How to Start Seeds Successfully at Home

Why start your own seeds? For some, it is the comfort of knowing spring is just around the corner, and for me, there is nothing like the hope of watching your tiny sprout emerge from the soil. It’s truly like Christmas morning. I find seed starting an important step to plan my garden and account for the space I will need outdoors (or containers). I also find this method cost affective for perennial herbs, landscaping flowers, or potted flowers. Vegetables are just an added bonus to use throughout the summer months, or plant hardy vegetables and store in the freezer for winter!

Because my family is in the middle of building a home, we have no garden beds, no tilled land, and no landscaping. Only a blank canvas for what we can hope to grow this summer. While a huge focus of ours this year will be on growing perennials I wanted to take the time to plant a seed garden and simplify what I have done in previous years to still scratch my itch of having a beautiful fresh garden this year.

Here are some tips that I have started over the years that I would suggest to anyone just starting out, or someone looking to simplify their seed starting journey.

Tip #1 – Save plastic containers. 

Soil blocks, seed cells and eco friendly pods are great options, but after years of cracked and broken plastic cells I wanted something truly more reusable. A few years ago I saved yogurt containers and drilled drain holes in the bottom. My husband had a thing for a daily parfait and I think I saved over 26 containers. I still use these containers because they are great for extending seedlings since I have a late frost date (hello zone 4b).

Tip #2 – Invest in a grow light.

Did you know that seeds do not need light to germinate? It’s true, but having a light will CHANGE your entire experience when growing seeds on your own. Seedlings cannot be window gazers! When they reach toward the sun through a window, their stems will become weak from bending and “leggy”. Healthy established seedlings grow straight up towards light and in turn will produce strong stems and leaves. Added bonus if you have a slight “breeze” blowing gently on them like a fan or an open window once it becomes warmer outside. I started with a basic light on amazon that had a timer, which made it easy not needing to think about turning the light on or off.

Tip #3 – Seed starting soil is Key

Only use seed starting soil to germinate your seeds.  Seedlings do not need much soil to germinate but what they do need is a warm, moist but well drained environment. This is crucial – if a seed becomes waterlogged or is too cold the germination simply won’t happen.  I learned this the hard way when I tried to create my own seed starting mixture by buying all of the components separately and mixing into a 77 gallon plastic container. What I found was that my mixture may have had enough nutrients to sustain an established plant, but not the aeration to help a delicate seed grow. 

Tip #4 – Quality Seed distributor

For many of my gardens I have bought seeds from the general large box store and at times I struggled with germination of those seeds. I switched to using an Amish seed distributor two years ago and I won’t look back. The option to choose from varieties of organic, heirloom, untreated, and treated seeds is truly unmatched, and the option to shop from a catalog and have the seeds or roots delivered to my door makes the seed buying experience much more organized and price conscious. In the past I would go to the store and become enamored by the beautiful pictures of blooms and fresh produce on the packaging. I would keep going back to the store thinking of more plants I wanted to grow. Having a catalog allows me to truly decide what I need over the matter of a few weeks especially since I am downsizing my garden (for this summer).

Tip #5 – Grow within your means

As simple as it sounds. If you are starting a garden for the first time, it’s easy to be overly advantageous. I remember thinking “I’m going to grow everything I need for fresh salsa and salads all summer long!” I grew about 15 tomato plants and most of that produce is still frozen in my freezer waiting to be made into this winter’s last soup. Or to when I started a broccoli plant in the middle of the summer thinking I would reap a reward..(broccoli is a cool weather crop).  While it is exciting to grow something on your own and reap the benefits, growing too much, or with too little space can cause overwhelm.

This is what I would plant if I wanted a great yield, fresh produce all summer long and have beauty in my garden.

If all your seeds germinate and you do not want to discard the “weaker sprout” you can still plant, or give to a friend!

Bonus TIP!

If you live in a cold area like I do, your last frost date might like to play games with you. I can fully say I do not think I will be putting any of the above seedlings outside until June. 

Starting your seeds in mid to late March gives the plants a head start for when the temperature is stable enough to grow outside. THIS is why I grow all my seedlings in larger “starter” containers and not seed cells. 

Once my seedling has tripled the size of the amount of dirt it’s grown in. I like to do a “transplant”. The key is that I am not moving my seedling to a different container, only adding potting soil under the established seedling. 

I do this by removing my seedling after carefully saturating the roots, and filling my container almost to the top with potting mix. I then place the seedling back into its container and now it has more space for its roots to “stretch”. I find this works best for my tomatoes, peppers, brussel sprouts, and marigolds since they can take longer to establish. Cucumbers can technically be sown directly but since I use raised beds, I have had a lower germination rate and I prefer to start them indoors only a few weeks before planting outside. 

Happy Seeding!!