Seed Starting Secrets

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Cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli thrive during the crisp, cool days of spring. They're generally started indoors, about eight to ten weeks before the last frost date, in order to give the plants time to mature before the mercury climbs too high. When the midsummer heat is on, you can either start seed outdoors for a fall crop, or indoors (especially in extreme southern climates) where the temperatures will (it's hoped!) be a bit cooler. There are even midseason cabbage varieties available to fill the dog-days gap. Brussels sprouts benefit from frost and are usually started in early summer and grown as very hardy fall and winter vegetables.

All of the members of this gang prefer firm soil and good contact around both seeds and seedlings. When sprouts show their first two true leaves, it's time to transfer them to another container. Bury the roots and stem to just below the bottom leaves whenever you transplant, and your cole crops will always have a strong and sturdy base from which to head up. Stocky aboveground stems and leaves are developed by giving seedlings plenty of elbow room and sunlight, yet keeping the air temperature a bit on the chilly side (60 to 65°F). Germination times will run about 7 to 14 days . . . unless mice eat them for a midnight snack!

GOOSEFOOT FAMILY: This group of dicots includes beets, spinach, and Swiss chard.

Beet seeds germinate in about 10 to 14 days. Each "seed" is actually a fruit with two to six seeds inside. (You'll want to keep this in mind when spacing.) The germination will be quicker, and sometimes more reliable, when seed is soaked in warm water for 24 hours. To make handling easier, I "towel dry" them before sowing, but, to be honest, more often than not these plants are simply direct-sown and covered with a layer of sifted leaf mold, sand, and soil mixture. Beet seed needs good contact with the soil, so it's a good idea to pat the covering earth down with your hands or the back of a shovel or spade. You may want to check your pH and adjust accordingly, too; these crimson roots don't like acid soil, nor will they tolerate fresh manures (as with most root crops).

Spinach, which germinates in about eight to ten days, is direct-sown for spring and fall because hot weather will send it bolting. Even the seeds need cool weather if they're to break free from their dormancy. So, if you're coaxing Popeye's favorite food in late summer, you might mummy-wrap the seeds and put them in the fridge for five to seven days. Spinach is usually broadcast, but can be hand-placed if the plot is small.

Swiss chard germinates in about one to two weeks, and I don't know why more gardeners don't have a bit of it tucked into a partially shaded spot. To my taste, it's like the best of spinach and oriental cabbage in one plant. And it seems to have nine lives; just when you think it's frozen or fried, it'll come back to surprise you. Swiss chard enjoys the same planting preparations as its relative, the beet.

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