You’ve probably heard of starting seeds indoors, but you may have some questions, like what the heck is the point? Or when should I start my seeds? You can totally geek out on seed starting if that’s your thing, but it doesn’t have to be difficult if you don’t want it to be.
WHAT: Starting seeds indoors means exactly that. You sow seeds in small pots or special seed starting trays, and keep the containers inside until the plants have sprouted and grown a bit.
To get started you need a very bright window or a supplemental light. In most cases a standard issue CFL bulb will work fine if you are only starting a few plants inside. I use a shop light fixture and florescent tube lights, so that I start about 90 seedlings indoors. As far as seed starting trays go, you don’t need anything fancy to get started, you can turn empty yogurt cups into seed starting pots by poking a hole in the bottom. I do recommend using special seed starting potting soil though, I’ve had much better success with seed starting mix than I have with regular potting soil.
WHY: If you live in an area with a very short growing season or are on a serious budget, you should definitely consider starting seeds indoors. By sowing your seeds indoors while it is still winter, you effectively extend your growing season by starting with plants that are already several weeks old. A packet of seeds will create numerous plants for a buck or two. And you can trade your extra seeds with friends to get even more seeds for no money at all.
WHO: You don’t need a college degree (or even an elementary school education) to sow seeds, but it does require someone who is meticulous about checking on the seedlings to make sure the light is at the right height and the soil is evenly moist. So if you often kill plants because you forget to water them for weeks on end, it might be better to start with transplants from the nursery.
WHEN: There is no hard and fast answer to the question, “when should I start my seeds.” The first thing you need to do is find out the last frost date for your area. This last day of winter/early spring on which you can expect to have temperatures at a below freezing. Each seed packet will tell you how many weeks before your last frost you should start those particular seeds. So if your packet says to start the seeds 6 weeks before your last frost, count back six weeks from that day and you have the indoor seed starting day for your seeds. Some plants will need to be started earlier than others, but you can expect most of your seeds to need between 4-8 weeks of indoor growing.
WHERE: I started my first seeds in the windowsill above my kitchen sink, though I now keep my seed trays on a shelf in my garage. You can start seeds anywhere that is warm and has bright light. You could even use a closet if there is a plug nearby for your grow light.
Photo by Melanie O.
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With this post, and the others under “you might also like” you have managed to give me renewed hope that I can actually do this successfully!
No wonder I have hade failures – I was doing so many things wrong.
Last year we received lovely varities of special tomato seeds from a dear friend who carefully harvested them from her garden. We had a bit of luck starting them in the house, but due to our short summer last year – 1 week long actually – we never saw a tomato!
She has sent more – they just arrived and your information is so welcome and obviously needed. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Hi Fern! Nice post & really simplifies things. I did a post that really expands on the “why” part, if you’re interested. http://urbangardensolutions.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/should-i-be-growing-vegetables-from-seed/
In response to Pam, we in the Pacific Northwest have pretty unpredicable summers and last summer was one of the shortest. Most everyone I talked to complained that all they got were green tomatoes. Since I started my seeds indoors, we got some ripe ones, but still had quite a bit of green ones as well. What I did though was cut bunches of green tomatoes off of the plants, still on the stem and keep them indoors under plant lights. They all eventually ripened up and we were able to enjoy them!
I used the burpee seed system it has a cover on top. It’s been 3 day and I have some sprouts but a few aren’t growing and are getting a bit of mold. I have it in a sunny window and use a light on it. Is it ok to take the top off a few hours a day to prevent mold?
Thanks, I spoke with a bur pees representative she says take off the cover for awhile it shouldn’t do any damage.
Janet–How cool that Burpee provides customer support for their products. Yes, I agree, take the top off if you see mold growing, and also consider putting a fan on in the room where your seedlings are (but not too close to the seedlings), to make sure there is good air circulation. This will also help make the seedling’s stems stronger when they have to hold themselves upright against a slight breeze.
It’s great to read posts that inspire others to grow by not over-complicating things. Love the photo too and the tip about the slight breeze to keep the stems strong – I only learned that this year. Sometimes we start seeds on the window by placing them in a bag with a damp coffee filter or tea bag – makes it fun to see them sprout.
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