This is the first year that we decided to try and grow our own plants from seed. Normally I buy tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, basil, parsley and cilantro plants from a garden center. Then we directly sow the rest of our vegetables in the garden as seeds (such as beans, squash, and carrots).
You may be wondering what prompted me to try this? I would say a combination of curiosity and the future idea of saving money. This year we doubled our planting area adding 2 more raised beds (for a total of 4 beds) and we knew the cost would add up quickly. So this winter I did my research and we decided to take the plunge and grow as many plants from seed as possible. We both figured that if it didn't work we would just go out and buy the plants we needed.
In previous posts you have seen the Parsley, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Tomato, Eggplant, Peppers and Basil that we successfully started from seed. I didn't get around to taking pictures when I first started those seeds, so today I am going to make sure that I show you the steps I took in detail.
In this post I am going to be planting squash, zucchini, watermelon, and cucumbers. Typically you just start these types of plants from seed right in the garden, but I wanted to try and give them a head start this year. If you try squash, zucchini, watermelon or cucumbers you need to plant the seeds in pots that decompose when you plant them directly in the ground (such as peat pots or coconut coir pots). With these types of plants you want to disturb the roots as little as possible. When you are ready to plant them in the garden you just tear 1/2" off the top of the pot and plant the entire pot and its contents directly in the ground.
