Seed Starting For Beginners

So its that time of the year again where you want to start your seeds for the upcoming season! And why not?! Its a great way to save money from purchasing that $3-$8 a piece plant from your local stores.

At least with your $1.50 seed packs from the store you could potentially get 15-30+ plants depending on how many seeds are in your pack. And given they grew to a seedling and then to maturity properly.

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Or if you saved some seeds from your garden from your previous growing season, then that would be even more money saving!

See how to Save your Seeds here!

Containers for Seed Starting

First of all, you will need to find something to start your seeds in. There are many different items that you can use to get you started.

Greenhouses

There are greenhouse kits that you can purchase from your local stores. It comes in a variety of sizes. Some with peat pellets and others are empty for you to fill yourself.

Egg Cartons/ Egg Shells

Egg cartons make a great choice in getting seeds started, the cardboard from the carton will help absorb and keep moisture locked in for your seedlings to grow.

Egg shells are an eco-friendly option. When your seedlings are ready for planting, you can put the entire thing into the ground. The shells will also give an extra boost of calcium which is very beneficial to your soil.

Solo Cups/Gallon Jugs

When all else fails, use your solo plastic cups. They are tall enough to give your seedlings room to grow and you can easily keep them on a tray all together for growing.

Gallon Jugs are also great, they can help you create your own little hot house for your seeds, by cutting them open and leaving a little section attached you can create a hinge and have a lid to your container.

Be sure to recycle them once your are done!

Newspaper Planters

If you are great at folding paper, you can manipulate your newspapers into a cute little planter box for your seedlings. This is also an eco-friendly way, and you can transplant the entire thing into the ground without worry.

Heirloom Vegetable Seeds – (20 Variety)

Get Dirty!

Once you have figured out what container options work out best for you, you can get your dirt! We always use a Miracle Gro potting soil variety for our seed starting.

Fill up your containers with your potting soil of choice. Depending on how big of a planting space you have available, depends on how many seeds you can start in your container.

I generally use my fingertip to put a hole into the dirt and go about every 2-3 inches to start with. Until you can fill your container anymore. If you have smaller containers, keep to using one per seed.

Once you have your planting holes spaced out, you can plant your seeds! How exciting!

Be sure to label your containers! Some you can write on directly, if you don’t have one that you can write on, they have cute little blank plant labels that you can get, I have found some in the garden center at Wal Mart. OR! you can make some your self!

Check out how to make a DIY Garden Marker that we created! An excellent project that you can do with your children also!

Location

Be sure to put all your newly started seeds in a nice sunny spot. If you are keeping your seeds indoors, you can put them in the windows. Or if you do not have enough window space, there are grow lights that you can purchase. They give off the proper UV light that the plants need to be able to grow.

Keeping your seeds indoors allows them to grow without the harsh conditions of the outdoors, however before you put them outside for good, remember to harden off your seedlings.

If you are putting your seeds outdoors right away, keep in mind that weather can be an issue. If there are cold temperatures or heavy rain or snow. This is were your greenhouse type of starters are helpful, they offer protection from some of these elements that you may face. and it'll be easier to harden off your seedlings than from bringing them to the outdoors from being inside.

Either way, you will have so much fun watching your seeds grow!