Gardening supplies you should have
These things are not something you need to have to start your own plants inside, but they make the process much easier.
I have this portable greenhouse I use for hardening off my plants before I put them in the garden. If you have a lot of plants, it’s a pain taking them in and out for a few days to harden them off.
What I do is have this portable greenhouse on a patio that I have in front of my house. It gets sun in the morning and then is shady for the rest of the day. I put my plants in here and have the windows open during the day and then zip them up at night. That way, they get some sun and shade and gradually acclimate to the outdoors.
Heat mat.
This is a great way to start the seeds and get them to germinate quickly. On the seed packets, it tells you how long it takes for the seeds to germinate. Most seeds take a week or two to germinate. I have had seeds germinate in two to three days with a heat mat. The heat mat is not something you need, but it is a great helpful tool. You also take them off the heat once they germinate.
A moisture meter
A moisture meter is not something you need. It is nice to have to help you determine if the soil is wet below the surface. The surface will dry faster than below the surface. This device also has a light meter to tell how good the lighting is for your plants. It’s not a necessity, but it is an excellent tool to have, and it is inexpensive.
A soaker hose
A soaker hose is a great tool as well. I have six of these in my garden beds. The soakers are hooked to a couple of splitters that I have. I have a splitter on the outside faucet with two hoses. I have two expandable 75-foot hoses. I run out to the other splitters in the garden and water the beds at the ground level to get the plants deep watered.
These are my favorite garden supports for whatever you need them for. The rods are in four, five, or six-foot lengths. You can also unclip a side, put a branch inside, and clip it back. You don’t have to bend the branch around the support without breaking it. Wherever you need to, you can add them. In the fall, you take them apart and store them in a small space, ready for next year.
Gardening problems to look out for
- not enough light – Plants get leggy if they must reach too far for the light. They need enough light to grow. Keep them close to the lights as they grow.
- water – Too much or too little water, both hurt seedlings. Can use a moisture meter to check the moisture down deeper; just make sure the top is moist but not wet.
- starting seeds too soon – If you do this. You can transplant it into bigger pots before planting outside if needed. We all get eager for winter to end, and we subconsciously think starting seeds early will get us started sooner. Not a good idea.
- not hardening off – Need to harden off the plants. Get them used to the harsher climate outside before planting them outside.
- planting too much – It is common to over-plant. I do this frequently. Sometimes you don’t have enough room in the house or the garden. You can give them away to friends and relatives.
- not labeling – Solo cups with a permanent marker for the tomatoes and peppers.
- Use garden plant labels when you use starter trays. You need to know the plants and how to care for them.
- giving up too soon – Not all seeds germinate at the same rate. Even the same seeds. Give them time to make sure they will not come up.
- your seeds are bad – most seeds you buy from reputable places will be good for two to three years or more.
- not reading the seed packet – The people that grow, process, and package the seeds know what you need to do to have the best chance for them to succeed. Follow their directions as close as you can.
- not using starter mix – Some people use potting soil to start seeds. It can work, but it’s not the best option. Never use old soil from a pot or dirt from your yard. Use starter mix to give the seeds the best chance.
- not pre-moistening soil – The seeds need proper moisture to germinate
- planting too deep – If the seed can’t get enough oxygen to germinate, it will not. A little shallow is better than too deep.
- Poor germination. This is likely for two reasons. Soil is not warm enough, or the seeds dry out. This is where the heat mat comes in. It will get the soil up where it needs to germinate, even if the air temperature is not high enough. Once the seeds germinate, the soil is better cooler for the plants to grow well. Make sure you keep the soil moist through the germination process. If it dries out, the seeds will not germinate. That is where the clear dome is important. It is like a terrarium that keeps the moisture on the soil and the seeds stay moist.
- Mold on the surface of the soil. This will happen if the dirt on the surface is too wet. Using a fan keeps the air moving across the top of the soil and doesn’t allow mold to grow. The seedlings get their water from the roots, so you don’t want the surface to be wet. You take the dome off shortly after the seeds germinate so mold will not grow on the soil surface.
- Leggy plants. If your plants are growing tall with a thin stem, they are not getting enough light. They are reaching to get more light. Get the plants closer to the light source. You want the top of the plant to be two or three inches from the light source. If your tomatoes and peppers get leggy, they are easy to fix. Just replant them in a bigger pot and bury the plant in the dirt up to the leaves. These plants will grow roots out of the plant’s stem as far as they are under the soil. They will be stronger and have more roots to make a vigorous plant.
- Damping off. This is another issue caused by the top of the soil being too wet. The part of the plant on the soil’s surface will rot and break off. A fungus that is in the soil can also cause it. When you re-use starting pots from the previous planting, ensure you clean them well before using them again. I wash them in dawn dish soap. Let them dry, then put them in a tub of bleach water for a couple of minutes to ensure there is nothing left in the pot from previous grows.