Seed Starting 101: Getting Started
Making the decision to start plants from seeds instead of buying them at the nursery can be a scary endeavor for someone who’s never done it before. The catalogs are shiny and colorful, promising all kinds of bounty and beauty from a packet of seeds. The terms are often foreign: stratification, open pollinated, heirloom, OG, hybrid, F1, F2, heating mats, air pruning, soil less mix, soil blocks, etc. How does one get started down the road to seed starting success without spending a fortune and ending up with withered, leggy or dead seedlings?
First of all, I’d recommend: START SLOWLY. Start off with one or two flats of seedlings, the investment in time and money with be minimal. You will quickly find out whether or not you want to someday have 15-20 flats to monitor on a daily basis, starting seeds takes a lot of daily attention. Not to mention you have to plant all those seedlings when the time is right (which is usually when you don’t have the time to do it).
Grow a few things from seed that are easy and fairly hardy, almost fool proof.
If you like vegetables, try tomato, pepper or zucchini.
If you like herbs, try basil, oregano, or parsley.
If you like flowers, try petunias, snapdragons or zinnias.
The second thing I’d recommend: READ, LEARN, ASK, READ AND LEARN SOME MORE. Read blogs, books, articles, magazines and anything you can get your hands on. Ask friends, neighbors, or family members that you know start seeds. Search for local seed starting workshops in your area; often greenhouses, libraries, community centers, and farmer’s markets will offer free classes on gardening. I know of 3 different places in my area that offer all kinds of workshops for the new gardener on a variety of topics, seed starting being one of most the popular classes.
The third thing I’d recommend is: DON’T BUY TOO MUCH STUFF. You really don’t need much for seed starting, especially in the beginning. All you really “need” is soil (or starting medium), a container, seeds and a good light source, that’s pretty much it. Don’t be wooed by all the fancy expensive seed starting items and light tables in catalogs and on-line. Plants have been starting themselves for years outside without our help, they certainly don’t need all the bells and whistles that some gardening catalogs would have you believe. When I first started, I used a few old yogurt cups, some home mixed potting soil and a few packs of cheap seeds. Talk to a few fellow gardeners, you may find someone that is willing to give you some advice, share seeds or even loan you a grow light for your first seed starting efforts.
You also want to MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE TIME. Seed starting is fun, it’s amazing to watch the seeds germinate then grow into tiny seedlings, then grow into beautiful plants in the garden and produce beautiful flowers or delicious vegetables. It’s definitely something that I enjoy doing, but it does take time and effort. If you’re a busy person and don’t have time to babysit little seedlings you’re better off buying a few from your local greenhouse each year instead of starting your own. You don’t want to end up with trays of dead seedlings and feeling bad about it, that’s no fun. Perhaps you can find a fellow gardener that has the time and you can work out an agreement, you buy all the seeds and supplies and they grow the seedlings.
And finally, DON’T BE DISCOURAGED IF YOU DON’T SUCCEED AT FIRST. Some seeds are difficult to start, there are diseases that can wipe out seedlings, perhaps you got a bad pack of seeds and sometimes it’s not the right time to start a certain plant. We’ve all had failures, the key is to try again. One year I couldn’t start a chamomile seed, not even one. Most years I end up with more chamomile seedlings than I need.
If you find you don’t have the time or patience to start plants from seed, there’s nothing wrong with buying plants from a good local nursery. For the small home gardener, it’s often much easier to buy already established seedlings. I would recommend not buying from the big box type places, search out a small local place. They’ll be able to give you better advice and information on what you need, what works in your area and tips to successfully grow what you purchase.
What was the first kind of seed you ever started? Any great advice on getting started from you experienced seed starters for all of our beginners?
The rest of the Seed Starting 101 Series
Why Start from Seed
Getting Started
Containers
Soil Mix
The Needs of Seeds
My Workflow
Diseases and Problems
Hardening Off
Transplanting
Learn More Each Season
Visit my Amazon store to see what seed starting supplies I like.
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Seed Starting 101: Why Start from Seed
Starting plants from seed is a great way for gardeners to take their hobby to the next level. There’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing a plant blooming in the garden or harvesting a vegetable that you started from a tiny seed.
Seed starting can also save you a lot of money, providing you don’t spend too much on expensive light set-ups and other equipment. A pack of seeds ranges from 50 cents to a few dollars. From each of these seed packets you can get a large number of plants. It also doesn’t hurt as much when one of them doesn’t survive the winter or languishes in the conditions in your garden. I feel terrible if I lose a $15 plant, but one I started from a pack of seeds I paid $1 doesn’t hit me quite as hard.
Another great reason to start seeds is the variety of plants you can get that you can’t find at your local nursery. There are so many seed companies out there that offer so many wonderful things, especially when it comes to vegetables.
