The Good Table At Home: Seed Starting

Tender seedlings poking through the soil

From the Garden

Around this time, my thoughts invariably turn to my garden and the promise of spring. Thankfully, we’re getting some rainy weather as I write this, but all the more reason to start your seeds indoors and plant them outside later.

I was cowed by my lack of knowledge at first. Every time I’ve tried to start seeds, I’ve only gotten good results from the hardiest of plants. But as it turns out, it’s pretty straightforward.

You need:

• Seed starting trays of some kind (I’m using peat for now)

• Good soil, preferably a seed starting mix but generic potting soil will do

• Seeds

• A sunny, warm spot — I’m using my greenhouse window

First off, read the instructions on each packet of seeds. For most of them, you just make a small hole, gently cover them, and water. But some, like my Strawflower seeds, only germinate with light. It’s like reading the recipe all the way through before you start cooking; know what you’ll need before you start.

I filled up my trays most all the way with potting soil, made a hole with my finger, and put 3 seeds into each hole. It’s good practice to put multiple seeds in so that if one is a lemon, you still have the chance for the other two. Some seeds are super teeny and I got a bunch in there, but I did the best I could. Then I very gently covered them with soil, basically brushing the dirt gently back into place, and watered just a bit. You want the soil moist, not drowned.

For the Strawflower seeds, I sprinkled them on the top and then put their tray on a non-draining tray and bottom watered. Bottom watering is where you put water in the tray and let it soak into the soil up from the bottom. Watering from the top can displace the seeds when you’re trying to light germinate them.

Is there anything more hopeful than sprouts?

Oh, and don’t forget to label them! Very important — you don’t want to forget what each thing is, unless you like a mystery garden.

Keep your soil moist. Depending on your light and heat situation, that could mean watering gently every day or every couple days. I ended up getting trays for all and bottom watering mostly, because I found it pretty effective. I also used a spray bottle for misting for the more delicate seedlings.

I planted a mix of flowers and vegetables. I like to mix up my raised beds to attract good pollinators and keep pests away.

The seed packets should tell you how much time each seed takes to germinate. My flowers came up pretty quick. The vegetables are taking longer, but that’s totally okay. Because I’m in California, I can really start at any time and transplant when they get big enough because we rarely get a frost here. If you’re in a place where you get below freezing, the seed packets should tell you when to start and when to transplant.

Once you have several seedlings coming up in each section, it’s time for the sad part: trimming. In order to have the strongest plants possible for transplanting, you’ll need to find the strongest looking seedling in each pot, and then lop off the heads of the ones sharing its pot with sharp scissors. It’s very depressing, and I hate doing it, but if you don’t, the plants will crowd each other and become scraggly and weak. Trimming the tops off the others allows the strong seedling to grow without competing for resources with its pot-mates.

This is my basic set-up, complete with cat enjoying the sun. Once your seedlings are a couple inches tall and seem sturdy, it’s time to transplant them out into your garden. Rather than paying for starts, which are more expensive and limited in selection, you can grow nearly anything this way.

I have to admit, I’m a little addicted to seed starting and watching my plant babies grow. Is there anything more hopeful than a seed sprout?

I wish you success in anything hopeful you start this spring.