Over the years we did what we thought a lot of traditional homesteaders and farmers do. Each spring we headed to our local nursery and sacrificed our wallet on the alter of growing our own food. Instead of starting seeds indoors, we bulk selected tomato starts, pepper plants, a handful of marigold flowers, some petunias, and if we were feeling experimental, an eggplant and okra. We tried to forget the fact that each plant was overpriced.
We had attempted starting our own seeds in the past, but alas, our first go didn’t yield success, and we laid down the gauntlet. Last year Hannah thought to question the system. What if we tried again? It had been a few years. What if we went for it and started our own seeds? It was worth a go! Hannah was faithful to plant, water, fertilize, monitor and baby sit all 183 of our tomato plants last year. She is known for her consistency, and it paid off!
Our Supplies for Starting Seeds Indoors
This year we expanded. Instead of a folding table beside an attic window, we now have grow racks, grow lights, and heating mats. Our seeds were sourced from Berlin Seeds. Although this is our first time using their seed company, we have already noticed a great germination rate.
There have been a few things that we have learned since our first go at seed starting. Even though our setup has gotten fancier with time, we didn’t start out extravagant. Seeds can be started on a kitchen window, sitting on a south facing sill, or even in your attic on a folding table.
We are excited to share about starting seeds indoors, our seed starting set up, and a little humor with you in this week’s YouTube video! Check it out on our channel where we share farming and homesteading tips, inspiration, joys and fails.
Happy planting, friends!
Lauren
Hannah Writes
Thank you, Lauren, for your descriptive and entertaining introduction to this seed starting post and for giving our readers a little history of where we came from! I will seek to build on your foundation and share what I have learned about seed starting through research, trial, error, successes and failures. I certainly don’t know it all but am thankful for how I have learned and grown (pun intended) in the past few years!
Why Grow Plants from Seed?
As Lauren mentioned above, we used to buy lots of plants from the nursery and tried to ignore the large bill we racked up! Even as little girls, Lauren and I would stare at the price tags and announce how much a given plant cost. As our family grew, we needed more and more plants for our expanding garden. Thankfully, we found a hardware store nearby that sold younger tomato plants which cost less, but we still ended up buying a lot and that was just one kind of plant! Starting our own plants has allowed us to select the seed varieties we want and grow them at a fraction of the price.
The main reason I became interested in starting our own seeds was to learn the skill set in case it became harder or impossible to buy plants at times in the future. It was important to me to learn how to do it even if we didn’t raise our plants from seed every year. As I have learned, I have been able to teach my siblings the skill as well.
Do I Really Need Grow Lights?
Let’s address the elephant in the room! “Do I really have to use grow lights? We don’t have any. Couldn’t I just use a sunny window?” I wondered this so many times as I read articles and watched videos about seed starting. As Lauren mentioned above, we started small. Our first grow lights were similar to a couple of lights similar to heat lamps except that they didn’t give off heat. I used them along with my sunny south facing windowsill the first year I raised tomatoes from seed.
I got away with the fact that I didn’t use much of the grow lights that first year and for one reason. We were growing mostly tomato plants. Tomato plants are known to be forgiving if they get “leggy” and grow too tall too fast. (This happens when they have insufficient light, or the light is far away.) Tomatoes are the one plant whose stems can be buried deep in the soil of a bigger pot or out in the garden. For other plants, their stems cannot be buried which makes it bad if their stems are too tall and fragile.
Grow lights ensure that young seedlings have all of the light that they need at the appropriate distance that they need. When learning how to start seeds and use grow lights, I heard that the grow lights should stay only about an inch over the seedlings. That’s much closer light than a sunny window could offer! Keeping the light so closely above the plants helps ensure that they don’t grow too fast as they try to get to the light. This will make your plants stronger.
Turning Off the Grow Lights
Grow lights should be thought of as a long, sunny day for your seedlings. Turn them on in the morning and let them shine on your plants all day until you go to bed. Ideally, the grow lights should be on your plants for 16 hours each day. By turning them off at night, you give the plants a break and train them for what it will be like at night when they’re outside.
While it may seem unnecessary at first to buy and use grow lights, trust me that they are a necessary part of the process. They will save you lots of headaches by preventing leggy plants and will ensure that your seedlings get all the light they need to stay healthy.
Seed Starting Materials
There are several things you will need in order to start seeds indoors. You will need seeds, pots and trays, seed starting soil mix, grow lights, and an organic fertilizer for when the seedlings mature.
Seeds -Our new favorite company is Berlin Seeds as Lauren mentioned above. They have a multitude of options, good customer service, and their seeds have grown well for us.
Pots and Trays – We get our seed starting pots from Bootstrap Farmer and have been very pleased with them. They are very sturdy and durable and will last for years. Even though they are an initial investment, it saves the hassle of cheaper plastic pots breaking all the time and having to source new ones (which add up in price).
