How do I start vegetable transplants from seed?

Growing your own vegetable transplants is relatively easy. You’ll need seed-starting mix, pots, and labels, along with the following:

Workspace essentials. You’ll need an indoor area where it’s okay for things to get a bit dirty and possibly wet. For starters, look for a cool but heated space where it doesn’t matter that there’s a bit of soil on the floor. You’ll need an old table or unused countertop for filling containers with soil and for growing seedlings. If you have a table that doesn’t have a waterproof top, cover it with a sheet of plastic or a tarp to avoid damaging it.

Good light. You don’t need to have a greenhouse to grow great transplants, but you do need a source of bright light. Without it, you will never be able to raise healthy, stocky transplants.

Heat for seeds and seedlings. You need to be able to regulate the temperature in your seed-starting area, but seedlings are happiest in fairly cool conditions. For cold-tolerant crops like cabbage and broccoli, temperatures between 50-60°F/10-15.5°C are fine. Keep seedlings of heat-loving plants between 65-75°F/18.3-23.8°C. Temperatures can be 10 degrees cooler at night.

Reprinted from The Veggie Gardener's Answer Book Copyright 2008 by Barbara W. Ellis, with permission from Storey Publishing. Creative Commons photo credit: Dulcie