While some crops can be direct seeded, you can start them indoors and move up the harvest date. Another perk of starting seeds indoors is the ability to grow long season crops in short season climates. If you have to wait for outdoor soil to reach the optimal temperature, you'll miss out on growing days.
Starting seeds indoors gives your vegetables, herbs, and flowers a head start so they can grow larger and have better (and longer) harvests or flowering periods. With a few basic supplies and a little patience, it's easy and fun to start seeds indoors.
Starting seeds indoors allows you to gain a few precious weeks of growing time, which can really make a difference. In warmer regions, starting seeds indoors can allow you to get in an extra round of crops (especially cool-season crops) before summer heat stifles growth.
Starting seeds indoors is ideal if you want to get a head start on the season, or if the weather is still too hot or too cold to put anything in the ground. Step 1: Gather your seed starting supplies. Step 2: Fill your pots or trays with seed starting mix. Step 3: Sow your seeds.
When should you start seeds indoors? Start seeds six to eight weeks before the last frost in your area. 2 Most plants are ready to go outside four to six weeks after you start the seeds.
By soaking the seed, it enables the new growth from the inside to push through the hard shell and grow. The seeds that could benefit from a good soaking include: corn, pumpkin, beans, chard, beets, and peas. The seeds you shouldn't soak include: carrots, lettuce, radish, celery, turnips, and spinach.
The best time to start seeds is usually late March to late May. Only the southern zones are suitable for starting plants from seed in the earlier months. Give the plant enough time to germinate and grow to an appropriate transplant size.
It is true that seedlings need lots of bright light to grow healthy and strong—but they also need a period of darkness in order to thrive. In general, seedlings should receive roughly 14 to 16 hours of light each day.
A sunny windowsill is a good place to put sprouted seedlings. Lightly brushing the seedlings encourages the growth of strong stems. Most seeds will not germinate without sunlight and will perform best with 12 to 16 hours each day.
Although potting soils may be used to start seeds, they tend to have a more coarse texture and may contain field soil, compost or composted manure along with vermiculite, peat moss or perlite. Some seed-starting or potting mixes may contain fertilizer as an additive.
You won't have to water after they are planted, preventing seed movement. Create a mini greenhouse by covering the seed tray with a plastic tray or plastic wrap. This will keep the moisture and warmth inside, and you shouldn't have to water again till after the seeds have germinated.
Like most things in gardening, there are always exceptions to this rule of 2-3 seeds per hole. If you're planting large seeds like cucumbers, melons, or pumpkins, you should only use one seed per hole. However, you can still plant seeds close together and then thin them out once they've established themselves.
Place the seeds in a warm location.
Check the seed packets to understand the ideal soil temperature for each plant. Then place the seed tray in front of a windowsill that receives partial sun, or place the seed kits on a heating mat to maintain an even temperature and light. South-facing windows generally work well.
By soaking the seed, it enables the new growth from the inside to push through the hard shell and grow. The seeds that could benefit from a good soaking include: corn, pumpkin, beans, chard, beets, and peas. The seeds you shouldn't soak include: carrots, lettuce, radish, celery, turnips, and spinach.
Planting seeds this way is called direct sowing, and it is an easy process that yields great results. Unlike indoor seed starting, direct sowing involves unpredictable elements: weather, wildlife and insects. Even so, many vegetables, annuals, herbs and perennials sprout easily from seed sown directly into garden soil.
For many years, fluorescent shop lights were the go-to seed starting bulbs for gardeners, but LEDs have quickly replaced them as the standard choice. LEDs are usually more expensive than fluorescent bulbs, but they are very energy-efficient and long-lasting.
Moisten the newly planted seeds with a mister or a small watering can. To speed germination, cover the pots with plastic wrap or a humidity dome that fits over the seed-starting tray. This helps keep the seeds moist before they germinate.
Seedlings need 14-16 hours of light every single day, without fail. Don't leave them on for 24 hours a day though. Like us, they need to rest at night. So plan to keep your artificial lights on for 14-16 hours during the daytime, and turn them off overnight.
It's never too late. It just matters what you put into that garden. It's too late to grow tomatoes in your Chicago garden in September because you'll be getting cold weather soon, but you could still grow carrots, radishes, and lettuce plants.
Ideally before they're transplanted, seedlings should be at least twice as tall as their starter trays. So, that would be about 3-4″ tall. However, I have planted ones as short as 1″ tall in my garden before with no issues. But, the larger they are, the easier it will be for you.
You can use egg cartons as a seed-starting tray! Depending on the type of carton you have, you can even cut apart the individual sections and plant them, as the carton will biodegrade. Be sure to poke small holes for drainage, and put the cartons on a tray or in a shallow pan to catch any residual water.