Use a fresh soil-less potting medium, ideally one designed for starting seeds. Fill the containers, then water the mix before planting one seed in each cell. Check the seed packet for planting depth.
Check to see if the seeds require light to germinate. Most don't, so they should be kept out of bright locations until they begin to germinate. (An electrified mat or cable that provides bottom heat will result in faster, more uniform seed germination.)
If your seeds need light, don't plant them too deeply. Place them on top of the potting mix and barely cover them with a little fine vermiculite.
Mist the soil, then cover the entire container with clear plastic. Keep the plastic in place until the seeds sprout. Keep the potting soil evenly moist, but be sure to drain off excess water that collects beneath the containers. Soggy soil can lead to rotting and damping-off disease; it also encourages the presence of fungus gnats.
After seedlings develop several sets of leaves, fertilize them very lightly once a week. Use an all-purpose liquid fertilizer mixed to one-fourth of the strength recommended on the label.
Good timing
Seed packets list the average number of weeks it takes to grow seeds to transplant size. Some seeds (including geraniums and begonias) need more than two months' head start. Others (tomatoes and marigolds) need only four to six weeks.
Don't start your seeds too early. It's best to transplant sturdy, compact plants into the garden rather than larger, more mature ones.
For a good seed-starting primer and a chart on when to start specific seeds, go to www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1245.html.
Deb Brown is a garden writer and former extension horticulturist with the University of Minnesota. To ask her a gardening question, call 612-673-7793 and leave a message. She will answer questions in this column only.
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