Many home gardeners start vegetable plants indoors from seed in order to get a jump on the growing season. Vigorous plants started indoors flower sooner and often produce an earlier harvest than those started outdoors. The key to success is to give newly germinated seedlings the best possible indoor growing conditions, in order to insure stocky, vigorous plants for outdoor growing.

First, seedlings must receive bright light promptly after germination. Place them in a bright, south window if possible. If you don't have such a window, you may want to use fluorescent lights. A fixture containing two 40-watt cool white fluorescent tubes is adequate. Place the seedlings about 6 inches from the tubes, and keep the lights on for 14 to 16 hours each day. As the seedlings grow, you may need to raise the tubes to prevent leaf burn as the seedlings touch the tubes. Plants need some red and infrared radiation. Since this is not supplied by common fluorescent tubes, additional light from incandescent lamps or windows is necessary.

Most annual plants and summer vegetables prefer night temperatures between 60 and 65 degrees F. Day temperatures may run about 10 degrees higher. If temperatures are warmer than this, you can end up with leggy (tall and spindly) plants. Cool season vegetable crops and flowers like larkspur and snapdragon prefer night temperatures no higher than 55 degrees F, and day temperatures around 65.

Use a porous, well-drained potting soil for starting seeds. Potting soils available at nurseries and garden stores work well for this purpose. Seedlings should never be overwatered. Allow the potting soil to dry a bit between waterings, but don't allow the seedlings to wilt at any time.

Your seedlings will also need some fertilization for best development. Those growing in soilless mixes need prompt and regular fertilization. Use a soluble, complete house plant fertilizer. Young, tender seedlings are easily damaged by too much fertilizer. Apply fertilizer at about half the recommended strength a few days after your seedlings have germinated. After that, fertilize at 2 week intervals with the dilution rate recommended by the label. Remember to water and fertilize carefully.

The proper time for sowing seeds indoors depends upon when the plants may normally be moved outdoors. The period may range from 4 to 10 weeks, depending upon how fast your seedlings grow, and the cultural conditions in your home. Historical weather records indicate that for the Modesto area, there is only a 10 percent chance of a freeze (32 degrees F) occurring on March 21 of any given year. If you want to risk an early planting of summer vegetables, you may want to time the growth of your seedlings for a late March or early April planting in your garden.