How to start your seeds and not kill the seedlings

This post has been updated.

I have sown a few seeds just to see how it goes. It may be too soon but since I feel like it's getting cooler I thought let me try. On Sep 2 I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes/zucchinis, eggplants and capsicum seeds. These can be started this month according to this guide , which can also be found here , if I understand it right.

And here they go, a couple have sprouted already. I did't mark this batch, but from experience I know they must be courgettes and cucumbers.

And this below is an okra plant. I scattered some seeds in this area "some" weeks ago and it's actually growing. So yes you can grow veggies all year round in Dubai then, cuz okra seems to do well in summer. Last year I confused okra with castor oil plant until the pods grew gigantic. Since it was my first time growing both I thought okras were castor oil plants. The leaves look very similar, except that castor oil plant has smooth leaves and okra's leaves are kind of spiny. I actually got confused this year again, cuz I have a bunch of castor oil seedlings around.

Last year I kept a journal of what I planted when and of course I lost it. This is upsetting because this would save me lots of time. I can't remember what I planted this time last year, but I think I planted above mentioned veggies. The weather is still very hot though so this can be tricky. So what can we do to help the seeds germinate and grow?

1) Don't start your seeds indoors. Why? Because the shock will be too strong and the seedlings will most likely die. It'll still be too hot by the time you will want to transplant them and they won't survive the shock.

2) Keep your seeds in semi shade. I find it helpful. Most seeds don't need sun to germinate but need it to grow. If they germinate in shade and then you put them in the sun the shock will be too strong. Keeping them in full sun in turn will fry them.

3) Keep them watered. Keep them watered. Keep them watered. I can't stress it enough. Seeds need water to "wake up" and most seeds will die if they dry up after "waking up". I won't go into technical terms here, you can read about it. So don't let the soil dry out. You also don't want them soaking wet but during this time of the year it's unlikely to happen. If needed then water twice, or even trice a day. Or alternatively wait till October. But even then you can't let them dry out.

4) You can start your seeds in almost anything that will hold a little soil and has a drainage hole in the bottom. I use left over containers from flowers I get from souks. A few containers I have. Yoghurt cups. Disposable picnic cups. Be creative, you don't really need special seed starting packs, unless you really want to.

5) Sow a couple of seeds per container/hole. Some seeds won't germinate so it's a good idea to have at least two per cup/hole. It's not a waste cuz most seed companies are generous and seed packs contain a lot of seeds. If both germinate it's ok you can snip the weaker one later (don't pull in order not to disturb the roots). I usually throw the snipped ones into the compost or simply push it under the soil.

6) Seeds have nutrients reserve so they don't need to be fed, fertilized for a few weeks. Once they develop a set of true leaves they may need a little "meal" at half dose. But I don't do it. The soil I use is plain potting soil which already contains some nutrients. So "food" is in their final location.

7) Harden off your seedling for at least a week prior to transplanting. Expose them to sun gradually increasing the duration. Start with morning sun and move to afternoon sun gradually. UPDATE

8) Transplanting: do it in late afternoon, preferably on a cloudy day. UPDATE

9) Let children do the magic. I don't know what it is about kids and seeds, but almost everything sown by kids grows successfully :)

10) Hope for the best and be ready to start again if this batch doesn't work. I did that in the past, and not me only. Just don't give up.