Its Seed Starting Time!

With the weather being unpredictable and the last frost date for my area is coming up in a couple months its time to start organizing my seeds and planting some seeds!

Organizing

With the weather being unpredictable and the last frost date for my area coming up in a few months, it's time to start organizing my seeds! I keep my seeds in a bin, sorted by plant type—leafy greens, herbs, root vegetables, etc. At the start of each year, I reorganize them by planting and starting times. This system helps me save energy: I sort the seeds on one day, and when planting time comes, I simply grab the right pack and get to work.

Categories I like to use are: months to be started indoors, plants that can be started as soon as the ground thaws, planted after the last frost, and finally the plants that need temperatures to be consistently warm. Once I start or plant them, back into their category bins they go, and any that are out I make note of for purchase in the fall.

*Each fall or end of the garden season I usually order most of my seeds, fun note for everyone, this is when all of the seeds are on a discount so they can make way for the new season! So most of my seeds were 40-70% off.*

If you're new to gardening, you might not yet know when these time frames are. The best way to set up your starting and planting times is to first look up your average frost date. Once you have found that date, most seed packets will have a starting time on the back of the package. These times will either say 'x' amount of weeks before the last frost date, once the ground is workable, after the last frost, or when the temperature is consistently above a certain degree.

Don't worry too much about being exact, especially if you are low on energy or have time constraints. If you start them later than suggested, that just means they might reach maturity a little later. If you start them too early, then you will just have to give more attention to a more mature plant than a typical start, like more water or possibly repotting when it outgrows its pot. I have also totally forgotten to start something, and it still produced in the end. Just do what you can, when you can, and adapt when and if you need to.

Fall Planting Note

On a side note, if this is your first year gardening, some plants actually do better being planted in the fall. Examples include garlic, onions (especially the seeds), leeks, fruiting trees, and bushes. This is because planting them in the fall or at the end of the season allows them to put their efforts into growing roots during dormancy. Then in the spring, they have plenty of stored energy to give them a head start.

Does this mean you can't plant them in the spring? No. You still can, and they will work out just fine. You will just be harvesting them in the fall and winter months rather than in spring and summer. I actually plant leeks twice: once in the fall and again in the spring, so I get leeks in early fall, and they continue growing in the snow, so again in December/January.

Now that everthing is sorted, lets start our first seeds!

For seed starting you will need a few things:

Planting cells - You can purchase them online, use up any you have lying around from previous years, or make your own with newspaper. Plastic works better for longer seedling time, paper usually breaks down quickly.

Grow Lights or a well lite room - Green house if you're lucky to have one.

Something to water with - I will poke a hole in the top of a water bottle and use that.

Seeds!

To start I like to pre-moisten my soil. This allows you to have the right moisture content and the right amount of soil for each cell.

See video below for step by step:

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/2fa337_94d262660e0a430f8e32c5fa32493122/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Tips and Tricks

• When using lights, keep lights few inches above growth. When the light is too far away, plants become stringy trying to reach for the needed light.

• Keep soil moist, ideally adding water to the top before seed sprouts, then moving to bottom watering for stronger root development.

• Plant seeds in cells based on future development. Tomatoes and Peppers grow large, they will need bigger planters to grow.

• You may need to transplant seedlings. I find that seedlings don't like to be transplanted. So I am to plant them in a big enough starting tray to grow. If you do need to transplant ensure the soil is wet first, both the seedling and new pot of soil. This helps the soil to stay around the roots for easier transplanting.

• Seedlings need warmth! Ensure the space they are starting is warm. Ideally over 15C but some can grow as long as it is above 5C. A heating mat can help if air temperature is cool.

• Plants need sun light! If you have a green house or a sunny spot in the home the natural sunlight is enough. For grow lights I like to have mine on for 14 hours a day. I use smart plugs or timers for these. Minimum they will need is 6 but 12 to 16 is ideal.

Special Consideration

I want to add that I live in USDA Growing zone 6 growing zone, which means that I have 4 seasons and my winter is fairly mild. I know not everyone online lives in the northern hemisphere or so far north from the equator. So these are guidelines based on my area and the areas I have lived. Which are growing zones 3-8. The closer you are to the equator the longer your growing season is. Or if you are in the southern hemisphere, then your seasons are opposite of mine. But the basics should still apply.

Thanks for the read!

I would love to hear what others do when it comes to seed sorting? What rituals or tips would you like to give me and others?

Any questions you have for me?

Please write them below!