JoAnne Skelly: In the weeds with urban roots

I’m a fan of farmer Debs, of Urban Roots, a teaching farm for children and adults in Reno. I listen to her short gardening lectures on Wednesdays on KUNR. Her timely topics are always presented in a clear, concise, and friendly way.

Today’s topic was “starting seeds.” Seed starting is a great way to grow a variety of plants that may not be readily available otherwise. Begin by buying quality seeds of plants that ripen within our short growing season.

Where I live, I look for seeds that have less than 90 days until harvest. However, by starting seeds indoors, we can grow longer-season vegetables. Seed packets provide a wealth of information on how to grow seeds successfully.

A rule of thumb is to plant a seed four times as deep as its width. Some seeds need light to germinate so may be placed on the soil surface with a thin layer of vermiculite on top to keep seeds moist. Other seeds need darkness.

The potting mix must remain moist while seeds are germinating. Spraying the soil mix from a spray bottle of water avoids washing the soil and seeds away. A heat source underneath reduces damping off disease and helps seedlings grow.

Be sure to label your containers with the date sown and the type and variety of plant.

Once seedlings have emerged, they will often grow better with overhead light approximately four inches above the seedlings for 12 to 16 hours per day. Natural light is often less reliable at producing strong plants.

If more than one seed germinates in a container, choose the strongest one after the true leaves have emerged and cut off the others. If you pull the unwanted seedlings out, you can damage the roots of the one you want to keep.

Before you plant seedlings outside, harden them off to get them used to full sun, wind and variable temperatures. Start by putting them outside in the shade in the warm afternoon for a few hours, protected from wind.

Bring them back in before night temperatures fall. Leave them out a little longer each day with a bit more exposure to sunlight. They should be good to go out permanently after a couple of weeks of this, unless we have one of our freak cold spells.

For a step-by-step guide to starting seeds, go to https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/starting-seeds-indoors#buying-seed-1178960.

And for information on Urban Roots workshops and programs for children and adults, go to https://www.urgc.org/.

JoAnne Skelly is Associate Professor & Extension Educator Emerita at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension.