www.sublimegarden.com

JULY

Time to try planting from seed. First fall frost for Asheville is October 23. Even though the weather is warm, and the days are long, its time to start planning for a good fall vegetable harvest. The idea is that you harvest your vegetables before the first fall frost. Because vegetables have varying days to maturity, starting in July will allow even the longest to mature vegetables plenty of growing time. There is one big advantage to planting from seed, money. Planting from seed saves money. Seeds can be stored for later growth, so convince is an issue as well. There are a wide variety of plants to choose from for fall. Beets, carrots, radishes, and all leafy vegetables. Here is a quick tutorial on how to start plants from seed.

1. Decide which vegetables you would like to plant, go to your local gardening center, buy the seeds.

2. You will need those starter containers you saved from before. Fill each one with damp soil from your garden.

3. Place 3 seeds of each type in to their respective containers. If you want one kale plant, then plant 3 kale seeds in the container. You’re planting 2 extra each time to ensure germination. After they sprout, you can remove the smallest 2 of the 3. It is important to read the instructions on each seed packet. Most seeds don’t have to be buried in the soil; they can simply rest on top, or be covered only slightly.

4. Your seeds need to stay in a warm place until they germinate. Seeds need to be kept at about 70 degrees. This is usually attainable just by keeping them in a window seal. If your homes temperature is kept below 65 degrees you may want to try putting your seed containers on top of the refrigerator. This spot has radiant heat from the refrigerator. Heat rises, so this area should have a higher ambient temperature as well.

5. Once you see sprouting, move immediately to a light source. A well lit window seal should work just fine. If you don’t have good access to sunlight, artificial light will do. You need at least 12 hours of artificial light per day. A fluorescent lighting fixture can be a good cheap solution.

6. Once your seedlings are under a good light source, don’t move them for 3 weeks. Keep the soil moist, and allow them to grow indoors. Next month we will plant them in the garden.