Tips on how to start indoor vegetable gardening

Starting your vegetable seeds indoors is a great way to start early. Sowing seeds on cold damp garden soil would be unadvisable but you can plant them indoors and control the temperature of the soil.

You can give your vegetable plants a head start by indoor gardening, and transplant them in the garden soil when the climate is more friendly.

A few tips on how to got about indoor vegetable gardening

Select the right spot :

It is important to select the spot where you are planning on placing your seedlings. Make sure the place is warm and snug. It should be well protected from winds.

The soil mix :

Prepare a soil mix and place it a flat container. The mix should be at least 2-3 inches deep. You can buy soil mix from a nursery or any other gardening shop.

Smooth the surface soil :

You need to make the surface of the soil smooth, you can used your hand to compact the soil on top and level the surface.

Follow the instructions

Sow the seeds as per instructions on the seed bag. Some seeds need to be sown under a thin layer of soil while other just need to be pressed on top of the soil.

Maintain proper spacing

It is important to maintain proper spacing between each seed; you don't want them cramped when they grow. Usually a spacing of 1 inch is recommended.

Keep the soil damp

Keep the soil damp without making it soggy. It is important to water very lightly, seeds tend to rot when placed in soggy soil.

Artificial light:

You need to provide ample artificial light to your seeding when they sprout. A total of 12 to 16 hours of light is need. Keep a fluorescent light on just about the container, for this purpose.

Cover it :

Cover the container with a transparent plastic covering. This will ensure that the soil stays warm and moisture is retained. Don't place the cover too tightly; just place it loosely on top of the container.

Allow a breather :

Open the cover every few days to allow air circulation inside, keep the soil moist by either sprinkling water lightly or through bottom-watering.

When they germinate :

Within a couple of weeks most of the seeds would have germinated and developed into little seedlings.

You can cut off any seeding which seems to be weak or under-developed. Make sure you just snip off the seedling instead of pulling it off from its roots, this would unsettle the soil and hamper the nearby seedlings.

Water it :

Water regularly using a sprinkler or spray. Keep the plastic cover on all the time while removing it only to water the seedlings.

Fertilizers?

You can even fertilize the seedlings once in two weeks with a very weak, diluted solution of houseplant fertilizer.

Following these steps to a would ensure that you have a pleasant indoor vegetable gardening experience. How to plant these little seedlings in your garden soil is covered in a different article.