Cover the containers with plastic sheets or panes of glass and place in a room where temperatures range from 60 degrees to 65 degrees. Keep the containers away from sunlight until seeds have germinated. To avoid disturbing the remaining plants, use tweezers to pinch off the unwanted seedlings. Do this rather than pulling them out. Water seedlings carefully.
Small containers dry out quickly.
If you keep them too wet, however, growth will be inhibited and the plants could die. About a week before planting outdoors, gradually provide the seedlings with longer periods of outside exposure. At the same time, reduce watering to a minimum, making sure that the plants do not wilt. For information about this or other home gardening topics, con tact your county office of the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. Steve Cramer is a CSU Cooperative Extension agent.