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Let's Grow Vegetables from Seed

MAHA may be a great idea, but what you do at your house is more important for your health than what's happening at the White House. Growing your own vegetables provides food that's fresher and tastes better than store-bought and helps you get some fresh air, sunshine and exercise. If you grow enough, you can even can your own sauces and soups that don't have any franken-food ingredients.

My first time growing celery from seed. 

Here in central Indiana, it's time to plant celery from seed since the average last frost date is 10 weeks away. In a few weeks, it'll be time to plant tomatoes. There are a couple of ways to figure out when to start various seeds where you live:

You can find out when it's time to plant things by 1) looking up your average last frost date, 2) getting a seed packet and looking at the instructions for starting the seeds indoors, and 3) counting backwards on a calendar by the number of weeks indicated.

You could also ask Grok (X's AI feature). I asked it, "when to plant celery seeds 46201" and it gave me not only the time to plant, but other tips on growing celery. 

Make sure you have a sunny place to plant the seedlings once they're ready to go in the ground or in a pot. If you'll be planting in pots, get seeds that are labeled for growing in pots. You'll also need some seed starting mix (it's similar to soil) and a seed tray or some plastic or styrofoam cups with holes poked in the bottom for drainage, and a tray or dish to put them on to catch the water. 

Moisten the seed starting mix in the bag if it's dry--it's hard to moisten it once it's in a seed tray. Fill the seed trays and gently press the starting mix down to remove any air pockets. Find the recommended planting depth on the seed packet and plant a few seeds in each cell. Put the seed tray within a few inches of a bright light. This one is $15; I've never needed a more expensive grow light. I use a timer to automatically turn my lights on and off. Keep the seeds moist but not soggy--a liquid measuring cup is perfect for watering them. If your seed starting mix has fertilizer, you won't need to add more. 

Comments

I hope everything grows well from the seeds.
It is always nice to grow your own vegetables if you can.

All the best Jan

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