If you’re a newbie gardener and are looking to get started in gardening, starting seedlings is an easy way to jump in! Starting seeds can seem intimidating at first, but with these tips your seeds will be sprouting in no time! You can start seedlings indoors with a very simple and inexpensive setup, plus it’s so rewarding.
When To Start Seedlings Indoors
The best time to start seedlings indoors varies depending upon which seeds you are looking to sow, however typically 6-8 weeks before you plan to plant them and the danger of frost has subsided. I would say aim to start your seedlings roughly in the first few weeks in March.
Items Needed
To start seedlings indoors you don’t need fancy equipment to get started, in fact you can start seedlings in an empty carton of eggs, cardboard toilet paper roll, or even a used empty milk jug!
- Spray bottle
- Labels (or post-it notes like I used!)
- Seed starting container (egg carton, milk jugs, or seed starting tray).
- Grow lights (or a place for seedlings to be in direct sunlight for at least 14-16 hours)
- Seed starting soil (regular potting soil is too dense and makes it difficult for a seedling to grow and root)
Likewise, there are many creative ways to recycle and repurpose materials to use as containers for starting seedlings indoors. A word of caution if you plan to use a toilet paper roll, they can break down faster so just monitor them a little closer.
For this blog post, I’ll share what I used to get set up, and how I reused our tiered wire shelving to hang grow lights from.
What I Used To Start Seedlings Indoors
Here is a quick and easy set up I did to start two trays of seedlings that cost me roughly $120. You do not need anything fancy and can do a lot with a little.
On that note, if you were to use recycled containers you could cut your costs down by quite a bit! I am saving my bottles to actually do my winter seed sowing, which will cost next to nothing (I’ll talk about that more below!)
In this set up I purchased the following items to get started:
- 2 x seed starting systems from Burpee (what was nice is it already comes with seed starting pellets).
- 2 x grow lights (here’s a cheaper set of 4 on Amazon!)
- 4 x packets of seeds (I recommend using newer seeds, or seeds less than a few years old. Older seeds will typically have a harder time to germinate as they are less viable as they age).
- (I already had a three tiered wired shelving unit and spray bottle on hand! Plus the support from our three fur babies)
How To Start Seedlings Indoors
First and foremost it’s important to point out that you don’t want to start your seeds too early. This is especially true if you are limited on space as I am. Additionally, if you lengthen the amount of time they will be growing indoors, you need to make sure you have room to repot them and keep them growing until it’s time to bring them outdoors. Otherwise, they run the risk of becoming pot bound before you get them outside.
With that said, starting seedlings indoors is so much fun! You get to mix and play with soil indoors while there’s still snow outdoors!
Additionally, here are some great informational videos on YouTube for starting seedlings indoors:
Now that you have all your supplies together, here’s a general guide of steps to follow:
- Aim to start seeds around 8 weeks prior to when you plant them! (This is typically end of February or within the first few weeks in March.)
- Assemble your setup! (Make sure you put your setup together first and check to make sure your grow lights are working properly.)
- Gather your seeds (You’ll want to select newer seeds, these have a higher chance of viability.)
- Use special seed starting soil (it’s recommended to pre-moisten soil prior to planting your seeds.)
- Plant 2-3 seeds in each “cell” while following your seed packet instructions for depth. (This increases your odds you will have a seedlings germinate in each cell.)
- Gently use a spray bottle to spritz your seeds into place.
- Place your newly planted seeds near a window where it can receive light all day long.
- After the first sprouts appear (generally in a few weeks), place them under grow lights for roughly 14-16 hours/day.
- Over the next few weeks monitor your seedlings to ensure they do not dry out. Using a dome will help to retain moisture while they develop.
- Harden off your seedlings! (Once the time to plant your seedlings has arrived, it’s important to “harden off” your seedlings. Essentially, you want to slowly introduce them to the outdoors a little at a time each day to prevent a shock to their system.)
- Have fun!!
*If you have a seed starting system as I purchased, see below how I set up my seed trays.
After almost two weeks, here’s what my seedlings are looking like!
What Can Go Wrong
It’s also important to note some things can go wrong when starting seedlings indoors. Sometimes it just happens no matter what your experience!
Below are some examples of what can go wrong and what to look out for:
- Seedlings are leggy (due to uneven or insufficient light)
- Seeds have gone bad (due to older or damaged seeds)
- Under watering seedlings
- Seedlings developing mold (overwatering can cause mold to develop)
Just make sure to regularly check in on your seedlings and if you do start to notice things make a turn for the worse, do not fret! This happens to everyone. Whatever you do, do not give up and throw in the towel. Try again!
Winter Seed Sowing
An easy and almost hands-off approach to starting hardier seedlings is through winter seed sowing! It’s almost like the rotisserie version of seed starting… set it and forget it!
If interested in winter seed sowing I recommend watching this video by Garden Answer.
Essentially, you use an old milk jug or water bottle to plant your seeds and set them outside during winter. The snow and rain keep the seeds moist and the container acts as a mini greenhouse of sorts.
By the time spring rolls around you should have seedlings.
How easy does that sound?! I plan to attempt this method this year as well.
What Will You Seeds Will You Try To Grow?
Let me know what seeds you are interested in starting and if you’re excited to start seedlings indoors as much as I am!
Wishing you well on your gardening journey!
-Kate
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