From Seed to Bloom

There is nothing more satisfying than growing your own plants from seed. In these thrifty times, you can get many more plants with one seed packet than if you buy them individually at the nursery in the spring.

Here are a few pointers that will help get you started at a minimal cost.

Growing Mediums

To start off with, you need a good quality seed starting mix. I use a 10-quart bag of Jiffy Mix that can be found at any local nursery. It contains no nutrients or soil, just the sterile medium that will support tiny seedlings. Open the bag and add warm water, about one part water to four parts growing medium, and squish it around until the medium is thoroughly moistened. The mixture should be damp but not sopping wet.

Prepare Containers

Since fungal disease or 'damping off' is the number one killer of tiny seedlings, it is very important to thoroughly clean your planting trays with a dilute solution of bleach. 

For containers, I pick up some inexpensive seed starting trays with drainage holes at the nursery that are about two inches high and measure 20 by 10 inches. I like the ones that come with a fitted clear plastic top that keeps the moisture in while the seeds are germinating. The advantage to the clear plastic is that you can see through the plastic and observe when the seeds start sprouting.

You may also use old Tupperware or any other shallow tray as long as it has drainage holes punched in the bottom. Dump your planting medium into your trays and tamp it down lightly to about a quarter of an inch below the tray level using a small piece of plywood or an old potato masher.

Sowing Seeds

Be sure to read the instructions on the seed packet explaining how deep to plant your seeds. As a general rule of thumb, seeds should be covered three times the diameter of the seed.

To make a nice straight furrow in the medium, I use a pencil and press it firmly to make an indentation. Cut a strip off the top of your seed packet and shake it to settle the seeds down to the bottom. 

Make sure your hands are clean and dry before carefully tapping the seeds into the pre-made furrows, using tweezers to gently distribute them as they sift out of the packet. Scatter a fine layer of growing medium on top and press firmly to get good soil contact with the seeds.

At this time, no additional watering is needed for the pre-moistened growing medium.

Covering Containers

Cover your trays with a fitted clear plastic tray or enclose in a plastic bag and put in a warm dark place between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Watch your trays daily to see if any seeds start to sprout.

Post Germination

When you see the seeds start to sprout, you can remove the covering and place the trays under grow lights or in a bright window. I use plain old fluorescent bulb fixtures suspended by chains from my basement ceiling to hang just a few inches above the tiny seedlings. 

A bright south or west-facing window will also do, but the seedlings will turn towards the light source and be a little more spindly. Moisten the soil with a mister to keep the soil damp but not soggy. Soil tends to dry out faster under light so this step is important to ensure that the seedlings won’t dry out quickly and die. Thin out the seedlings as they grow by cutting the excess at soil level with small scissors.

Transplanting

Once your seedlings have grown three or four leaves, you can transplant them into small pots with soil and start fertilizing them with a dilute fertilizer solution. 

Keep them under the grow lights, taking care to raise the lights as the seedlings get taller. Continue fertilizing your seedlings to make them sturdy and husky until they are ready to set out into the garden.

By starting plants from seed, not only can you save considerable change on buying plants, you also can try many of the thousands of varieties that are in seed catalogs that nurseries don't grow and sell. Nurseries only sell a small fraction of the varieties that are available by catalog. Not to mention, the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction of nurturing your own plants from seed to bloom is tremendous.