STARTING VEGETABLE
TRANSPLANTS INDOORS
Vegetable growers starting
their own vegetable transplants
need to follow four steps: choose
the proper seeding date, choose
a potting soil or mix, know your
plant's light requirements, and
last but not least, what temper
ature do transplants require.
Transplants are often started
from seed far too early. Twelve
to fourteen weeks before the
ideal planting date is way too
long. Most vegetables only
require four to six weeks.
Tomatoes and eggplant require
six to eight weeks. Plants sowed
too early outgrow the cell pak
container. As a result, two unde
sirable conditions occur, plants
that are potbound with the roots
throughout plus completely
encircling the outer edge of the
potting soil in the cell pak. This
causes tops to become spindly
and weak due to crowded compe
Great Plains
NO-TILL DRILLS
• Utilizes proven coulter/opener no-till system.
• Compact, well-balanced design transports easily.
• Heavy-duty coulters cut through tough ground
and heavy residue.
• Dry fertilizer, small seeds, and and fluffy seed box
options.
• Lock-out hubs disengage drives for transport.
See The Dependable Great Plains
Dealers Listed Below:
C.B. Hoober & Sons, Inc.
Old Philadelphia Pike, Intercourse, PA 17534
717-768-8231
Chambersburg Farm Service
975 South Main Street, Chambersburg, PA 17201
717-264-3533
Norman D. Clark & Sons
Main Street, P.O. Box 27, Honey Grove, PA 17035
717-734-3682
tition for light.
Here's an example. It's safe
to set out tomato plants in our
area about May 10. Then your
tomato seeds should be sown
1/4" deep in the containers about
the last week of March. This
will provide a young, actively
growing transplant, not yet
overcrowded in the container
and with a rootball still expand
ing and growing downward.
For starting seeds indoors,
avoid using soil from the garden.
In its place, use a lightweight
"artificial soil” that is uniform
and already sterilized. Commer
cially prepared soilless mixes
consists of peat moss, vermi
culite, perlite, and pine bark.
They are lightweight, free from
plant pests, including soil borne
diseases, nematodes and
insects, and drain very well.
The result is far superior to your
own sterilized garden soil when
placed in cell paks.
10 ft. & 12 ft.
Homegrown or windowsill
transplants often do poorly
because of poor light. What's
wrong with the light coming
through my window? Unless
you're raising transplants in a
solar room with overhead sun
light or a greenhouse, chances
are your window light, except for
brief periods on sunny days, is
too shady. In late winter and
early spring we generally have a
low percentage of sunny days in
succession. Most are cloudy:
many are rainy. Light from
cloudy days coming through a
window does not grow stock veg
etable transplants!
To do a better job, use fluo
rescent lights places about 12"
above the seeding tray. The
lights should be on a timer to
provide 16 hours of bright light
each 24 hour period. Dual fluo
rescent tubes provide a stronger
and more uniform light intensi
ty than does a single tube. One
cool white and one warm white
fluorescent tube provide an
excellent balance of usable light
for seedling plants. If you pre
fer, you may use special fluores
cent tubes developed for growing
plants which have a pink or pur
ple cast of light emittance.
Research indicates that a mix
ture of warm and cool white flu
orescent tubes is just as good.
As plants sprout and grow
under these lights, the tubes
may be raised so as not to pro
duce too much heat too near the
tops of the plants. Our experi
ence indicates a 12" height from
I|s
S'-
D & E Equipment
307 Edgar Avenue, Bloomsburg, PA 17815
717-784-5217
Carlisle Farm Service
260 York Road, Carlisle, PA 17013
800-447-6829
Lone Maple Sales & Service a* Tt ,„
RD #2, New Alexandria, PA P ' ‘
412 668-7122 6670 Ru PP svl,,e Road > Allentown, PA 18106
610-398-2553
plant top to fluorescent tube is
entirely satisfactory on veg
etable seedlings ranging from
asparagus to watermelons!
Fluorescent tubes emit a lot
of heat. To compensate for this
warmth, keep plants growing on
the cool side to promote stocky
versus succulent growth. For
the best results, turn off or turn
down all other heat in the room
to 55 degrees F. A cool basement
is an excellent area for starting
plants under lights. Avoid a
warm room with its own heat
source. Normal air tempera
tures in the 70's provides too
warm an environment for
seedling flats with lights.
The only exception to this
WEST CHESTER (Chester
Co.) Penn State Cooperative
Extension’s Better Kid Care
course for child care providers
continues at the Government Ser
vices Center, Suite 370,601 West
town Road, West Chester, on
Thursday, April 2, 7 - 9 p.m. the
focus of this program will be “Us
ing Art Materials.”
Learn the difference between
art and crafts and the different
roles they play in child develop
ment. Identify how children pro
gress in their
abilities to use ait materials, in-
The Most Comprehensive Set of
Time-Proven No-Till Drill Features
In The Business
Lancaster Faming, Saturday, March 21, 1998-B5
Better Kid Care
Hines Equipment
Rt. 28 West, Cresson, PA 16600
814-886-4183
and Rt. 220, Bel wood, PA
814-742-8171
C. B. Hoober & Sons, Inc.
McAlisterville, PA 17049
717-463-2191
rule is for the germination
process. Temperature require
ments for germination are quite
different from "growing on" tem
peratures. For example, veg
etable seed catalogs suggest a
germination temperature at 80
degrees F., whereas a growing
on temperature after seed
sprouting at 60-70 degrees.
After using 80 degrees F for ger
mination, the cooler 60 degrees
is preferable to 70 degrees for
growing out most vegetable
transplants to keep them stocky
and healthy.
Any questions regarding the
above article can be addressed to
Tom Becker, Penn State
Cooperative Extension at
(717)840-7408.
eluding fluid media. The child
view versus the adult view of art
will be discussed, along with how
to effectively communicate with
children about their artwork.
Penn State specialists join the
discussion via satellite. On-site
activities will be conducted by
Becky Scotland, Chester County
Extension’s Family Living Assist
ant. and Trudy Dougherty, CFCS,
Extension Home Economist The
registration fee, due no later than
March 26, is $5. For further in
formation. contact the Extension
office at (610) 696-3500.'