Starting Seeds
Hello and welcome, today i’m talking about starting seeds indoors.
Why would you start seeds inside?
Get a head start on the growing season
If you live in cooler climates you can grow long season crops
Harvest sooner and chance to get more yeild
It’s very fun to watch things grow indoors
I’m sure you can find even more reasons why you should start some seeds inside but these are just my favorites. I would love to take you through all of the products I use to get my seeds going. These products are on year two of usage and im absolutely loving them. Most of the things I needed were sold on amazon so it made it super simple to get everything ready for growing the season.
Things to think about before starting seeds indoors:
Check the seed pack to see if the seeds you want to grow like to be sow indoors. Some plants have sensitive roots and do better with sowing in dirt.
You will need to harden your seedings off before fully transplanting them outside. Here is a good article that explains the hardening off process if you are not familiar with it.
Light can be tricky indoors make sure you have a strong light that can get very close to the seeds so you don’t get “leggy” plants.
Sweet, now that we have gone over the basics lets talk about my personal favorite products and why I like them.
This not and ad I purchased all these items and use them almost everyday during growing season.
These bag have been great since I purchased them, here’s why:
These have great airflow which is good for the roots and helps prevent overwatering/root rot.
They can be transplanted straight into the ground you don’t have to remove it, I do remove it at times.
The bottom of the bag folds so it has a flat bottom side. (Some others do not.)
Comes in multiple sizes.
I have so maybe great things to say about these two pieces, let’s go!
Greenhouse:
The greenhouse can be purchased in multiple sizes, I got the large 3 tier one and its amazing.
It has vents on the sides and top for good air flow.
The three tiers come apart so you can ad to the hight or take away. Thats key when you have new seedlings you want the light as close as possible.
Reusable and very strong, unlike the flimsy ones you throw away every year.
Lights:
I went with the spider farmer grow light after a lot of research and it doesn't disappoint. Having a good grow light really helps the seedlings so they do not get leggy which is key to growing strong and health plants.
It’s super easy to hang. The lights come with pulley systems for easy adjustment up and down.
It has a light dial so you can control how strong and bright it is.
You can connect two other light panels to this one.
The light runs very cool which was key for me. Also no fan needed to cool it.
Okay this is year 1 with this wagon, I don’t know how I made it this far without it!
The wagon is very easy to maneuver.
It has a dumping feature so you can pour out dirt and easy to clean that way.
No more carrying heavy bags of dirt to your garden, save your energy for the fun stuff!
I use this cart to harden my seedlings off. Take it out in the morning roll it back at night until the plants are ready for full time sun.
Can hold 600 lbs.
Extra items I approve of:
Clip-on fan: I use this every season in the mini green house to circulate air and to help strengthen my seedling(mimicking wind).
Heat mat: These are great to warm the soil and get those seeds growing. Ive had these 2 seasons and havent had any issues.
Name tags: Okay so I use these inside where I start my seedlings. Only becuase I find that by mid season the marker fades. I love them for indoor use and I just keep reusing the same ones every year. (I will show you my outdoor handmade garden name tags in another post.)
Alright now that we went through some of my favorite product to use, let’s head into the step by step to get seedlings going.
Starting your seeds:
Check your gardening zone. (I’m in Zone 9B)
Look at the packets for all of your seeds. You are looking for: what month to start them, do they like being started indoors, how far to space them, and how deep to plant them.
Get seedling dirt or make your own. Just make sure it is light and fluffy that way the seeds can pop through.
What are you planting them in? Woven bags or plastic containers. Either way they don’t need to be huge because you are just starting them in those.
Fill your bags/pots with seedling dirt.
Make a hole in the middle for seeds to go in.
Drop 1-3 seeds in each hole, the more experience you get the less seeds you need to put in. If all three sprout pull 2 so you have one strong seedling.
Cover the seedling hole.
Write the name tag before you forget!
Water the seedlings throughly, put on your heat mat, and put the humidity dome on.
Water only once the top soil is dry, you don’t want to overwater in this stage.
Once majority of the seedlings have sprouted take them humidity dome off and get those seedlings close to the light.
Have fun watching them grown!
That’s everything. Thanks for reading this post, let me know what you think below or if you have any questions!
Talk to you soon.