What to plant in February for seedlings
Experienced summer residents open a sowing area in February – at this time, eggplant and late pepper seeds are sown for seedlings. But not only they need to be sown in the last month of winter – there are several other crops that need a lot of time to give a full harvest.

Root celery

It will take 170-180 days or more to mature. Therefore, seeds should be sown in mid-February.

Since celery belongs to tight crops (its seeds germinate very poorly and for a long time), before sowing, they must be soaked for 3 days in water (preferably snow) and changed every day. Then wrap in a damp cloth, put in a plastic bag and put in a warm dark place.

When the seeds hatch, they are sown in a box to a depth of 0,5 cm at a distance of 2 cm from each other. The box is placed in the brightest place.

After 2,5 – 3 weeks (1), the seedlings dive into small (6×6 cm) pots or cups. 15 days later, they are fed with a solution of nitrophoska (1 teaspoon per 3 liters of water) at the rate of 2 tbsp. spoons per plant.

Celery seedlings are planted in open ground in May.

Leek

The stalk of this onion is used for food. And before it becomes thick and juicy, a lot of time passes – 135 – 190 days, depending on the variety. Therefore, a full-fledged harvest in mid-latitudes can only be obtained through seedlings.

This delicious onion matures for a long time, so in the middle latitudes it is first grown through seedlings. I sow the seeds in February in boxes to a depth of 1 cm. The distance between plants should be 5 cm. The crops are covered with foil and placed on a bright, warm windowsill.

As soon as the first shoots appear, the film is removed. The box is transferred to a cool place where the temperature during the day will be 15 – 17 ° C, and at night – 10 – 12 ° C. If it is warmer, the plants will give a flower arrow in the first year of life, and not in the second, as expected. And you will not wait for a juicy leg.

Seedlings are planted in open ground in late April – early May at the age of 50 – 60 days (2).

Artichoke

Growing it is not easy, but the hassle is worth it, because the artichoke is a real delicacy. In addition, the plant itself is very effective. The difficulty is that the seeds of this crop require stratification, that is, they must be kept in the cold before sowing. They do it this way: the seeds are mixed with wet sawdust and kept warm for 5 to 6 days. And then they put it in the refrigerator, where they should “cool” for 40-50 days.

In late March – early April, they are taken out and sown in boxes. When the first true leaf appears, the seedlings dive into pots and grow at 17 – 22 ° C. Seedlings are planted in open ground after June 10 – the artichoke does not tolerate frost.

Fizalis

There are several types of edible physalis. Most varieties belong to vegetable physalis – they ripen quite quickly, 50 – 60 days. But the Peruvian physalis, whose berries are much smaller, but many times sweeter, sings for a long time – 130 – 140 days. Therefore, it should be planted on seedlings early – in the middle – at the end of February.

Seeds are sown in separate pots to a depth of 2-3 cm (3). Seedlings are planted in open ground in late May – early June, when the threat of spring frosts has passed. In this case, the plants need to be deepened to the first leaves – just as they do with tomatoes.

How to increase seed germination

The seeds of some crops often germinate for a very long time – sometimes sprouts appear only after 2 weeks, or even after a month. But this is if you sow them dry. But the process can be accelerated. There are a few tricks on how to speed them up.

First you need to do an audit. If the seeds are no more than 3 – 4 years old, they will sprout without any extra tricks in a week. But if they were stored longer, they need to be stimulated: soak in a “cocktail” of heteroauxin and any of the growth stimulants: Bud, Zircon, Ovary. Such a solution will saturate the seeds with useful substances and increase the germination rate. And at the same time, germination – without processing, usually 60 – 70% of the grains peck, and with “doping” – 90%.

Then the seeds must be germinated. They are wrapped in a damp cloth, placed inside the bag, inflated, tied, placed on a cutting board, and the board on the battery. As soon as the roots hatch, the seeds are planted in the soil.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about growing seedlings of heat-loving crops with a long ripening period with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Why don’t hot pepper seeds germinate?

This is a very common problem. The fact is that they contain a large amount of capsaicin, and this substance, which is responsible for the burning taste, prevents germination. To reduce the negative effect, the seeds must be germinated at temperatures above 32 ° C! At room temperature on the windowsill, germination will be low or even zero.

Is it possible to sow tomatoes in February?

For tomatoes, this is very early. The optimal age of tomato seedlings is 50 – 60 days. If you plant seedlings at the end of May, so as not to cover the plants, then the seeds for seedlings should be sown at the end of March. If you plan to plant seedlings for the May holidays under cover, then you need to sow around March 10th. If sown in February, the seedlings will outgrow.

Is it necessary to soak the seeds before sowing?

This is useful when seeds are sown immediately on the beds – in the field, the soil dries out very quickly, so it is important that the sprouts appeared faster and could get water with their roots. When sowing seeds for seedlings, it is not necessary to soak and germinate them – you can always water your crops.

Sources of

  1. Shuin K.A., Zakraevskaya N.K., Ippolitova N.Ya. Garden from spring to autumn // Minsk, Uradzhay, 1990 – 256 p.
  2. Pantielev Ya.Kh. ABC vegetable grower // M .: Kolos, 1992 – 383 p.
  3. Fisenko A.N., Serpukhovitina K.A., Stolyarov A.I. Garden. Handbook // Rostov-on-Don, Rostov University Press, 1994 – 416 p.

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