Growing vegetable plants in peat pots

Planting your own vegetables in the garden bed and harvesting them later is not that difficult. The cultivation of the various vegetable plants is very easy in peat pots, which then later only have to be planted in the garden bed at the right time. There is a wide range and a large selection of seeds for the various types of vegetables in selected specialist shops. But you can also use your own seeds from last year's harvest, for example from tomato, pumpkin or pepper plants.

Peat pots - definition

Peat pots are available in well-stocked specialist shops, these are pots that only consist of natural ingredients, in this case pressed peat. They are filled with potting soil or potting soil into which the seeds are placed. Then the pots are placed together in larger seed trays. This way they can be poured without water leaking out. However, the pressed peat retains its shape even when wet. Peat pots are intended as a propagation aid for plants and have the following advantages over traditional plastic molded propagation pots:

• when the seedling is ready for planting, it does not need to be removed from the peat pot
• the pots are placed in the prepared planting hole
• the roots can find their way through the swollen peat walls
• the peat walls rot over time in the earth
• in this way it is ensured that the young seedling is not damaged during planting
• This also prevents what is known as plant shock, which many young plants suffer when they are planted
• the plant will grow faster and more vigorously in the new location because it does not lose its familiar environment

seed trays

Sowing takes place in the peat pots, which find their place in the seed trays. The growing bowls are flat planters that usually have a clear cover, the sufficient incidence of light and a constant moisture and heat inside the shell guaranteed. The increased humidity promotes seed germination. The seed trays can also be located indoors, for example on a windowsill. When growing vegetable plants in peat pots or peat pots in a seed tray, the following must be observed:

• Seed trays in the apartment must be covered, as the often dry room air could be harmful to the seeds
• with a location on a window sill, the hoods must be opened more often
• otherwise too much water will evaporate from the earth in strong sunlight
• condensation forms on the cover
• there is also a risk of heat build-up
• these two factors can promote fungal diseases
• a pen or similar object wedged between the cover and the edge of the shell improves the air circulation inside
• in late spring, when it is warm enough during the day, the seed trays are temporarily moved outside
• this has the advantage of hardening off the young seedlings
• the cover should be completely removed after some time when the young vegetable plants have gotten used to the new climate

sowing

Seeds lose their ability to germinate over time, so it makes more sense to use only fresh seeds. If you still have old seeds from the previous year, you can also check them for germination. To do this, the seeds are treated with pre-germination methods before being placed in the peat pots. Since there are different germs, for example cold germs or dark germs, these methods are also very different. If the seeds are fresh and ready to germinate, they go into the peat pots. The hobby gardener can choose between the simple peat pots or the peat pots. Both are equally suitable for cultivation and are later planted together with the young plant. Another advantage is offered to the hobby gardener. Because the vegetable plants sown in peat pots do not have to be pricked out or transplanted into larger pots. The young plants are given plenty of space in the peat pots to spread their roots, because they can penetrate the peat walls unhindered. When sowing, proceed as follows:

• Use a vegetable sowing calendar to determine which vegetables should be sown and when
• Filling peat pots with potting soil is not necessary with the peat spring pots
• use as many peat pots as vegetable plants are desired
• only one seed goes into each peat pot
• depending on whether they are light germs or others, the seeds must be inserted at different depths
• Place peat pots in seed trays
• then proceed as described under point "Cultivation trays".

watering & fertilizing

The peat pots with the seedlings must be kept moist without waterlogging. There is no need for fertilizers, since the potting soil filled into the peat pots already contains all the nutrients that the seeds need to germinate and sprout. Peat spring pots, on the other hand, already consist of a mixture of peat and potting soil, so that fertilization does not make sense here either.

Plant

When the seedlings have grown strong enough, they can be transplanted to their final location. You have to pay attention to the calendar, because not every vegetable is planted at the same time. The planting time is therefore very different for the various new vegetable plants. During the actual planting, the following must be observed:

• find a suitable location for the various vegetable plants
• Dig a sufficiently large planting hole, note the distance to the other plants
• Prepare soil with compost or vegetable fertilizer
• put new vegetable plant with the peat pot in the prepared hole
• so the delicate roots of the small plants are not damaged
• spread the prepared soil around the plant, press down lightly and water

Care mistakes, diseases or pests

A lot can also go wrong when growing in peat pots. If the seedlings are kept too wet or too cold, they will not germinate and in the worst case no new vegetable plants will emerge. You also have to pay attention to the cover over the growing bowl, because condensation forms here or it is too warm overall under the cover, then fungal diseases can quickly develop, which will prevent germination and growth of young plants prevented. Another reason why the seeds don't germinate could also be old seeds that have lost their ability to germinate. Other diseases or even pests do not usually occur when growing vegetable plants.

Conclusion

If you don't want to damage your small new vegetable plants after they have been planted, use peat pots. Sowing takes place in the same way as in conventional seed pots, but the peat pots are planted in the new location together with the young seedlings. This protects the roots. Later the peat pots rot in the earth, the now longer and stronger roots of the vegetable plants find their way through the peat walls and can grow well. If you grow a lot of vegetable plants in this way, you save a lot of time when preparing for planting. Because pricking out the seedlings, intermediate repotting is no longer necessary and when planting, the entire pot is only removed from the seed tray and placed in the prepared planting hole.

Learn more about maintaining a vegetable garden