Soil – We like to use the Black Gold Organic Seed Starting Mix. It is very light and gentle on the new seedlings. It is important to use sterile soil when starting seeds to avoid introducing them to contaminants, fungus and bacteria in such a tender stage. Typical soil is also quite heavy for seedlings to grow in. It may seem unnecessary to utilize special seed starting soil (I struggle with this too), but I know it makes a difference!
Grow Lights – We use both red and white LED light strips and hang them above our plants. This is where a good rack or shelving system comes in handy. While we have heard that the type of lighting (LED, florescent…) doesn’t matter, we have found that the LED lights work much better.
Bottom Watering
Have you ever heard of the concept of “bottom watering” your plants? Thankfully, I learned this technique early on in my seed starting journey and have found it very helpful. The main goal of bottom watering your seedlings is to train their roots to absorb water. When your plants eventually grow in the garden, they will need to send their roots deep to find water. That’s why training them early is ideal. Another great reason to bottom water is that it ensures that your seedlings and their cell of soil are watered thoroughly and don’t dry out so quickly.
Bottom watering your plants is simple. You will need a tray to go under your pots that is 1-2 inches deep. My favorite trays are the deep trays without holes from Bootstrap Farmer. We use Bootstrap Farmer’s large 4-cell pots and 50-cell pots both of which fit perfectly in these trays. Eight of the 4-cell pots fit in a given tray while one of the 50-cell pots fits well.
To bottom water your plants, add at least 1 inch of water to the tray underneath your pots. Let the plants soak up the water for a few hours before draining the excess water from the tray. You will know that your plants are sufficiently watered when the top of the soil is moist and dark.
How Long Do I Keep My Plants Indoors?
The typical shelf life of an indoor seedling is about eight weeks. The trick is to think ahead and determine when you want to plant them in the garden. For most things, this will be after the last frost. Depending on your location, the predicted last frost date will vary. Here in Georgia, we usually set our plants out in the garden in mid- April. It is a good idea to give yourself a little wiggle room in case cold temperatures last longer than expected.
Each year as I prepare to start my seedlings, I research the predicted frost date for my area and plan accordingly. Knowing that we typically plant our seedlings in mid-April, I factor that in as well. Then I start my seedlings accordingly so that they will be indoors for about eight weeks ahead of time. In my case, I should start my seedlings in mid-February so they will be ready in mid-April. Some plants require more or less time indoors so do your research on your plants of choice.
Potting Up
Depending on the size of your pots, you may need to transfer your seedlings to bigger pots during the growing process. I typically start my seeds in small cells since they take up less space under the grow lights. Eventually they use up the nutrients in that small amount of soil and need to be fertilized. As the roots get bigger and fill up the cell, they need more room to grow. A good rule for determining when to pot up your seedlings is to wait until after they have their first set of true leaves. Seedlings first develop two round cotyledons which look like leaves but eventually fall off. The first set of leaves will grow above or across from the cotyledons on the plant and will look different.
When potting up, fill your new pot with seed starting soil and make a hole for your seedling’s roots. Carefully remove your seedling from its original cell, leaving most of the soil behind. Bury the roots in the new pot and gently secure the plant in place. Label your new pot with the name of your plant.
Fertilizing
Seeds have built-in nutrients to sustain them in their first bit of growth. When they get their first set of true leaves, they may start needing fertilizer unless they are in plenty of soil. We like to use concentrated fish emulsion and dilute it with water. Every week or two, I add a bit of fertilizer to the plants’ tray when I bottom water them.
Hardening Off
Hardening off your plants refers to preparing them for living outside in the garden! Since they’ve had a cozy life inside for the past several weeks, they need to be gradually introduced to the different environment outdoors. Hardening off your plants takes 7-8 days. Begin by taking your plants outside for a couple hours of morning sun before bringing them back inside under the grow lights. Over the next few days, gradually increase the amount of time they are outside. Give them some morning sun and afternoon shade each day. By the end of the week, they can stay outside all day and spend the final night outside before planting them. Keep them safe away from anything that could knock them over or sit on top of them when they are outside. When bringing them inside each day, put them back under the grow lights.
Transplanting
Once your seedlings have been hardened off and acclimated to the outdoors, they are ready to plant in the garden. Make sure your garden plot is prepared and plant your seedlings. We like to add mulch around our plant to help the soil retain moisture and discourage weed growth. Keep your seedings watered and protect them from any pests that may harm them.
In Conclusion
You did it! That is the seed starting process! Now you can watch your seedings grow bigger in the garden and eventually yield produce, flowers or whatever you planted it for.
Seed starting takes diligence to oversee from start to finish. While the process is not complex or difficult, it takes constant care. I find it a rewarding and fulfilling experience, though, and would rather grow my plants than buy them! Who knows?! Maybe you’ll love it too!
~Hannah
