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Most salad greens, nearly all herbs, and many flowers and vegetables thrive in containers provided they're filled with enriched soil and large enough to accommodate stretching roots.

1. Start the seed in flats or small plastic pots. Used pots need a scrub and dip in a 10-percent-bleach solution.

2. Dampen your mix thoroughly before sowing seed. Drainage is of utmost importance in container gardening, so use a growing medium that drains well. Prepare containers by filling them with a seed-starting mix, or make your own by combining equal parts sphagnum peat with perlite or vermiculite.

3. Place two or three seeds in each pot or make rows in a flat. Seeds planted in rows, rather than scattered, have fewer problems after germination because of improved air circulation.

4. Cover the seeds lightly with a thin layer of dampened potting mix, and cover germinating flats with a plastic dome or plastic wrap to preserve moisture. Most seeds germinate in a warm dark place, so a heat mat is very useful but not absolutely necessary for germinating seed.

5. Be sure to tag flats so you know what you're growing, or keep a notebook with a sketch. I make notes in my gardening journal of when I sow seed, days they germinate, when I transplant and so on.

6. Be patient. Some seedlings will sprout in a few days while others take longer.

7. Once your seeds have germinated, move them to the light. A twin-tube fluorescent grow light will speed sturdy development, but a sunny window or cold frame will suffice.

8. Water with a fine mist. A big blast from the hose can knock down or drown fragile seedlings. Keep soil evenly damp but not wet, and never allow soil to dry out. You can tell when the flats need water by the color of the medium and the weight of the container.

9. When the seedlings are 1 to 2 inches tall, fertilize them lightly. Once they reach 3 or 4 inches in height and possess two to four true leaves, they may be transplanted into pots for further development or into the garden.

10. Annuals need exposure to outdoor conditions, or hardening off, for a week or so before transplanting to protect them from wind and extreme temperatures. Remember these are baby plants, and immediate exposure to the elements may shock and kill them.

Once plants are hardened off, transplant them into your garden where you've worked in humus such as compost, aged manure or leaf mulch. With proper care and attention, your spouts will grow into hearty plants that will soon be ready for harvest.

- Susan Belsinger
Washington Home & Garden Magazine

Learn more about this author, Nikki Smith.
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