoir tray, allowing each seed to get the perfect water-to-air ratio. The humidity dome holds in the warmth and moisture, ensuring early and uniform seed germination

I recently had the opportunity to give the Seed Starting Kit a try, and let me tell you, it works! This is by far the easiest method I have ever used. It allows me to do more – and easily. Give it a try today!