How to Start Your Own Seeds

It is officially seed starting season and I’ve been getting so many questions from my friends and family about starting seeds. So I am going to take you through what I do, I am still figuring out a few things for my systems, but overall I’ve had some good results and I want to share my method with you.

I’m specifically talking about starting seeds indoors, as opposed to sowing seeds directly outdoors. The reason that you would start seeds indoors are A) you want to get a jump-start on the season by planting early, or B) you’re starting a type of plant that is harder to grow, and wouldn’t do well if you just planted the seeds outside.

No matter what you’re starting, you need to control two variables: light and heat. It makes the most sense to choose a space where at least one of these variables is inherently taken care of. So for example if you have a laundry room that stays about 70 degrees, or a sunroom where there is naturally a lot of light. If your room is cold, all you have to add is heat (such as a space heater) if your room is dark all you need to change is to add light (via grow lights).

The next best piece of advice I have for you is to read your seed packets carefully. Your seed packets should give you lots of information on how to start that type of plant. Some seeds need light to germinate, some seeds need darkness to germinate, some need particular temperatures at certain stages of their development, etc. You may also want to look into this before you buy the seeds, in case there are some that you feel are just too much work for you to try. If your seed packets don’t have much information on them, google the plant and seed starting instructions and do some research on what requirements might be needed.

Let’s talk about the science of seeds and how they grow, because I truly believe that a basic understanding of the principles involved will stand you in good stead for whatever you choose to grow.

The Seed Germination Process:

• Step 1: Imbibition: water fills the seed.
• Step 2: The water activates enzymes that begin the plant’s growth.
• Step 3: The seed grows a root to access water underground.
• Step 4: The seed grows shoots that grow towards the sun.
• Step 5: The shoots grow leaves.

So you can see from this germination process that it’s going to be very important that the seeds never dry out from the moment to activate them with water, until they are large enough to handle it, which I would say is after they have a few sets of leaves.

Seed Starting Method

1. Use seed starting mix to create a place for your seed to grow. There are lots of different containers you can use, I’ll go into that more in a minute, but it is important to use a seed starting mix instead of a regular all-purpose mix because it is more lofty and easier for the little seedling to push through, as well as not containing any fertilizer, which can burn the little seedlings.
2. Put your seed into the mix to the depth indicated by the seed packet. the general rule of thumb is that the seed goes down into the soil 1.5 times the size of the seed. Which for some tiny seeds is essentially on the soil surface.
3. Water your seeds GENTLY. You do not want the seeds to be moved around by the water. Do not allow them to completely dry out from this point until they are small plants. I use a material called vermiculate to top dress the soil to help regulate moisture. You can also use a clear plastic lid to help keep the very top layer of soil with your seeds on it from drying out.
4. Follow the light and heat requirements on the seed packet. The amount of time from planting to when you see that first little bit of green varies depending on the type of plant, so be sure not to give up and stop watering until you have checked the days to germination on your seed packet and know for sure you’ve got a dud.
5. When the plant has filled your container with roots, it’s time to plant it out into the garden or move up to a larger pot size.

Seed Starting Materials

• Seed Starting Mix: I don’t think it matters what brand you use (or you can research and make your own!) but you do need to use soil labelled specifically for seed starting for a few reasons: 1. this soil will be fluffier and easier for new seedlings to get their roots started in. 2. this soil will not have any fertilizer in it, which can harm your tiny seedlings. 3. this soil will be free of weed seeds, which could sprout and compete with your desired plants.
• Containers or Trays: You need something to hold the soil and your seedlings until you plant them out. Preferably something that will also keep water from dripping on the ground. There are lots of containers you can use: from empty toilet paper rolls or leftover takeout container to fancy schmancy seed tray. If you are going to start collecting materials to start seeds for years and years I would suggest investing in durable seed trays or a soil blocker that you can use for years to come. If you just want to test things out to see if you’ll like it, reuse other household containers while you decide whether you want to start seeds every spring.
• Light or Heat: Like I said, you need to control the light and heat in your seed starting area. If you don’t have really strong indirect light, you’ll need to provide grow lights. You can purchase these easily from many different retailers. You don’t need any particular type of light, regular old shop lights will work. Lights that are advertised as having various spectrums can be better for your plants, but you can totally start seeds without any fancy lights. For heat you can add a space heater to your seeds starting area (I suggest one with a thermostat in it, so it will come on at a particular temperature and turn off at a particular temperature). You can also buy heat mats for your seed trays to sit on while germinating.
• Fiddly Bits: There are lots of other extra tools you can buy, none of which are necessary, but some are super nice to have. I like using a pump sprayer on my seedlings until they have a bit of size on them. I also like using a potting tray to hold the soil and see trays while I’m putting everything together. I also have a pump sprayer for moistening the top layer of soil, but this is also not totally necessary.
• Seeds: I try to buy most of my seeds from Johnny’s Seeds because they include a lot of information on the packet about how to grow the plants. I’ve also ordered from Select Seeds, Renee’s Gardens, Baker Creek, Eden Brothers, and Botanical Interests, to name a few. I try to buy from legit-looking sites (I do not suggest buying seeds on Amazon, lots of scammers are on there selling seeds the plants that do not exist and were made up on photoshop). I also buy seeds at my local garden centers and grocery stores.