Seed Starting Simplified

Now that you have picked out and purchased your seeds, where do you start? In this blog post I am going to explain the way that I do it, there are other ways, but I find this Is what works for me. You have to decide if you are going to start your seeds indoors or sow them directly into the ground. It makes a big difference depending on what you want to grow and what time to start your seeds, so I am going to break it down for you.

First of all you need to know what zone you are in, I recommend that you download the Planter APP and put your zip code in and get the calendar of seed starting times for your area, it tells month by month when to plant each type of seed for indoors and out.

  Starting seeds Indoors

      Equipment

• Grow lights
• Pete pellets and trays or 
• Egg cartons and seed starting soil
•  Plant markers
• Enough room for up potting
• Oscillating Fan

  I start by putting the amount of seed I want to grow onto a wet paper towel (usually 1 seed per cell), I fold it over and put it in a baggie, I usually put it under a heating pad on low until it starts to sprout, doing it this way you pretty much know how many plants you are going to get, it takes the guess work out of waiting until they all pop up.

  Grow lights are a must to have a successful growing season, they give your starts proper photosynthesis, there are a lot of different spectrums, you can do your own research on that, I use full spectrum, I have a few of different wattages, From 1000wt down to 20wt, I use the lower wattage ones for when the seeds first start to pop up and then move them as they grow taller.

   Pete pellets and trays makes this option an easy one to start , you just soak the pellets in warm water until double in size, poke a hole in the material, I like to use a pencil eraser or a chopstick and put the sprouted seed in, put the dome on, keep moist, not drenched, and when the plants are tall enough take the dome off. The link above is the best deal on pellets and trays that I could find.

  Egg cartons and seed starting soil make the most economic option, I collect egg cartons all year just to pot my seeds, I like them because I can cut them and customize to my planting needs, you need to add warm water to the soil before you begin, there are usually directions on the package, you want it to be moist but not wet. Fill the egg cups with the seed mix and smooth out, make an indent and put your sprouted seed in, I then grab a handful of soil and sprinkle it over the top barely covering the surface.

 Using plant markers makes sure that you don't get your plants mixed up, it is easier than you think, so make sure to mark each row or tray as you go.

An oscillating fan on low for about 15minutes to 1/2 hour will give your plants a light breeze and makes them stronger.

 Last of all, make sure you have enough room to accommodate all of your plants, if you grow indoors you will have to move them to bigger pots before they can go outside, they take up much more space than the trays.

Starting seeds outdoors

  Following the package directions on depth and spacing is the best advice, there are a few things that I directly sow, one is peas and even then I sometimes start them indoors to give them a head start, I started some corn indoors last year,  I transplanted it to the garden and at the same time I put some seeds in the ground, not one came up, I think the birds may have got to them, but all of the stocks I started inside grew into huge plants and I got a nice crop. One important thing you need to do is find out what your frost end date is. Most seeds can't be sown outside until the ground is warm enough, there are exceptions though. 

By knowing your zone, sowing seeds at the right times and following some simple technics it will make your garden experience more bountiful and rewarding