A Beginner’s Guide to Seed Starting

One of the best ways to save money is to start your garden plants indoors a few weeks before the last frost date. If you have a sunny window, and a little patience, you have the capability to start your plants indoors. Starting your garden plants indoors extends the growing season, allowing your plants to start producing sooner than if you directly sowed the seeds in the soil once the ground has warmed. Plus, caring for the little seedlings is a family-friendly activity that can help get you through those seemingly endless last few weeks of winter.

Here are 10 tips for successful seed starting:

1. Purchase seeds from a trusted and reliable source. High quality, properly stored seeds will have a higher germination rate (meaning more of the seeds will sprout). Heirloom varieties sometimes have a lower germination rate, so you will may need to do several sowings to get the amount of plants you want to eventually transplant. I save most of my own seed. When I do purchase I shop locally as much as possible. I purchase most of my seeds from Nimble Nitecap Seed Company, what I can’t get there I purchase the organic seeds from Burpee.
2. Use a seed-starting mix instead of potting soil. Seed starting mixes are soil-less mixtures of organic material, that provide ideal conditions for sprouting seeds. Using these mixes provides your little seedlings the healthiest environment for them to thrive, without holding excess moisture or carrying potential soil diseases.
3. Use recycled plastic containers to start your seeds. You can use just about any recycled container to start your seeds in, just make sure they are cleaned thoroughly and have drain holes in the bottom. These holes ensure proper draining, so that your seeds are not over-watered. If you want to invest in actual seed starting trays and pots that can be used year after year, there are a variety of products on the market for seed starting available at your local hardware or lawn and garden store. You may also opt to to plant in biodegradable pots, made from peat moss. These are not reusable, but provide an easier transition to the soil for the plant, especially for those who don’t like to have their roots disturbed. The pots decompose in the soil over time.
4. Plant seeds according to their package. Check the seed packet for specific planting depths. Some seeds require deeper planting depths while others simply need to be dusted with the seed starting mix. You don’t need to measure precisely, but be careful not to plant any deeper than the directions suggest. If you sow seeds too deeply, they won’t have enough stored energy to make it to the surface. You will want to plant extra seeds as well, because it is rare that a plant has a 100% germination rate.
5. Set containers in a warm location (a sunny window is ideal so you don’t have to move them later). Check your containers every day for signs of growth!
6. Keep containers moist. Seedling roots need both air and water to thrive. If they are too wet, the seedlings will dampen off (when the stem and root tissues rot at and below the soil surface) and die.
7. As soon as seedlings emerge, ensure they have a light source. A sunny window is ideal, but you might consider incorporating a grow light as well. It can be used at night to encourage faster growth. Make sure to read all instructions when using a grow light to ensure it is installed properly, safety is key!
8. Keep room temperature on the cooler side. I know this sounds counter productive, but you’ll get healthier seedlings in the long run if you grow them at cooler temperatures. Air temperatures of 70 degrees and below are the most ideal, as seedlings grown in hotter temperatures are often leggy and struggle to adjust to cooler air temperatures if they occur once planted outdoors. If you are like me and stingy with the heat in the winter, your home temperature will be ideal.
9. Fertilize and thin after leaves emerge. After your seedlings have a couple sets of leaves, you can begin to fertilize weekly. Choose an organic fertilizers and dilute to half strength. All purpose organic fertilizers provide a wide range of essential vitamins and micronutrients. Once your seedlings have a couple sets of leaves, it is time to thin them if you planted more than one seed per pot. Pick the healthiest, strongest seedling to remain in the pot and discard the rest. This allows more space for the seedling to grow and develop a healthy root system.
10. Once the danger of frost has passed, time to begin the transplanting process. Before your seedlings can be transplanted outside into the big, wide world, they will need to go through a process to adjust to their new environment. This process is called ‘hardening off’. During this process you will begin to move your seedling containers outside (when air temperatures are well above freezing) to help them adjust to direct sunlight, warmer and cooler air temperatures, wind, rain etc. Start by moving the containers outdoors for an hour each day, and then gradually increase their time spent outdoors over a few weeks. This helps them adjust to a variety of air temperatures and weather conditions and makes them less likely to experience transplant shock.

Once the danger of frost has passed, you can transplant your seedlings into prepared soil. It is recommended to add a soil amendment of compost and peat to the soil, especially if you have heavy clay soil where you live. Make sure to keep a close eye on your new transplants to ensure they are adjusting well to their new environment. Keep the plants moist, but not overly saturated. Continue to fertilize weekly, but you can now use fertilizer at full strength (prepared according to the box/bottle). Now it is just a waiting game until the plants begin to produce. Soon you’ll be enjoying the benefits of all your late winter work!

Happy Digging!

Diane