Seed Starting

Starting your own seeds can be a great way to cut costs if you need a lot of seedlings or a way to get specific varieties that you want even if your local nursery doesn't carry them.  I buy some things and start others myself.  What and how much I start varies by year and inclination.  This year we are still unpacking and I have A LOT of projects to focus on.  So I am only starting tomatoes (early, cherry, and Roma), peppers (salsa variety pack), and basil.  

If this is your first year gardening, I would not advise you to start your own seeds.  The first year is discouraging enough and there is enough to learn without adding seed starting.  But if you're an experienced gardener, give it a shot.  In the picture above, you can see my gardening workbench.  It is on the south wall of my garage near a sunny window.  The garage is semi-heated and doesn't get below 55-60 degrees at night.

On top of the bench is a grow light stand that I constructed out of 2x4s and plywood.  It is wide enough to house four 12"x24" flats of seeds.  This year I am only starting two flats.  The lights are two ordinary 4' long double bulb shop lights hanging side by side.  The bulbs are standard fluorescent bulbs.  They hang on chains from eye hooks, which allows height adjustment by just unhooking and hooking into a different link on the chain.  They are raised up and out of the way in the picture, but once the seeds begin to emerge I will lower them to keep the bulb within an inch of the seedlings.  The closer the better (without touching).  As the seedlings grow, I will raise the bulbs to accommodate them.

I have the lights on a timer set to turn them on at 5:00 a.m. and off at 11:00 p.m.  The sunny window is nice for the plants, but it is not sufficient to grow strong, stocky plants.  You MUST use artificial light or your plants will be long, thin, and weak.

A quality soil-free seed starting mix is essential. Do not use soil from your garden or bagged garden soil because it can contain pests and pathogens that can wreak havoc on young seedlings. If you are unable to find a good professional seed starting mix, a 50/50 peat moss and sand mixture can be used in a pinch.

Seeds cannot be allowed to dry out during the germination phase, but also shouldn't be floating in soil soup either. I mist the flats with a spray bottle to keep the soil like a well wrung out damp sponge. Some people cover the trays with plastic hoods or wrap to maintain moisture, but I really prefer the control a spray bottle gives me.

I use a waterproof seed starting mat to warm the seed flats from below.  This gives much quicker germination and more uniform starts.  I unplug it once all seedlings have emerged. (Edit to add: My basil seeds have emerged in 48 hours, when they would take 5-7 days without a mat).

Tip:  Plant more than one seed per container and when they are a week old cull the smallest seedling by cutting it off at soil level with scissors.  This ensures against seeds that fail to germinate and gives you the strongest seedlings possible.  Seeds are cheap, your time is not.

Marking what seeds are planted where is important.  I cut strips out the sides of a rinsed out milk jug and write on them with a fine tip permanent marker.