It is easy to grow a great crop of vegetables and despite some people thinking it is a science it really is simple. You may have heard about people being labelled as having "green fingers" but they are not special, it is just that they may have followed the instructions about growing vegetables.
I have a simple rule. Read the back of the seed packet and follow the instructions but remember you can cheat. Looking at the back of some of my seed packets it tells me when I should sow the seeds, plant spacing, time to harvest and so on but I live in the UK where the instructions, (and seeds), tend to be slightly different from the US and other parts of the world. However, the information is more or less the same. I am looking at some seed packets my Sister in Law brought me over at Christmas from the US and they have the same information on as the UK packets, how long to germination, how long to harvest, planting depth and plant spacing. The only difference is the zone system which is based on temperature but here in the UK we have a 900 mile difference between south and north so we have to take temperature into consideration as well.
So how do you cheat? Well the planting time is based on how likely it is that the seed will germinate and this is based on the temperature of the soil and outside it is currently 38F. I am typing this in my kitchen where it is 79F and this is the simplest way to cheat. Sow your seeds indoors. Looking at a pack of chilli seeds in front of me the recommended sowing time is in 6 weeks time. Mine have been growing for the past 6 weeks and this means an extra 3 months growing time. My chilli harvest is fantastic and I do something similar for my tomatoes and other crops as well.
What I do is work out what temperature the seeds need to germinate. This allows me to figure out if I need to apply heat to the seeds or just let them use room temperature. I used to sow the seeds in small flats, (seed trays), but I now find it earlier to use cell trays. I put one seed in each cell and just let it grow. Do I cover the seeds, well it all depends on what advice is given on the seed packet, but generally I cover the seeds to at least their own depth with finely sieved compost or fine grade vermiculite. They may need to be deeper than this so check the seed packet. I like the cell system as it allows me to plant a complete root system out when I transfer the seedlings to a plant pot, with a flat you tend to get root disturbance.
If the seed needs heat, I give it heat. I have an expensive electric seed propagator but I do not tend to use this except for keeping small plants warm on cold nights in the greenhouse. I either use a shelf near a radiator which is fairly warm or I have an old heating mat I used to use when I made my own wine. Either way the temperature is higher than just standing the flat on a windowsill. If I do not need the extra heat other than already in the room, I just use the windowsill and you will find that the seeds germinate fairly well.
Once your seeds have germinated you need to grow the plants on and I keep them in the cell trays until large enough to transfer to a small plant pot. I turn the seeds daily so that they get equal light on each side otherwise your seeds will just grow towards the light all the time and bend. You can build a cardboard back to the area where the plants are and cover this with aluminium foil which reflects the light on to the back of the growing plant. You could even use an old mirror to do this.
Eventually the temperature outside will have risen enough to allow you to put your plants into the ground. A couple of weeks before you do this you need to do something called hardening off. This is acclimatising your plants to the lower temperatures outside. Simply put, it means putting your plants out during the day and bringing them in at night. Plants can suffer from shock at a sudden drop in temperature so look after them. It is just like you really. If you go out without a coat from a hot house into the snow you very quickly get cold and start to shiver. Your plants are just as tender and need to be looked after as well so harden them off for at least a couple of weeks. Work out when the last frost date is for your area and plant them out after this so there is no danger of them being killed by frost. If you look at many seed packets they may well tell you to sow the seed after this date, but some of my plants will have been growing for 12 weeks before this so I get a much longer growing season than many people do and I think this leads to a much healthier crop and a larger harvest.
Another trick you can use is to cover the ground where the plants are to go with a cloche or plastic. Black plastic is best as this will warm the soil quicker than clear plastic and your plant roots will benefit from being planted into a warmer soil.
A few final points. Always use new flats or plant cells or at least make sure they are clean if you reuse them. To clean mine I soak them in water, use a brush to clean them and finally soak them in a household medical disinfectant to kill off germs. You could use a weak bleach solution or a specialist garden disinfectant, but just be careful with the chemicals whatever you use and use you commonsense. I also do this with my plant pots except for small tomato seedlings where I always buy new but as I only use about 20 a year this is not expensive. The other tip is to use tap water to water your seeds and seedlings. Again this is to help prevent disease. In most countries tap water is chlorinated which basically is like bleach and helps kill off bugs. I use rainwater on my established plants as they can easily cope with it but tap water is best for seedlings.
Once you new plants are in the ground you could use cloches to cover the plants until they are well established. By starting off my seeds inside my house I get at least 4 weeks extra time added to the growing season and this can be much longer. As I have already mentioned, my chilli seed packet talks about sowing the seed outdoors in April but I started mine off in the house just before New Years Eve. This allows me to have a much longer growing season and leads to a heavier and more productive crop of vegetables.
You can learn more about High Density Gardening and growing tomatoes by checking out [http://www.highdensitygardening.com/home.html] which also has free downloadable worksheets on building hotbox compost bins.
Ric Wiley is an internet writer and gardener. His website about High Density Gardening can be found at [http://www.highdensitygardening.com/home.html] and his latest ebook is High Density Gardening
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