When you start your own plants from seed you also know exactly how that little seedling has been treated. If you’re an organic grower and strive to have a chemical free garden, then you pretty much have to start from seed. My local greenhouse offers a great variety of interesting plants, including heirloom vegetables, but I know they’re not organic and those little plants are covered with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Often the ones you start at home are much stronger because they have been treating with love and care.
There are so many reasons to start your plants from seed. I love growing interesting plants, especially vegetables, this is why I start most of my plants from seed. I also strive to achieve a completely organic garden so I don’t like buying plants from the nursery, especially when it comes to food plants. Saving money a nice bonus that can’t be overlooked. It would cost me a fortune to buy all the plants I like to grow, especially annuals.
Why do you start your own seeds or why do you want to start growing from seed?
The rest of the Seed Starting 101 Series
Why Start from Seed
Getting Started
Containers
Soil Mix
The Needs of Seeds
My Workflow
Diseases and Problems
Hardening Off
Transplanting
Learn More Each Season
Visit my Amazon store to see what seed starting supplies I like.
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Quote of the Day: John Calvin
There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world, that is not intended to make us rejoice.
John Calvin
I’m very thankful for the changing seasons. I enjoy living in a place with such a stark difference between spring/summer/fall/winter. It seems the long dark colorless winter, makes me even more thankful for color in the garden, especially all the green leaves and the green grass.
The green is so invigorating, I’m happy looking out the windows and seeing world of green. I’m happy to once again to hear leaves on the trees when the wind blows. I’m happy to see color dotting the garden here and there.
What’s your favorite part of the change from winter to summer?
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Inspired to Take a Break
Our cat Soafie inspired me to take a day off (well from blogging anyway, we’ve got a big job today – see 2nd Mile Productions tomorrow to see what we spent today working on). I’ve been super busy the last few weeks with work, gardening and blogging. I’ve been spending a lot of time working on the Seed Starting 101 posts, which takes away from the time I have to write regular daily posts. So today I’m leaving you with a photo of Soafie, hope she inspires you to take some time to relax and enjoy the day!
Cheers, and happy relaxing from all of us at Chiot’s Run!
I’m planning to start the Seed Starting 101 posts on Monday, so be sure to come, read and comment!
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Propagating Plants with Stem Cuttings
I’m a thrifty gardener. I like save money in any way I can, so I use material I can find in my local area (like all those rocks), mix my own potting mix, make compost, collect leaves, and pretty much anything that will help save me money when it comes to gardening. One thing saves me a bundle is propagating my own plants.
Spring is when I’m busy propagating plants for the new garden areas. Most perennials can be propagated either by saving seed, dividing them when they’re mature, or taking root or stem cuttings. My favorite way to propagate plants is by stem cuttings, it really couldn’t be any easier.
I’m using a catmint plant for this demonstration. Catmint is one of the workhorses in my garden, I find myself propagating tons of these and using them everywhere.
Fill some pots with soil mix or vermiculite then water and poke a hole it in with a pencil. You want the holes so that the rooting hormone doesn’t get wiped off when you put the cutting in it. I like to use my own mix of 50% peat and 50% medium vermiculite, sometimes I use 100% vermiculite (you can use perlite instead of vermiculite, I’m just not a fan of perlite feels too much like styrofoam for my liking).
Take some stem cuttings from the plant you want to propagate, make sure it’s new growth (unless you’re doing hard wood cuttings for things like hydrangeas and boxwoods). I like to cut pieces that are 3-6 inches long. You can to cut a centimeter or two below a leaf node, then strip off the lowest leaves. Roots will form from these nodes, so you want to make sure you have at least one of these under the soil level.
Dip the stem into rooting hormone making sure to get some on the nodes. Then insert the cutting into the pot and press the soil gently around the cutting. (make sure to not breathe rooting hormone and wash hands thoroughly when finished, or order natural rooting powder from Richter’s – I’ll be getting some when I use up this bottle of rooting hormone)
Place tray of cuttings in a sheltered location and keep well watered and if desired covered with plastic or a dome (I don’t always cover mine I just mist with water). I like to keep mine in a tray and water from below and mist the leaves frequently to keep leaves moist. Make sure they’re in a shaded location or in the garage by a bright but not too sunny window, if they get too much sun the plants will lose too much water or cook under the plastic. Right now I have all kinds of trays of cuttings in various sheltered spots around the garden and in the garage. At the moment, I’m trying to propagate: lemongrass, dumb cane, hydrangeas, viburnum, clematis, boxwood, black elderberry, salvia, sedum, thyme, kennelworth ivy, and catmint.
Remember to propagate more plants than you think you want, you’ll have some that don’t survive. I usually have a 75-80% success rate depending on the type of plant. Some plants propagate better than others, so don’t get discouraged if you fail. Try again with a different kind of plant. Sedums, catmint, hydrangeas are pretty much no-fail when it comes to propagation.
Do you or have you propagated plants for your gardens?
