By Felder Rushing

Gardening Columnist

Want to try your hand with heirloom zinnias, cockscomb, rare peppers, homegrown edamame beans, or new cutting-edge flowers or vegetables not found at local garden centers?

Whether growing for nostalgia, bragging rights over growing unusual varieties, or showing off new award-winning All-America Selections (details found online), you can save on plant-buying expenses with pretty straightforward but important seed-sprouting and transplanting techniques practiced worldwide even by amateur gardeners. It’s so uncomplicated I start some of mine in
egg cartons on my kitchen windowsill!

First, the only rush for now is getting seeds for plants you fancy before they sell out, which is early with many heirloom seed companies. Check your list thrice, because seed-dreaming, which is the prerogative of every avid gardener, can quickly overwhelm your ability to get them all going later.

Get your seeds soon, but don’t jump the gun on actually starting them, or risk very common issues affecting plants set out too early. We’ve always heard to plant summer gardens on Good Friday, but that is a purely Southern phenology thing based on averages and is often inaccurate.

This year Good Friday is in March, when rains and soil will still be cold, with a good chance of a late frost.

Why gamble? We have until July to plant a successful summer garden, so try to get a grip on those naturally compelling “It’s a warm day, let’s plant something” hormones that often lead to frustration.

Because it only takes four to six weeks from sowing seed to transplanting sturdy, stocky plants, I never sow seed before mid-February. Otherwise, I risk ending up with long, leggy, weak plants that are less productive later if they survive at all. And I always save a few seeds for in case the first batch goes kaput.

For seeds to sprout quickly takes warmth, moisture, and humidity. This can be done in any container with drainage holes, filled with seed starting mix, and covered to conserve warmth and humidity. Egg cartons and deep-dish plastic food containers swathed in kitchen food wrap will do fine. By the way, I often pre-sprout expensive seeds, placing them on a damp piece of paper towel in a plastic bag, which often cuts germination to just days.

Keep the seeds moist, not wet, and out of direct light ‘til they sprout, then remove the food wrap and set in a sunny window, or even on the porch on warmish sunny days – while indoor lighting is better than nothing, the key to producing stocky plants is actual sunlight. As long as temps are above fifty, outdoors in sun and breezes is best.

Once seedlings sprout two or three sets of new leaves, they can be gently transplanted into small pots or into the garden if the soil is warm enough. I water them before gently pricking the plants apart, grasping plants by their leaves to avoid bruising tender stems. After transplanting, water them and set pots in real sunlight, and after a week or so hit them with a half strength shot of
liquid fertilizer.

Then wait; there is no race for the first tomatoes or peppers! Find something else to do – work up the soil, fill some pots, whatever it takes to keep from planting summer stuff too early. If the urge is too strong, go to a garden center and pick up some pansies, snapdragons, dianthus, cabbage, broccoli, mixed lettuces, or other plants that like cool weather.

For now, order seeds, gather your supplies, then cool your jets – enjoy what we can in winter; summer planting time will be here soon enough.