Starting veggies from seed: tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini, cucumbers and more

Summary of Post
Starting seeds indoors, yourself, on a budget. As with last year I have started a bunch of seeds indoors so that they will be ready to transplant into my (hopefully) composted, tilled, and amazing raised beds when their time comes. Ever the miser, I got the entire operation going for under $5. I couldn't bring myself to buy starts - those trayed plantlets promising all manner of veggies.

How to start your seed for cheap:

• Scavenge seeds. A couple weeks before beginning this endeavor, start putting aside seeds from the veggies that you eat. For example, scoop out a spoonful of tomato seeds when slicing tomatoes for your salad. Most seeds simply need air dried on a paper towel. Tomato seeds are left to 'ferment' in a cup of water for a couple of days first (gets quite gross), then dried on a paper towel. I've had good luck simply using fresh seeds directly as well. In any case, heirloom veggie seeds are a better bet because hybrids probably won't come true to seed.
• Save unused seeds in seed packets. I used last year's leftover seed. I kept them in a ziploc bag in the fridge and did a 'germination test' (see below) before sowing. Most of the seeds were supposed to have expired. In fact those that I bought for pennies each last year, have 'best before 2007' printed on the packets. I'm a sucker for sales :). Surprisingly, and happily, germination was 80-100% for all the seeds, except the pepper seeds. The eggplant lagged behind all the rest, germinating from the 8th day onward.
• Harvest seeds from your plants. If you had a veggie garden last year, you could let some of your veggies get big and old. They turn into seed-makers as a last push to further their generation and you can collect these seeds. Crucifers like broccoli and cabbage will produce flowers and seeds if let go. Squash, pumpkin and cucumber seeds can be scooped from old, ripe fruit (for cukes, this is when they are huge and turn yellow/orange). These seeds can be collected, dried, put in labeled aluminum foil or paper packets, and kept in a ziploc bag in the fridge for next year.
• Use old containers instead of buying pots. plastic egg cartons, recycle used foam cups, give a new lease of life to used styrofoam containers. All these need are two or three holes poked in their bottoms, and they're ready to go!
• Get free compost (or make your own). We compost the leaves that are raked up in fall. And we also get free leaf compost from the Harrison Hills Municipal Council. We've been using it in place of potting soil, which is kinda expensive. I haven't sterilized the compost (which experts recommend), but I might consider doing that if my seedlings get that notorious wilt that mass kills baby plants.

Germination test
I shook out about 10 seeds each of California Wonder Pepper, Marglobe Tomato, cherry tomato, Early Dutch Cabbage, De Cicco Broccoli, Long Island Brussel sprouts, Chinese Eggplant, and 5 seeds each of Yellow Crookneck Squash, Green Zucchini and Cucumber bush hybrid. I placed the seeds in little groups on moistened paper towels lining a salad tub, with labels for each group (see pic below). 




The lid went on, and my germination chamber sat on a warm (70 F) radiator for the rest of the week. I then checked daily for little root nubs and sow these germinated seeds immediately (pic below shows cucumber seeds with root nubsies). After two to three weeks, whatever hasn't germinated is probably not going to, and you can bury those tiny seed corpses in your compost heap.



Retail Therapy?
Ok, so you have all this know-how on starting your own veggies cheaply. Don't let me deprive you of retail therapy if you decide you don't want the hassle of scavenging your own seed. Sometimes, it's just easier to open a seed packet and go from there. Afterall, it's still huge money savings compared to buying potted veggie seedlings at Lowes, Home Depot or your neighborhood garden center. The Ferry Morse seeds get good reviews on their seed variety and high germination rates if that's the direction you wish to take.

That's it for now!

Peace