In a few short weeks, you will be planting tomatoes and peppers into your gardens, so now is the time to begin starting them from seed.

Growing from seed gives you the opportunity to select varieties that are difficult to find as plants and to assure that you have healthy, disease-free seedlings.

Both tomatoes and peppers can be started without much equipment or special planning. You need planting containers, a high-quality planting mix, good seed, lots of light and moisture.

Planting containers can be anything from recycled plastic kitchen containers — cleaned well and with holes punched in the bottom for drainage — to planting flats or individual pots or seeding cells.

You can purchase a good soilless seeding medium or you can make your own from equal parts peat moss — fine grind — and horticultural vermiculite.

To prevent problems with disease, avoid mixtures that contain added fertilizers or organic material. Seeds contain their own early food sources, so the best seed-starting mediums are less fertile.

Moisten your starting mix to about the level of a wrung-out sponge, then add it loosely to your containers, not packing it in.

Tomato and pepper seeds are large and easy to see. Plant two or three seeds in each container, planning to keep only the largest and healthiest plant that emerges.

Place the seeds in a small indentation in the center of each container and cover them lightly with your seeding mix.

Place your containers in a plastic bag, cover them with plastic wrap or use the greenhouse covers that come with seeding flats to help retain the appropriate level of moisture.

Once seedlings are visible, remove the covers.

Place your seed containers in a warm location with plenty of light. If your site doesn't get good sunlight, you can suspend a florescent or LED shop light about six inches from the tops of the planters.

When the plants have emerged and you see four leaves — two true leaves and two seed leaves — begin adding houseplant fertilizer at half strength when watering.

It is best to water from the bottom, allowing the plants to absorb what they need and then removing the excess.

Don't let the soil dry completely, especially while the seedlings are emerging.

Running your hands lightly across the seedlings once or twice a day will make them stronger and encourage stem growth. The plants will grow quickly. If they are getting extremely tall or leggy, they are asking for more light and it's time to add a shop light or grow lights to your setup.

About a week before you plan to put them in your garden, move your young plants to a shaded area outside for a few hours each day to acclimate them to outdoor conditions.

When all danger of frost is past, you can plant them in your garden.

Tomatoes should be planted deep, with soil up to the lowest set of leaves. Peppers should be planted with soil level even to its original level.

Follow the steps above and you will soon be enjoying the fruits and vegetables of your labor.

Call the Master Gardener Greenline at 724-287-4761, Ext 229, with questions about seed starting and other gardening practices.

Thomas and Vicki Stewart are Penn State Extension Master Gardeners who live and garden in Grove City.