How to Start Seeds Indoors

After crazy cold weather through most of January, February seems to have warmed up for now, giving me hope that spring will, indeed, come. I spent most of January coping with indoor gardening projects. My mother gave me a terrarium for Christmas so I would have a little tiny jungle to enjoy in the cold of winter. It took me a while to get the water balance right, but I think it's finally stabilizing. I bought some flowers to brighten up my home, too. I just couldn't resist the little tiny purple irises at the grocery store. I put them in my own pot, and added some moss, and they make my living room feel like spring.

Iris reticulata

Now is the perfect time to start thinking about your summer vegetable garden. If you want to save a little money and get the best possible harvest from your garden, you should consider starting your vegetable plants from seed indoors. I admit, I shied away from growing plants from seed in the past. My few attempts never worked out well, and I didn't have the patience. After doing some research, though, I've decided to give it a try again this year for a few reasons:

• Vegetable plants from the garden center are much more expensive than seeds.
• When you grow plants from seed, you have many more choices, so you can choose varieties that are better suited to your garden, more disease resistant, tastier, or just more fun.
• Growing your own plants means you can control how they're grown, especially if growing organically is important to you.
• Homegrown plants are likely to adjust to your garden more quickly than plants that have been grown 500 miles away, traveled in a truck, and sat in a store for weeks.
• I've figured out a few "tricks" that aren't hard and will increase my chances of success (and yes, I plan on sharing them with you).

I planted parsley seeds last month, and they've
sprouted nicely.

So, do I have you convinced to try growing your own plants from seed? If you're ready to experiment with starting seeds indoors, I'm ready to share everything I know so far. I'll report back in a couple of months and let you know if it worked. If you are growing seeds indoors for the first time, I'd love it if you would let me know how it worked for you, and we can compare notes! So, step by step, here it goes:

1. Buy good seeds. For a single pepper or tomato, there are many varieties to choose from. For example, I was recently looking at plum tomatoes because they make the best sauce. If you go to Burpee's website, you'll find eleven varieties of plum tomato alone! If you go to other companies, they will have some of the same varieties, but also other ones. Each variety has different features. I usually look for varieties that are naturally resistant to diseases, so I won't have to spend as much time fighting fungus or plant viruses in my garden. If you go to Johnny's Seeds and look at the 'Granadero' tomato, for example, you'll see it's resistant to Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus, nematodes, and blossom end rot. 

You can also choose varieties of vegetables that are more compact (if you have a very small garden), are more heat tolerant, produce more fruit, bear fruit faster, bear fruit longer, or are different colors and shapes, depending on what you like. For the more environmentally conscious, there are many organic and heirloom seeds available. Whatever variety you choose, make sure you choose a reputable seed company--their seeds are more likely to be healthy, viable and disease-free. In addition to Johnny's and Burpee, I also recommend checking out Seeds of Change (all of their seeds are organically grown), and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (all heirloom varieties). One more note about shopping for seeds: the earlier you shop, the better your selection. Popular varieties will sell out fast.

A note of warning: not all plants like to be started from seed indoors and transplanted later. A few that do well include peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and squash.

2. Buy something to grow your seeds in. First, you'll need a container. I bought a 72-cell seed starter tray (also known as a "flat") that came with a tray for water drainage, and a dome to keep the moisture in (see below). You could probably use just about anything as long as it's sterile. Seed starter trays are nice because you can grow many plants in a small space. Also, because they have their individual compartments, the plants are easier to transplant without disturbing the young roots. If you choose to reuse a pot that you've used previously, sterilize it first (a mild bleach solution works well) to kill any remaining plant diseases.

72-cell flat with dome to seal in moisture and tray to collect water
drainage (left), seedstarting mix (right)

After you have your container, you'll need your "dirt." I recommend planting seeds in specific germinating or seedstarting mix. Seedstarting mix, unlike potting soil or garden soil, has the perfect balance of water retention and drainage, is disease-free, and has the right level of nutrients for your young seedlings. I'm experimenting with organic gardening more this year, so I chose an organic seedstarting mix from Gardener's Supply.

3. Find a warm, sunny place. Warm-weather veggies such as tomatoes and peppers need soil temperatures of 70-85 degrees to germinate! If you have a warm spot in your house, like next to an appliance, that would be ideal for starting your seeds. If not, you can buy a heat mat designed for just this purpose. It's a little pricey, but I think it's worth the investment. You can use it for years, and it greatly extends your growing season. I got mine off of Amazon, and it's the perfect size for my seed tray.

Every plant is different, but as a general rule seeds prefer the dark while they're germinating. After they sprout, they'll need a sunny spot next to a window.

4. Get planting...at the right time.  Each type of plant has its own growth rate. Some seeds germinate in a matter of days, others can take three weeks or more. Even after they germinate, some plants grow faster than others. Tomatoes and peppers can be started inside about six weeks before your last frost date. (If you don't know your average last frost date, you can look it up here.) Squash and cucumbers, since they grow so fast, are started only two weeks before your last frost date.

Once you figure out when your seeds need to be planted, you're ready to plant. Here are your six steps, as illustrated below:
     1) Add soil to your container.
     2) Lightly press the soil down into the container with your finger, and add more soil if needed.
     3) Moisten the soil with lukewarm water (a spray bottle works well).
     4) Create a hole for your seeds using an old pencil. (Check the back of your seed packet to see how deep your seeds like to be planted.)
     5) Add your seeds to the hole.
     6) Lightly cover up your seeds with a sprinkle of soil after planting.

5. Don't expect perfection. A friend told me a story once that she and her husband had a little competition. They each planted one seed in a pot and waited to see whose plant would grow faster. Neither seed germinated, and they gave up. It made me laugh. All other things aside, not every seed in a seed packet will germinate. While some plants have a natural germination rate of 99%, others may only have a germination rate of 60%. Out of the ones that germinate, some may be stronger, while others may be weaker. A small percentage of seedlings will probably die, even under the best of circumstances. Know that that's normal, and plant a few extra seeds to be on the safe side.

6. Give your seeds an even supply of water. Seedlings need constant moisture. While most plants in your garden probably like to dry out a little between waterings, seedlings don't. It's harder to give them too much water, but it's easy to give them too little. Seedlings aren't very sturdy, either, so a normal hose or watering can will beat up your tiny little sprouts. If you have a water-tight tray, you can water your seedlings from the bottom, by leaving them in the tray with a layer of water to soak up. Right now I find it easiest to mist them very gently with a spray bottle every day, focusing on the soil, not the plant.

That's it! Every plant is different, of course, but if you follow those guidelines you should be able to successfully grow some of your more common vegetables and herbs from seed. Good luck, and let me know how it works for you!