BELFAST, Maine — The topsy-turvy weather this winter can make you step outside and wonder whether the calendar pages flipped from February to April overnight.
That unaccustomed warmth can make home gardeners start thinking seriously about the next season in the garden, including taking the hopeful winter step of starting seedlings indoors to transplant outside later.
Alison Jewett of Troy said her windowsills already are home to green bean seedlings that have stretched 2 or 3 inches toward the sun already. The seedlings were her 8-year-old daughter’s school project, and the experiment’s positive outcome was not a forgone conclusion, the Belfast bank teller said.
“I was amazed to see they’re actually growing,” she said. “We will have green beans early this year.”
For those who would like some more precise tips for starting their seedlings, Mary Bulan, the director of Unity College’s McKay Farm & Research Station in Thorndike, has several ideas. Also, the helpful experts at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension have put together a handy bulletin about starting seeds at home that is full of good tips for gardeners.
“When seeds first germinate, many of them don’t need light but they certainly need heat,” Bulan said, adding that the ideal germination temperature is usually higher than what the mature crop will need. “They will germinate at lower temperatures, but you want vigorous plants. You want to get everything up and going, not to waste a lot of energy under the soil.”
In addition to a warm space, home gardeners need good seeds and will want to make sure they put the seeds in the proper potting soil that will allow for drainage, aeration and nutrients.
“Some people just take dirt out of their yard. They might not get the success they’d like,” Bulan said. “Topsoil might not have the same lightness of a potting mix.”
Once the healthy seeds have been tucked into a good potting mix and have germinated, they can be fine in a sunny window with southern exposure, she said.
“Don’t let them dry out, ever,” Bulan cautioned. “I think watering is an under-appreciated art.”
Lettuce can be a reliable plant to start ahead of time, as is basil. Other crops — especially tomatoes and peppers — can be challenging to start without a greenhouse. Some crops, including squashes, don’t like to be transplanted and ought to be started from seeds, she said.
All seedlings that have been started indoors ought to be “hardened off” before they are transplanted into the garden.
“If they’ve been completely coddled, and you set them right in the ground, they might not make it,” she said. “Bring the seedlings out. If it’s warm enough, leave them out overnight. You let them experience the full sun and the wind.”