Starting Seeds - big things to come

Let's look at starting seeds and using seedling heat mats to get them going. There are pros and cons to getting a head start on the gardening season. For some vegetables, it's a must. For others it's optional.

When we start our own seedlings, we make use of seed trays, sheet pots, peat pellets, small plastic pots, clear domes, high domes, seedling heat mats, grow lights and a seedling greenhouse with comforters and other coverings to help keep our little plants warm during the early spring nights that can get down to single digits.

We're also fond of setting out mouse traps to catch the little vermin that enjoy our tasty greens. Our little furry leaf munchers represent competition with our efforts to feed ourselves, so we build our own mousetraps to keep the population under control.

The keys to success when starting seeds are:

• Knowing the requirements for each seed type.
• Knowing which seeds should be started indoors and which should be direct-seeded in the garden.
• Planting when the time is right.
• Providing proper moisture, heat and lighting.
• Protecting seedlings from pests and harsh weather.

One of the great thing about starting seeds is you get to pick from a much larger variety of vegetable plants. Just think, your local garden center might offer a dozen types of tomatoes as seedlings, but you can get seeds for thousands of types of tomatoes. You read right, there are thousands of tomato varieties.

After seedlings are up and running, we use variations on garden cloches to protect them from low temperatures, drying winds and the harsh sun until they get used to their new home in the garden or in the greenhouse.

Vegetable seeds are quite remarkable when you come to think of it. All the information necessary to create a bountiful harvest is contained in a package so small that you can hardly assign a weight to it. It's a miracle in a little (seemingly) dried up form.

If you've never started your vegetable garden from seed, you're in for a pleasant surprise. It's easy and a great joy to see new life spring forth from the soil, sometimes overnight. More importantly, when you realize all the hundreds of pounds of food that came from a few ounces of seed, you'll come face-to-face with one of the true miracles of life that vegetable gardeners never take for granted: soil + seed + water + warmth + sunlight = plenty of food on the table.

Happy vegetable gardening to you, whether you start from seed or seedlings. May your crops be bountiful, nutritious, beautiful and delicious.

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