WHERE IT ALL BEGINS: THE SOIL - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 216

on growing Chinese vegetables — in the ground or in containers — you need to start
your own seeds indoors. It's easy, and it's fun to watch the little seedlings grow.
Containers and Planting Media
Use a soilless mixture, ideally one designed for starting seeds. (See page 177.) These
are sterile, so your seedlings won't be flattened by the disease known as damping off.
For the same reason, make sure your containers and any tools that come in contact with
the potting soil are clean. At a minimum, wash in hot soapy water. If you've ever had a
problem with damping off, sterilize your tools and containers in the dishwasher or with
a 10 percent solution of bleach.
Some gardeners prefer to start seeds in individual small pots, soil blocks, or a tray
of small cells. Others prefer to plant rows of seeds in small or large trays. For many
vegetables it doesn't matter, but for the cucurbits and other large or fast-growing plants,
the individual pots are a good idea. If you start these in individual peat pots, you can
plant the whole pot in the ground and minimize transplanting shock.
Temperature and Light
Most seeds germinate best when it's warm, so put pots or trays in a warm spot until
they sprout. If you start seeds is an unheated garage or basement, purchase a heat mat
to speed things up.
Seedlings need more intense light than full-grown plants to ensure sturdy, stocky
growth. In the short winter days of northern regions, a windowsill probably doesn't sup-
ply enough. Unless you have a greenhouse, grow seedlings under fluorescent lights with
an automated timer set so lights are on 16 hours a day. (In cooler locations, seedlings
should do reasonably well with 12 to 14 hours of light.) The lights should be just a few
inches above plants; you'll need to keep raising them as plants grow. Or prop your seed-
lings on boards or cartons and remove these as plants grow.