Coming Soon! Series on Starting Seedlings At Home

Even though it's only January (and snow is pouring down daily), it's time to start thinking about garden planning and seed starting. Over the course of the next few weeks I will be writing a series of posts on the topic of growing your own vegetable seedlings at home. Hopefully there will be some cute baby chicken posts thrown in the mix too!


Growing your own seedlings is easier than you might expect and opens up a world of possibilities. For example, hundreds of varieties of tomato seeds can be purchased through seed companies, while your local garden center may only offer a couple different options. Starting your own seedlings not only gives you more variety, but can also be much more affordable that purchasing flats of plants from the garden center. Most of the equipment and supplies can be found at your local hardware store for fairly cheap. A packet of seeds only costs a couple bucks! Why not give seed starting a try this year?

I will be covering the following topics (and maybe a few more as they come to mind):

What to Grow? How to plan your garden around what you like to eat and how many people you plan to feed. I will also list good 'beginner' vegetables that can help build confidence in new gardeners.

Obtaining Your Seeds Where to collect, trade, or purchase seeds for your garden.

“Days to Maturity” Explained What exactly does the term "days to maturity (or harvest)" mean?

Transplanting Seedings versus Direct Sowing Which crops should be started indoors and which ones can be sown directly into the garden soil?

Equipment and Supplies A list of the basic supplies needed for seed starting.

Creating a Sowing Schedule Learn about your local frost dates and determine when to start your indoor seedlings

Sowing the Seeds and Germination How to plant your seeds and get them growing!

Environmental Conditions and Ongoing Care Other considerations when growing seedlings including temperature, fertilization, and watering.