As the frost is coming to an end and the spring time is the time to plant some vegetables, if you are a person who wants to sample vegetables from other countries, planting seeds are the way to go.
You can purchase many kits from stores to get your seeds to grow and they are quite inexpensive. But here is my way of growing seeds:
- Purchase Sterlite 6 Qt. storage containers from Home Depot (98 cents each)
- Purchase Jiffy Natural & Organic Seed Starting Mix (One bag is good enough for 4-5 storage containers)
- The bottom half of an empty water bottle (or plastic soda bottle if contents have been washed out inside)
The first thing I do is I add the Jiffy soil into the container going as high as the first line in the middle of the container. But before I plant the seeds, I add about a half cup of water to the soil to moisten it.
Then I get an empty water bottle and cut it right where the ridges form (under the label) with a scissor. I then take a nail and hammer 4-8 holes in the bottom of the water bottle (not underneath but the sides) and place the bottom half of the water bottle in the center of the container, parting the soil so the water bottle rests on the bottom of the Sterlite container.
I then poke holes (halfway into the soil) going vertically on each side and you can also poke a hole on top and bottom center if you wish.
I put about two seeds in each hole and then use a spray bottle and spray a little water onto the seeds and then cover up the hole.
I then fill up the water bottle (center portion) with water and that’s it….it’s good for a week. You can see the water on the sides of the container and if it looks dry, then I add more water.
You can label the containers to know which vegetables or plants you have in there. I just write on the sides with a marker pen but you can use Popsicle sticks or mini-plant signs. Whichever works for you.
And within 2-3 weeks, you should start to see your seeds sprouting.
If you have a grow light on top, you can definitely speed up the healthy growing. But also taking them out for 15-30 minutes outside, so they can get acclimated to the sun.
And then by March/April, they should be big enough for transplanting into containers or planting outdoors.
I know a few people who say they don’t have a green thumb but just by doing this, you can definitely have vegetables ready in late spring and summertime!
