In Other Words April 15 2021 9 Diggin’ in the Dirt: Starting Your Seeds By Chip Bubl Oregon State University Extension Service - Columbia County Seed Starting Seeds are not difficult to start. If you can create an environment that pro- vides plenty of high intensity light, you can grow excellent transplants and have them available at the time you need them. You also have access to a lot more varieties if you grow your own. If you have a greenhouse or cold frame, you won’t have to worry about added light. But if you are starting seeds inside, you will need a waterproof seed-starting table with fluorescent shop lights with reflectors that can be lowered and raised as the plants grow. You don’t need expensive grow lights. The lights need to be set as close to the growing seedlings as possible. Two inches is not too close. This will create a strong, stocky plant. I have successfully started to- matoes indoors in modest light and moved them outside in the trays under eaves that get good light and moved them back inside every evening. They warm back up when they don’t need the light and seem to do okay outside dur- ing the day if temperatures exceed 50 degrees. There are two common ap- proaches to starting seeds. Some people grow them in flats with enough space between seeds to allow them to be di- rectly transplanted out into the garden. More commonly, seeds are sown more thickly in starting flats and then trans- planted into individual pots or “cell” trays. The seedlings are transplanted after they develop their first set of true leaves. This process takes a little more time but will generally produce a stron- ger transplant. Seeds are often sown too ear- ly. Then they are held in pots past the point that they should be. You can plan your seeding dates by counting back- wards from when you want to put trans- plants out. For example, it takes about 2-3 weeks to grow seedlings of lettuce and greens for direct transplant or 3-4 weeks if you move the seedling first into individual pots or cells. For cab- bage and broccoli, it is 4-5 weeks by the first method or 5-6 weeks by the second. Lettuce and the cabbage family can be transplanted from now on. Beans can be started and transplanted despite every- thing you have read. They can be ready to transplant in three weeks or less after seeding in individual containers. Have the ground prepared and protect from cold nights. Tomatoes need 5-7 weeks by Mariolino’s Pizza & Grill Serving breakfast, lunch & dinner Daily Specials We have ice cream! Cones-Shakes-Sundaes 721 Madison Avenue, Vernonia Serving Vernonia since 1970 (503) 429-5018 the first method or 6-8 weeks by the second. Peppers are slightly longer. Squash, pumpkins, cucumbers and mel- ons should only be sown directly in in- dividual pots and they need 10-21 days to transplanting. Using that information, don’t plan on planting your tomatoes outside until mid-May at the earliest. If you protect your tomatoes with either a mini-greenhouse struc- ture or some other device like a “Wall of Water,” you can move this up a couple of weeks. Pep- pers are very sensitive to cold soils so a late May to early June is usually better. Again, if you can protect them after setting them out, they will do better. Warming the soil by covering it with clear plastic for about five days before transplanting also helps quite a bit. Seedlings need good air circu- lation and attention to watering – neither too much nor too little. This is very important! Veg- etable transplants need to be hardened off by exposing them to outside tem- peratures, sun and wind gradually. Put them outdoors for short periods of time in indirect light and then for a few more days (for short periods) in more direct light. When transplanting, continue to protect them from low or high tem- perature extremes. Bait for slugs and consider drenching the transplants with a good water-soluble fertilizer. Most of our transplants in April and May need additional heat. Floating row covers or plastic mini-greenhouses can help to keep the vegetables growing rapidly. If you are using plastic hoop structures, be sure to open them up in the morning to avoid excessive heat buildup. It is easy to cook your tender seedlings if you are not paying attention. Despite all the rain, I am opti- mistic that we will have a good garden- ing year. Last year, the wet weather of May and June really had an impact on gardening, especially the warm season crops like squash, tomatoes and pep- pers. The odds are against a repeat. The OSU Extension office is starting to re-open for face-to-face public con- tact Monday through Thursday. I will generally be there Monday and Tues- day but check as individual days can change. There should be someone an- swering the phone all those days. Free newsletter (what a deal!) The Oregon State University Extension office in Columbia County publishes a monthly newsletter on gardening and farming topics (called Country Liv- ing) written/edited by yours truly. All you need to do is ask for it and it will be mailed or emailed to you. Call (503) 397-3462 to be put on the list. Alter- natively, you can find it on the web at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/colum- bia/ and click on newsletters. Take excess produce to the food bank, senior centers, or community meals programs. Cash donations to buy food are also greatly appreciated. The Extension Service offers its pro- grams and materials equally to all peo- ple. Contact information for the Exten- sion office Oregon State University Extension Service – Columbia County 505 N. Columbia River Highway St. Helens, OR 97051 (503) 397-3462 Email: chip.bubl@oregonstate.edu