The Vertical Gardening Guidebook by Tom Corson-Knowles Read Free Book Online Page A

with insects and diseases. The medium should consist of a blend that is spongy, fine-textured and moist. When sprouting seeds for my aeroponic vertical garden, I use rock wool cubes. You can buy them at any hydroponics supply store or online. More on that in Chapter 11.
    You can find ready-mixed blends readily sold at gardening centers in your area or online. These blends consist of vermiculite, milled sphagnum moss and perlite. Since these blends don’t have a lot of nutrients, if any, so you will need to add a liquid fertilizer to the mix. This should be done a few weeks after your seeds start to germinate. Once you transplant the seeds into the garden, you can discontinue the fertilizer.
    The transplantation of your seedlings should take place after six to eight weeks. They can then be transplanted into a larger pot. It should contain coarser materials with the vermiculite, perlite and sphagnum, such as garden soil or compost. Usually a 1/3 of each item is used in the blend. This mixture will get your transplants prepared for a life out in your garden.
    Starting Your Seeds at the Right Time
    Certain plants grow faster than others, which is why you should try and time your seed starting accurately. You don’t want to start seeds that grow too fast to where you can’t transplant them out to your garden right away.
    You will need to time rapid growing plants closer to planting time and those that grow a lot slower can be planted earlier, so that they are ready by the time you want to transport them outdoors.
    For instance, you can begin growing leeks and celery 12 weeks before you want to transplant them outside into your garden. Then there are sunflowers and cucumbers, which only need between three and four weeks to be transplanted to your outside garden. Most seed packets give directions for seedling and how long it takes before they’re ready for transplantation. To better organize your seed starting, you can create a schedule for all of the different plants you decide to grow this season.
    If you will be starting your seeds inside of a greenhouse or a room that is very warm, then you can subtract a week or so from the planting date. When starting seeds in very warm temperatures, it can cause the plant to grow faster, which will leave you with a big plant that is ready to be transplanted sooner than you expected.
    Some seedlings will have to be transplanted into larger pots after they’ve been growing for about three to four weeks. If you’re growing your seeds in flats instead of individual plant cells, then this is especially so. These plants will need space to allow their roots to grow before being transplanted outdoors.
    Starting and Maintenance of Seedlings
    The container that you are growing your seeds in should be kept moist and warm. Room temperature water is the best to use. Fill the trays you have purchased with the medium you decide to use and make sure that it is thoroughly moistened.
    Fill the tray about ¼ to ½ from the top, then plant the seeds. Make sure to check the seed packages to see if the seeds are required to be chilled or soaked before being planted. You’ll also need to double check whether the plants prefer sunlight or shade and specific temperatures.
    It’s important that you create the perfect habitat for your seedlings to get the best results. This is why it’s easier to start with a small variety of seeds – because it can be pretty difficult to create multiple climates at once. If you can, you should try growing plants that have similar requirements. But just know that if you do make a mistake and some of your seeds don’t sprout, you can always try again! Trust me, we’ve all made those kinds of mistakes many times in our gardening adventures.
    You can either plant the seeds in their own cells or scattered across the surface of the soil. Don’t sow the seeds too thickly; they only need a fine layer of soil. Most seeds should be covered three times their thickness, unless the