Starting your garden with healthy and thriving transplants is arguably the most important part of a successful garden. This blog post will discuss the tips and tricks to seed starting so you can start your garden off on the right path.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I make a small commission (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase using these links. For more information, see my full disclosure here.
TIPS AND TRICKS
- Order Seeds from Reputable Sources
- Order Seeds that Fit your goals and growing conditions
- Start Seeds with a Quality Seed Starting Mix
- Water consistently
- Fertilize, if applicable
- Give your seeds adequate light
- Maintain optimal temperature (including soil temperature)
- Maintain humidity
- Use a crop plan to drive your timing
- Thin/up pot seedlings, as needed
- Harden off Seed Starts
- Transplant seedlings in a timely manner
Order Seeds from Reputable Sources
Ordering seeds from reputable sources is one of the most important pieces of advice I have when it comes to starting your own seeds. Reputable sources should disclose their germination rates and offer growing information. To read more about our favorite places to order seeds, read more here.
Order Seeds that Fit your goals and growing conditions
In addition to ordering high quality seeds, you should select the right seeds for your climate and growing conditions. Consider factors such as your location, sunlight availability, soil type, and desired harvest.
Start Seeds with a Quality Seed Starting Mix
Invest in a high-quality seed starting mix that is proven to have success in seed starting. A good seed starting mix provides the ideal environment for germination and early growth. We use Vermont Compost.
Water consistently
The soil should be kept moist, but not too wet. Overwatering can be just as harmful as under watering for seedlings. Use a mister or gentle watering to avoid disturbing delicate seedlings. Bottom water, if possible, to encourage strong root growth. However, with bottom watering, you want to make sure that excess water is not sitting in the trays at all times.
Fertilize, if applicable
If your seedlings are sitting in cells for more than a couple of weeks, you may need to provide fertilizer for them. This depends on your seed starting mix as well. If you seed starting mix doesn’t contain any fertilizer or nutrients, you will need to provide those nutrients so your seedlings can grow and thrive. Fish fertilizer or Fox Farm have good options.
Give your seeds adequate light
Once your seeds have germinated, they’ll need sufficient light to grow into healthy seedlings. Place them in a bright location, preferably under grow lights or outside in a greenhouse if your temperatures allow. If you don’t have access to grow lights or a greenhouse, you can place your seedlings in a south facing window. Ideally seedlings should receive at least 12 hours of light per day to promote sturdy growth and prevent leggy seedlings.
Maintain optimal temperature (including soil temperature)
Most seeds require consistent warmth and humidity to germinate successfully. Keep your seed trays in a warm location, ideally between 65-75°F (18-24°C). You can also place heat mats under them to warm the soil from below and maintain stable temperature.
Maintain humidity
Maintaining humidity aids seeds in germination and help with germination rates. The easiest way to keep the humidity up is to cover trays with a humidity dome or plastic wrap. These help trap the moisture inside the tray and keep the humidity up.
Use a crop plan to drive your timing
Timing your seed starting is essential for a successful garden. Many seed packets provide guidance on when to start seeds indoors based on your location. You can take that data and develop a crop plan that tells you when you need to start seeds. If you are interested in reading more about how to create a crop plan, read here.
Thin and up pot seedlings, as needed
Once your seedlings have developed their first set of true leaves, it’s time to thin them out if there are more than one seedling per cell. Crowded seedlings compete for resources and may become weak and leggy. Gently remove the weakest seedlings, leaving the strongest ones to thrive. The easiest way I have found to do this is to trim the weaker seedling with pruners.
In addition, if you are growing plants that need more time before being transplanted outside (i.e. tomatoes or peppers), you should up-pot your seedlings to bigger trays or pots so their root systems have more space to grow and your plants can grow stronger.
Harden off Seed Starts
Before transplanting your seedlings outdoors, it’s essential to harden them off gradually. To do this, expose them to outdoor conditions gradually over the course of 7-10 days, starting with a few hours of exposure and gradually increasing the time and intensity. This helps seedlings acclimate to the harsher outdoor environment. If you want more instruction on how to harden off your seeds, read here.
Transplant seedlings in a timely manner
Use your crop plan to determine how much time a seedling needs to be in the tray and when the seedlings should be transplanted outside. You generally have a week window to get those transplanted out. If they are not transplanted in that window, their growth can become stunted and the seedling can be less healthy in general. It is important to stick to your crop plan timing to ensure success.
Successful gardening starts with healthy seedlings and following these twelve tips for seed starting can set you on the path to gardening success.
More Gardening Content:
- How to Take a Seed Inventory
- How to Organize Your Seeds
- How to Start Seeds Indoors Without Grow Lights
- How to Start Sees Indoors Using Grow Lights
- The Best Seed Starting Supplies
SOme of our favorite places to order seeds:
Some of oUr Favorite Gardening Books:
- The First-Time Gardener: Growing Vegetables: All the know-how and encouragement you need to grow – and fall in love with! – your brand new food garden by Jessica Sowards
- The New Organic Grower, 3rd Edition: A Master’s Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener by Eliot Coleman
- The Tiny But Mighty Farm: Cultivating High Yields, Community, and Self-Sufficiency from a Home Farm – Start growing food today – Meet the best … yourself, your family, and your neighbors by Jill Ragan
Leave a Reply