Ready for spring? Then, start your garden from seeds

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If you're anything like me, you must be itching to get your hands in the soil by now! While the indoor "lawn and garden" shows offer a welcome, albeit temporary diversion, you'll likely get more long-lasting satisfaction from starting seeds indoors for your spring garden.Starting flowers and vegetables from seed is a great activity, especially when you just can't wait any longer to get your hands dirty before spring. It's an inexpensive project, a great learning experience for children and lots of fun for the whole family. Plus, the variety of seed available from multiple sources far exceeds what you can find locally as plants. Taking only six to eight weeks, plants started from seed will be ready for outdoor planting. When you start seeds indoors, you have better control over the environment and can time your plantings to ensure they are ready when conditions are right to place them outside.You can purchase ready-made seed trays, but common household items are just as effective, and an eco-friendly alternative. I like to re-use the plastic containers that you get at the grocery store or from a take-out restaurant. They have a clear plastic lid, perfect for watching your progress and keeping moisture in. Make sure to use a seed starting mix that is "soil-less." You can make your own, or buy ready-made products at any garden center, commonly labeled as seed starting mix. These blends are lightweight, sterile and usually made up of a combination of peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite. Garden soil is too heavy for tender seedlings, plus soil contains disease pathogens, which can kill your tender plants.Pre-moisten the mix so the seeds are not disturbed by water after planting. It should be about the dampness of a wet sponge. Assuming the container or tray stays covered, the mix should hold all the moisture the seeds need to germinate. However, not all seeds have the same germination requirements, so it's best to refer to instructions on the seed packet or elsewhere for specific details.After sowing the seeds, cover the trays with a plastic lid that allows light through but holds moisture in. Plastic bags work well too. With adequate moisture, condensation will develop inside this tent or cover. Supplemental lighting is important for best growth. A simple shop light consisting of two 40-watt florescent bulbs is perfect and very inexpensive. Position the lights approximately an inch above the tray cover. The lights should stay on for about 16 hours each day. A timer makes this easy.Keep an eye on the seeds daily. As soon as you notice them sprouting, remove the cover. Too much trapped moisture could cause plants to rot. Placing a small fan nearby to keep air moving across the soil will help keep new seedlings disease-free.Thin the seedlings periodically to give them adequate room for growth and to maintain good air circulation. You can pull them out gently by hand, but I like to use a small pair of scissors to snip the stem without disturbing the soil.Lastly, continue to add water as needed to keep the soil moist but not wet. Once the cover has been removed, soil will tend to dry out more quickly. Be sure to continue to raise your light, keeping it to within an inch or two from the tops of your sprouts. In about six weeks, the seedlings will be ready to transition into the garden.Starting seeds indoors is just one more element of gardening that I find addictive and a great activity when not much else is going on in the garden. As a bonus, your seedlings will reward you with months of vivid colors or fresh produce and the satisfaction of knowing you had a hand in making it happen.(Joe Lamp'l, host of Fresh from the Garden on the DIY Network and GardenSMART on PBS, is a Master Gardener and author. For more information visit www.joegardener.com and www.DIYnetwork.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com)