Off to a Great Start

By Mary LaFrance

If you live in Akwesasne and are starting a garden this year, you are probably starting your seeds indoors. Not all plants need to be started indoors, but it will help some more cold sensitive plants get a head start in our area. Plants you may want to consider starting indoors are broccoli, onions, and sweet peppers. I am also starting okra, which seems to grow well in our summers, and sunflowers because I really love them, and I have had trouble growing them from direct sow.

In order to start plants indoors, the first thing you will need is space. It helps if you can designate approximately 10’x10’ area of your home to starting your plants. You won’t need all that space at first, but remember, plants grow, and sometimes they sprawl, so having a large designated space now will save you time and headache down the road. I like to put my starter seeds on a four-tier shelf located near a patio window that receives lots of light.

The next thing you will need are supplies. You can find seed starting supplies just about anywhere right now. I use the seed starting greenhouse kit with expanding peat pellets. A kit comes with a tray, a clear cover and has room for 75 seedlings. I just add warm water to let the peat pellets expand and then add my seeds. I like to add complete rows of the same seeds because it is easier to keep track. Remember to write down what you planted in each row to help identify the seedling once they sprout.

Once your seeds are planted, it’s time to leave them in a sunny spot to do their thing. In past years, having my seeds starting setup by a large sunny window was enough. This year, my plant starting spot is in a spare bedroom/home office with not very large windows. I reutilized a work lamp I had with a full spectrum grow light and will see how this does in my new low light location.

As the plants start to grow, they will outgrow the greenhouse fairly quick. Once the stems reach the top of the greenhouse you can remove it and water regularly. At some point, they will outgrow their peat pellet and it will either be time to transfer to a larger pot, or transplant directly into the ground, depending on what you are starting. If you are just buying your starter greenhouse kits, splurge on some of those compostable paper pots, too.

Of course, you do not always have to run out to the store to buy materials for starting your garden indoors. If you have a sunny windowsill, some seeds, and good quality garden soil, you can start your seeds in any cup, planter, container, even a hollowed-out eggshell will hold the soil long enough to get your seeds started. Whether you use store bought or homemade, you want to make sure you have some kind of waterproof protected barrier underneath because the soil can hold a lot of water and it can seep out onto other surfaces.