Why to start seeds:
Much cheaper if you want to grow a large amount of varieties.
More plants for a smaller investment.
It's a thrill to be involved in the growing process.
What you'll need:
Clean containers with good drainage.
A sterile seed starting mix.
Warm location (60 - 75 degrees) with good light from a sunny window or grow lights.
Markers - popsicle sticks or plastic knives are a couple cheap ideas.
Garden journal to record what's growing where and dates when you started the seeds. This is nice info to have for future growing.
Some things to consider before you start your seeds:
Can you sow the seeds outdoors?
Why waste space indoors when some seeds actually thrive planted directly into the garden soil? A few seeds that do well directly sown in the garden are; cosmos, poppies, larkspur and vegetables like radish, lettuce and chard. Read the back of the seed packet to see if they include the direct sow option in the directions.
How many weeks prior to your last frost date should the seeds be started indoors?
Being aware of your last frost date is important so that you time your planting properly. Planting seeds too soon will leave you with plants that will need to be transplanted into larger pots. Planting too late will leave you will less blooming time or less fruiting time.
Do the seeds need any special requirements?
Some seeds may need to be soaked prior to planting, give a stratification period, darkness or their germination time requires a gardener with a lot of patience. If this is your first time starting seeds you might want to try with easier varieties first that don't require special efforts.
Planting Seeds
It's important that you follow the directions for each variety of seeds that you plant. If you swap seeds you're
not necessarily given all the information you could use so do some research on the web or ask your swapee for advice.
Basic Seed Growing Instructions
First pour your sterile seed starting mix into your containers. Generally seeds can be planted the depth of the seed or follow the directions on the packet. Small, dust-like seed can lay on the top of the soil. If you bury the seed too deep into the soil your germination rate will be poor to zilch.
Water the soil
Keeping the soil moist (not wet) is so important for the germination process. Some gardeners like to bottom water by placing their planted container in a larger container with a shallow amount of water. The soil absorbs the amount of water needed and then the planted container is removed. Others like to water from above with a water bottle on mist. The disadvantages to a water bottle is if small dust-like seeds are resting on the top of the soil they might be sprayed from their rows. Also spraying the top of the soil doesn't guarantee that the moisture will penetrate to the bottom where the roots will be.
Cover
Covering the newly planted container with plastic will keep the moisture inside the container and help keep warmth inside. Once you see tiny sprouts start to emerge you should uncover the plastic so your new baby plants can get air.
Light
Most seeds need light to germinate. If you have access to a window that receives a lot of natural light consider yourself lucky. If you don't, you might want to consider
artificial light. It doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune on fancy grow lights. Many of us find that a inexpensive shop light that can be bought at a home improvement store work great. You'll need to find growlight bulbs or you can even use two 40 watt florescent tubes, one cool white and one warm white. The lights will need to on at least 14 hours a day and the planted
containers should be from 3 to 6 inches from the lights.
Transplanting
Once the seedlings grow their first set of true leaves (usually the second leaves) they will be ready to transplant into larger containers. Some gardeners skip the second the second move and plant directly in the garden. If you do this please read the hardening off section.
Last Frost Date
Is it past your last frost date? You shouldn't plant tender seedlings outside until your sure there won't be a frost in your area. Last frost dates aren't set in stone though, there can still be a frost. Young plants can be spared from a light frost by simply covering with old sheets or blankets. Once it's past your last frost date, it's time to begin hardening-off your plants.
Hardening-off your seedlings
Unlike seeds that are directly sown outdoors, your indoor seedlings are very delicate. They are not accustom to the outdoor elements such as wind and sun, so it is very important that you slowly expose them to the great outdoors. If you plant your young plants directly in the garden there is a good chance they will sunburn and they
could die. This would be a horrible shame after all the hard work and dedication put into your new plants, so here is what you have to do.
Place your plants outdoors in a shady spot. It's key that this area stays shady all day and that you are able to
monitor if your plant's soil dries out. Even in the shade the wind can dry out plants very quickly, so you don't want to leave your plants and forget them. After a few days of being in the shade start introducing the sun to your plants. Place your plants out in a sunny location for a couple hours and then a few days later a couple hours more. Again it's important that you keep track of moisture so they don't dry out. It's also critical that you shelter your new plants from unexpected weather like strong winds or heavy rain. The hardening-off period can take a week or more, but it's worth the effort because soon you will have healthy plants ready for planting.
Planting
Once you are confident that your plants are ready to be planted you'll want to know a couple things. What are the ideal conditions of that particular plant? Does it like full sun, shade or will it do well in part? What soil conditions does it favor? Once you have the area chosen you'll want to dig a hole twice or three times the
diameter as the root base of your plant, but the hole should only be as deep as your plants root base. Don't plant your plants too deep. Also adding compost to the soil around the plant will give it an added boost during the growing season. Some gardeners choose to gradually add water as they backfill the hole with soil, or you
may water the soil after the plant is in the ground.
Watering
Water your newly planted plants daily and for awhile you might want to check on your plants especially during the hottest part of the day.
Remember to always water near the base of the plant and not on the leaves. As the days go by try to space out the times you water because frequent watering leads to shallow roots. Hopefully as the roots grow deeper into the soil mother nature will take over and your plants won't need to watered so frequently.