If it's your first time starting seeds indoors in winter, it's best to go small. Pick just one or two types that are easy to grow from seed like these favorite flowering annuals:
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When spring rolls around after a long winter, you don't want to waste a minute of that glorious warmer weather to get growing ! Starting seeds indoors is a time-honored way to get a jump on the season. With a few dollars-worth of seeds , you can grow lots of plants very inexpensively. Starting your own seeds also allows you to try out unusual and interesting varieties that you can't find at a local garden center. Here's what you need to know to successfully start seeds indoors for planting in your garden once temperatures warm up.
There's so much to love about big, cheery sunflowers . Bonus: Birds and bees love them, too.
Grow them, eat them: This edible flowering plant grows vigorously and comes in lots of colors.
Morning glories are considered invasive in certain parts of the country, so check before growing.
These climbing vines look stunning growing on a fence where they will produce a profusion of blooms all summer. Flower colors come in shades of blue, purple, red, pink, white, and bi-colors.
These cheery flowers come in delicate pastel shades as well as vibrant orange, yellow, and pink.
Many of us have memories of these jaunty flowers in our grandma's or mom's garden. There are loads of colorful varieties, including ones you might not find in garden centers so growing your own from seed is your best bet.
BHG / Madelyn Goodnight
Test Garden Tip: Look on the seed package label to find the number of weeks you're supposed to start seeds indoors before the average last frost date. It usually takes about six to eight weeks to give your seedlings a head start on spring, so count backward from your area's frost date to figure out when you should start your seeds indoors.
Kritsada Panichgul
Container Options
Plastic seed trays and seed-starter kits are super easy for growing seeds indoors. But you can dig through your recycling bin, too. Just remember to punch a drainage hole in each container before planting. Cardboard egg cartons work well, but you can also repurpose items such as clean, cut-down milk jugs and yogurt cups. Or, you can make your own seed starter pots from newspaper.
Kritsada Panichgul
How to Start Seeds Indoors
Even though the planting instructions on the packet might vary, you'll need the same supplies to start any seeds indoors. Here's what you'll need:
1. Fill up the pots.
Fill pots with fresh, moistened seed-starting mix. Don't use garden soil, which is too heavy and may have insects or diseases in it. Leave about a half-inch of room to the top.
2. Sow seeds.
Follow the seed packet instructions for planting. Some will suggest making a shallow hole in the center of the potting mix to put the seeds in and others will say to add seed right on the surface. Add one seed to each pot or cell. Use the crease of the seed packet or place seeds in a creased piece of paper to help direct the seeds where you want them to go.
Sometimes not every seed will germinate. To increase your chances of success, add 2-3 seeds to each pot and thin out the extras once everything has sprouted.
3. Add water.
Once you've sown the seeds, mist each container enough so that the potting mix is damp, but not drenched with water. The water will also help the potting mix settle around the seeds.
4. Label and cover.
Label each of your pots so you know what's growing in them. Loosely cover the pots with clear plastic wrap or zip-top bag, which helps maintain humidity and warmth.
5. Keep pots warm and watered.
Place your seed pots in a location that's warm and free of drafts, but not in direct sun. The top of a refrigerator works well because it's out of the way and it gives off just enough heat around it to help the seeds grow. The ideal temperature is about 75°F but no hotter than 90°F. Once the tiny seedlings emerge, remove the cover and move them into a sunny window. They need about 12 hours of light a day, so supplement with grow lights as necessary.
Caring for Seedlings Indoors
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You started your seeds. Their first leaves are poking up in the pots. What do you do next?
1. Give them some air.
After seeds have sprouted, take off the plastic wrap or other covering so they can have room to grow.
2. Thin the seedlings.
As the seedlings make their presence known, they need their space. Keep the ones that look healthy and strong, and snip the rest so there's just a single plant per pot.
3. How to repot seedlings.
After they're about two inches tall and have a couple sets of leaves, your seedlings need an upgrade. Transplant them into larger containers, this time in regular potting mix instead of seed-starting mix.
4. Mist seedlings.
Don't let the seedlings dry out. Misting them is the best way to give them a drink. Don't put them under a faucet or hose, because the water pressure can wash them right out of their containers.
5. Harden off seedlings.
Before you can move your seedlings out into the garden (keeping your frost-free date in mind), you need to give them a few days to slowly get used to life on the outside. That's what's known as hardening off your plants. To do this, place the seedlings outside for a short time in a protected spot (about an hour or two). Each day, increase the length of time you leave them outside until they can remain outdoors all day.
Starting seeds indoors will let you have a lush, beautiful garden for a fraction of the price of picking up new plants at your local garden center. After the last frost of the season has passed, your seedlings should be ready to go out into the garden. If you're successful, you'll soon have healthy, towering plants that look nothing like the tiny seeds they came from.
What causes leggy seedlings?
Not enough light can result in spindly, stretched out seedlings (like the pea seedlings shown above) that are desperately trying to find more brightness.
Use a grow light or move your plants into a better lit spot.
Why do seedlings suddenly wilt even with plenty of water?
Wilting seedlings might be a sign of damping off, which is caused by a fungus that sometimes appears because of overwatering or overcrowding. Make sure you use fresh seed-starting mix that has been sterilized to kill any fungi or bacteria.
