Seed Starting 101

Planting your own garden and watching it grow can be a very satisfying experience. If you are growing vegetables, there is a wonderful feeling of accomplishment when you harvest the fruit of your labors.

This is the method that I use for starting seed, whether flower or vegetable. It has served me well for many years, and I would like to pass it along to you.

Materials:

• Foam egg carton (the one dozen size is best, but you can use the 1 ½ dozen size if you have the room)
• Empty bread bag
• Twist tie
• Wide transparent ‘book’ tape (found in either the packaging or office supply section of your store)
• Scissors
• Special seed starting soil (comes in a bag in the garden section of department stores)
• Toothpick
• 5 oz. plastic ‘kitchen’ size cups (like Dixie cups)

Procedure:

• 1. Cut the tab and lid off of the egg carton base. Discard the tab. Taking the lid, invert it so that it lies flat on the table. With the heel of your hand, press firmly on the protrusion in the center of the lid. Tape it down securely with the book tape, making sure that any holes you made are sealed up. This lid will serve as your tray.
  2. Invert the egg carton base (the part that holds the eggs). Poke a hole in each egg well with the toothpick. Turn the base over and fill with the seed starting soil. Moisten with water and let it sit in the sink to drain the excess water out.
  3. When it has drained, place the egg carton base inside your tray to catch any extra water.
  4. Using the toothpick, make a hole in each egg cup and place 2-3 seeds in each hole. Cover with soil.
  5. Label and place the filled egg carton inside your bread bag and close quickly, trapping air inside and forming the bread bag into a dome. Secure the bag with a twist tie. Cut a small slit (about ½”) in the top center of the dome to allow for some air exchange.
  6. Place your terrarium in a spot where it can get bright but indirect sunlight (You don’t want your plants to cook!)
  7. In about a week, when at least half of the seeds you planted are up, carefully take off the bread bag.
  8. Now you must monitor the soil moisture daily to make sure it does not get too dry. If there is more than one plant in each egg cup, you will have to thin the seedlings so that they do not compete against each other for food and water. You can do this by cutting the weaker plants with scissors. You do not want to pull them up as you might damage the root system of the stronger plant.
  9. To water, place some water in the tray and let the plants drink it up. Never pour water on top of them or they may die. Continue in this manner until your plants get their second set of leaves.

vvv

Now you are ready for the next stage: transplanting your seeds to the 5 oz. plastic cups.

1. Invert all the cups you will need and taking the scissors, poke a small drainage hole in the bottom of each cup.
2. Fill the cup with seed starting soil. Moisten the soil and let drain in the sink. When drained, return the cup to your work surface.
3. Using your toothpick, insert it into one of the egg cups, under your plant, and loosen up the root. Pull the plant carefully out of the egg cup, using the toothpick to support the root, and place it into the 5 oz. cup, making a hole into the dirt as needed for the root with the toothpick. Place more dirt in the cup, as needed, making sure that the soil doesn’t go much higher on the plant than ¼” above the root, or it could kill the plant. The only exception to this is tomato plants. As they have the ability to make roots up the length of their stalks, you can plant them as deep as you like. I usually leave the top 2/3 of the plant exposed.
4. Label and place these cups in the egg tray, butter tub lids or whatever you have to catch the draining water. Place along the windowsill or in another sunny location.

vvv

About a week before you are ready to plant, you will need to harden off the seedlings. They have been getting filtered sunlight through the window, and if you placed them directly into the soil, they would most probably either die, or be subject to disease. You will need to place them in a spot outside where they will avoid the noon sun. I place mine under the picnic table. They get the morning and evening sun, but none of the burning midday sun. Once again, monitor soil for moisture content.

When you are ready to plant, all you have to do is pop the plants out and place in the soil. If you are careful, you can save the cups again for next year.

Some extra hints: Always check the back of the seed packet to see how many weeks before the last frost you are supposed to start the seeds. For instance, since my frost date is around mid-May, I start my peppers, tomatoes, and any other 8-week plants at the end of February (Boy, is that a sure sign that spring is coming!). That way they will be ready in case there is an early spring. Four-week plants I start at the end of March. Also, I have found that if you start perennials in the fall, they usually bloom the next season when you place them in the soil. I guess they think it is their second year.

If you have never before tried to grow plants from seed, I hope this has taken some of the mystery out of seed starting. If you have tried before, but failed, it is my hope that this will encourage you to try again. After all, it is much cheaper than buying plants at a garden center, and infinitely more satisfying.

If you do not see the table at the left, please click here.