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?
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| Seedlings take up little space and are easy to grow! |
Click on the following links to learn more about each topic:
1) What to Grow? How to plan your garden around what you like to eat and how many people you plan to feed.
2) Obtaining Your Seeds Where to collect, trade, or purchase seeds for your garden.
3) “Days to Maturity” Explained What exactly does the term "days to maturity (or harvest)" mean?
4) Transplanting Seedlings versus Direct Sowing Which crops should be started indoors and which ones can be sown directly into the garden soil?
5) Equipment and Supplies A list of the basic supplies needed for seed starting.
- Part 1: Growing Space, Seed Starting Kits, and Watering Cans
- Part 2: Lighting
- Part 3: Pots, Trays, Growing Media, Heat Mats
6) Creating a Sowing Schedule Learn about your local frost dates and determine when to start your indoor seedlings
7) How to Test Germination Percentage Find out if your seeds are fresh or if they are duds by doing a simple germination test.
8) Sowing the Seeds and Germination How to plant those seeds and get them growing!
9) Environmental Conditions and Ongoing Care Other considerations when growing seedlings including temperature, fertilization, and watering.
10) Hardening Off Your Seedlings and Transplanting How to make a smooth transition from indoors to out in the garden.