Selecting Biodegradable Seed Starting Pots
Peat, Paper or Coir Pots: Which are Sustainable?
Starting Seeds in Biodegradable Pots
How to Plant Biodegradable Seed Starting Pots
Herbs planted in biodegradable seed starting pots.
Pepper plant planted in biodegradable seed starting pots.
More Seed Starting Tips
Starting your plants by growing from seed in biodegradable seed starting pots is one of the most earth-friendly methods of starting a garden. Homemade biodegradable seed starting pots range from: seed starting pots from newspaper , toilet paper tubes--even eggshells can be used. These are just some of the seed starting tips for beginners I've covered in the past. Then there are the commercially available biodegradable seed starting pots at your local garden center. However, not all biodegradable seed starting pots are created equal. Below I'll offer some tips on selecting commercial seed starter pots, how to water seedlings, and how to plant these pots in your garden.The first thing you'll notice when buying biodegradable seed starters is that you have three options: There are square pots, round pots and trays of strips. The individual round pots and square pots generally come in two sizes--small and large-- while the strips I've only found in one.If you read any available packing for the seed starting pots you'll notice that they are generally made from three things. They can be made from peat, coconut coir, "recycled materials" and dried cow manure. The pots made from cow manure aren't as easily available, but you should ask for them at your garden center if you are interested in lessening the dependence on plastic in your seed starting operation.Over the past two years I've been involved in conversations with other gardeners about the use of peat. These conversations usually boil down to someone in the industry trying to convince me, or people around me, that harvesting peat can be done in an environmentally-friendly manner. I do not subscribe to this idea. Personally, I don't want to contribute to the destruction of an ecosystem while trying to develop one in my own yard. If I'm giving peat pots I'll use them. But I don't go out of my way to buy them. You should read the peat page and educate yourself on the pros and cons of harvesting peat and make your own decision.Seed starter pots made from coconut coir, a waste product, is a great substitute for pots made from peat. I like coir so much that I use it as my seed starting soil too. Recently, I've had gardeners express concern about the salt levels in this medium. I've never encountered a problem with it, and I wonder if it isn't one that has been pushed by the peat industrial complex.Finally, over the past three years I've noticed these pots made from "recycled materials" are becoming more and more available in dollar stores and big box retailers that devote a small section to seeds and seed starting supplies in the spring. I've yet to call the company to ask what exactly "recycled materials" they use, but given their low price, density, and how the pots react to water-- I'm pretty confident that it the product is recycled paper.The first thing I do when starting pots these pots made from natural fibers is to check if there is a drainage hole. In the case of the strips, I've noticed that the drainage hole's size can vary from strip to strip, and from one cell to another. If you look at the picture above, you'll see the irregular drainage holes in each of the pots that come in strips. These holes are rather large and a lot of your seed starting mix will fall out if you lift the pots and when you water. I like to take a small piece of napkins and just cover some of the hole to minimize the loss of my seed starting soil.In the image above, the pot made from "recycled materials" is the only one with a precisely cut drainage hole. It's another indication that makes me think it is made from paper as the cut is too clean for it to be peat or coir.Before filling these pots with your seed starting soil I recommend you moisten the pots with either a spray bottle, or by dunking them in warm water for a few seconds. Not too wet, but make sure they are moist. I even go so far as to moisten my seed starting mix before adding it to the moistened biodegradable pots. Pots made from natural fibers will wick away moisture in your seed starting mix and from planted seeds resulting in poor germination rates. This goes forand, too! Keep it an eye out for pots drying out when temperatures get warm and on sunny days if you're starting seeds in your windowsill. They dry out real fast.After all danger of frost has passed, it's time to take your seedlings that you've grown and tended to indoors and introduce them to your garden beds or container garden. Dig a hole or trench that is wide enough and deep enough to set your biodegradable pots in. The depth is very important. If any portion of the pot is exposed above the soil line, the air circulating above ground will wick away moisture from the pot. Then the pot will wick away moisture from the surrounding soil and you'll be left with dead seedlings. This also applies to the paper tube and newspaper pots.When you buy plants that have been commercially grown it is often recommended that you gently break apart the soil and roots to promote root growth, and counter the effects of the plants having become root bound. It's a good idea to break or tear apart these pots when you are planting them in ground and in containers too. The second to last photograph shows an herb I planted in a pot and you can see that the roots grew through the pot. In the last picture the roots of a pepper plant didn't grow as vigorously through the pot and would have benefited from the pot having been broken to allow them to penetrate the surrounding soil as the roots concentrated on growing around the surface of the pot.Planting biodegradable seed starting pots in the garden, while better for the environment, require a bit of planning and thought. Don't allow them to dry out completely when you're starting seeds in them. Especially the seedling pots made from paper. They can be harder to initially water and will hold more water than the pots made from peat and coconut coir, but they are more durable.After transplanting your seedlings into the garden ensure that the pot is completely covered in soil to prevent the air from drying out your plant and seedlings. These natural parts will break apart and decompose on their own, but it is a good idea to help the seedlings, and the decomposition process, along by breaking the pots when you're planting them in the ground.You can also look over the archive of my posts about starting and saving seeds from your garden for more tips, suggestions and recycling ideas for seed starters all in one easy to remember page.
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