UMaine Extension tips included in BDN article on seedling starting
The Bangor Daily News included recommendations from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in an article about seedling starting for home gardeners. The article cited the UMaine Extension bulletin, “Starting Seeds at Home,” which states transplanting seedlings instead of directly sowing seeds into the garden is particularly important for plants that are slow to mature or sensitive to frost, such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and melons. UMaine Extension gardening experts suggest using fresh seed from a reliable source, and using seeds saved from a previous year only if they have been stored in a cool, dry place, the article states. UMaine Extension gardeners also do not recommend using soil from the garden to germinate seeds in containers, because it may contain weed seeds or diseases, and tends to dry out too quickly for fragile seedlings, the BDN reported.