Spring is coming and now is the time to start planning your vegetable garden. Depending on what part of the United States you live in, certain vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers need to be started indoors well in advance. Both heirloom tomatoes and heirloom peppers benefit from a six to eight week indoor start before moving out into the vegetable garden. Since tomatoes and peppers have the same heat and light germination requirements, we always seed both at the same time.

Sow tomato and pepper seeds indoors in a sterile seedling mix 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost date. To find the last frost date in your area, check with your local county extension office. Before seeding, soak your plug trays with warm water until saturated. Presoaking your plug trays ensures better contact between the seed and the soil. Plant the tomato and pepper seeds 1/4 inch deep. To ensure a 100% germination rate, plant two seeds per plug. Water the seeds lightly with warm water and cover with a propagation dome or plastic wrap. Check daily and mist as needed to prevent seeds from drying out, but do not over water! For optimal sprouting, tomatoes and peppers prefer a germination heat of 70 degrees to 90 degrees. If necessary use a heat mat with a thermostat to ensure proper bottom heat temperatures.

Suspend fluorescent lights three inches above the tray to provide light, even if you have some natural light. During the winter your young seedlings will not receive enough natural daylight and without supplemental light they will stretch. As the seedlings grow, raise the light fixture to maintain the three inch separation. For best growth results, keep the lights on 12 to 16 hours daily.

When the first set of true leaves emerges, gently transplant into 4" pots and place in an area of full light and temperatures of 60-70 degrees. Turn the pots on a daily basis to prevent stretching of the seedlings. Water as needed to keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Fertilize with Maxi-crop or another liquid organic fish emulsion fertilizer every 10-12 days. One week prior to transplanting your tomatoes and peppers outside, set the seedlings outdoors during the day in a sheltered location to harden off. Bring the tomatoes and peppers in at night or cover sufficiently to protect from frost.

For professional seed starting materials and certified organic vegetable and herb seeds visit the online garden store at Stargazer Perennials.