Successfully Growing Vegetables from Seed

Karen Gardner is an exceptional extension certified Master Gardener and she grows all of her vegetables from seed. In this podcast she will take you step by step on how to successfully grow vegetables from seed from selecting seed, baking potting medium "soil", watering, "ferti-gating", lighting, potting up and harvesting.__________________________________________________________Bexar County Master Gardeners (BCMG) Links: Bexar County Master Gardner Website BCMG Gardening Question Helpline: 210-631-0400Follow BCMG on FBResearch and Podcast Notes / Links to further research : Link: Timely Tips on Starting Seedlings at HomeLink: Common Seed Starting Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemLink: Media, Repotting & ContainersLink: Seed StartingLink: Saving Seed of Hybrid Varieties-Once Not Recommended; Now EncouragedKaren Gardner’s Recommendations for Seed Starting1. Buy seeds from a reputable source 2. Make your own potting mix3. Bake your potting mix to remove pathogens4. Sterilize your pots5. Water from the bottom or spray bottle misting6. “Fertigate”7. Use heat mats at temp ranges for starting seeds8. Add lights 2” above plants9. When big enough, pot the seedlings up to a larger size potKaren’s Custom Potting Soil Mix: • Coconut Croix • Peat Moss• VermiculiteSeed Start Vocabulary Words: Cotyledon: A cotyledon is a "seed leaf," the first leaf-like structure to emerge from a germinating seed, providing initial nutrition and energy to the seedling before its true leaves develop, with plants classified as monocots (one cotyledon, like corn) or dicots (two cotyledons, like beans) based on their count, often serving as food storage or becoming photosynthetic to support early growth before withering away. True Leaves: True leaves are the second set of leaves to grow on a seedling, appearing after the initial cotyledons (seed leaves) and resembling the mature plant's leaves, signifying the plant can now photosynthesize and produce its own food, a key milestone for transplanting or fertilizing. Treated Seeds: Treated seeds are seeds coated with protective substances like fungicides, insecticides, or biologicals to shield them from pests and diseases in the soil, enhancing germination and crop establishment, often with a bright color for warning, but require careful handling to avoid environmental contamination or accidental consumption, as they are a significant pesticide delivery method in agriculture. Untreated Seeds: Untreated seeds are seeds that have not been coated with any synthetic chemicals or biological agents for pest/disease protection. Pelleted Seeds: Pelleted seeds are tiny or irregularly shaped seeds coated in an inert material (like clay) to make them larger, round, uniform, and easier to handle, see, and plant.  Hybrid Seeds: Hybrid seeds are created by cross-pollinating two distinct parent plants, combining their best traits (like high yield, disease resistance, or flavor) into a superior first-generation (F1) offspring, though seeds saved from them won't grow true to type. GMO Seeds: Plants whose DNA has been altered in a lab to add new traits, like pest or herbicide resistance, creating characteristics not possible through traditional breeding.“Fertigate”: It's a portmanteau of "fertilizer" and "irrigation," essentially "watering and feeding plants at the same time". Combine fertilizing and irrigating by adding soluble fertilizers directly into the irrigation water, delivering nutrients efficiently to plant roots through drip, sprinkler, or surface systems, saving time and water while increasing nutrient uptake. TX Gardening Educational Events: Saturday, Jan 31, 2026 9am-12pm: Pruning Fruit Trees at Fanick NurseryRadio: Saturday Mornings Lawn & Garden Show 6am-9am on WOAI (1200 News Radio AM) Call in: 210-737-1200 or 1-800-383-WOAIEmail Karen: [email protected] David: [email protected] on FB / Follow on IGPodcast: Bugs By The Yard