SEED Starting Top

Everything You Need to Know
The rewards of seed starting are many—planting on your schedule, having a diversity of varieties to work with and experiencing the sheer joy of knowing that what you see on your dinner plate or in your vase was started by you and not the local garden center. Let us help you get off to a great start with seed starting tips, techniques and supplies.
What is seed starting?
Seed starting indoors is a simple and sometimes essential way to get a garden head start. Long-season vegetables and annual flowers often need extra growing time in early spring when the chilly outdoors are not an option.

When considering indoor growing options, remember that all seed starting kits are not created equal.
The basics of starting plants from seeds are quite simple: Place a seed or seeds in a soil-filled container; provide a light source, food and water; and allow the seeds to germinate. When grown, the seedlings can be planted in your garden.


What seeds should I start with?
Many common garden vegetables and flowers can be started indoors. Some are very simple and easy. Tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, eggplant and many more are well suited for starting indoors.
Beans and peas are often recommended for direct sowing in the garden, but it never hurts to start a handful of them indoors in case the outdoors prove unforgiving. Think of it as your seed safety net.
Usually these are ready to plant out within a month or less. They have very vigorous root systems that fill the cells quickly.
Avoid starting root crops like turnips, beets and carrots indoors. Although some people may have been successful starting these in trays or pots, the likelihood of success is much less than for most non-root crops.
When should I start growing seeds?
When to start is based on when your plants can be planted in the garden safely. The timing for planting seeds varies depending on the type of crops. For example, plants like basil, peppers and tomatoes need to go in much later than cabbage, kale and broccoli. Seed packets often give instructions on timing, mostly described as weeks before planting out.
It doesn't pay to start your seeds too early. This is true for several reasons. Plants can get too big for their pots or their growing space before you can safely plant them in the ground. Also, they dry out quickly, and keeping them watered is hard unless you keep repotting them.
Where should I grow seeds—indoors or outdoors?
Many seeds can be planted directly into the garden and perform wonderfully. Others, however, are much better suited to starting indoors to get a jump on the season. Starting seeds indoors puts you in better control of the conditions your plants will be growing in. It is often way too cold and wet early in the season when gardeners get the urge to start. Even when the weather warms, conditions can be challenging outside where small seedlings are vulnerable to the pressures of insects and diseases. Severe weather like late frosts and heavy rains can also impact young plants outside.