Starting seeds for your garden is one of the most exciting things you can do. To see something so small grow into a beautiful and productive part of your garden is magical. But for a lot of new gardeners, it can seem overwhelming to start. How exactly do you do it? How do you know what materials to use? How do you know when your seedlings are ready to be planted outside?
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Well, Gardenary is here with plenty of answers and information all about starting seeds! Check out these articles:
In this post, we're going to take a deeper dive into the different seed starting setups, in particular the trays and kits. There are so many options to pick from, so let’s take a look at what all you can use!
When starting seeds indoors, just remember that you are trying to mimic the outdoors as much as possible. You'll want the temperature to be warm and the area to have perhaps a little humidity, if possible. There also needs to be some air flow and light. While some people choose to use natural light, your seedlings are going to grow weak and leggy unless they're in a greenhouse with full overhead sunlight. Being placed on a windowsill is often not enough. Your best bet is to grab a grow light to use in whatever location your seeds will grow.
I have been starting seeds indoors for years now, so I will show you an example of how I started versus how I'm doing it now: In the beginning, I used styrofoam cups placed on a baking tray, with a clip-on grow light, in my office. Super simple and cheap, but effective! I didn’t need to start a ton of seeds because my growing space was little, so this worked well enough.
As my garden expanded, I invested in more materials in order to start more and more seeds. Now I have an extra bedroom closet I use, with a shelving unit, attached grow lights, and seed trays. This setup was more labor intensive and expensive to get going, but I can start a lot more seeds this way, and by now, I know the investment is worth it.
While my personal preference is a seed starting tray, there are other things you can use to get going. Let's look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of different materials.
Many gardeners trying to reuse what is already in their home will start seeds in eggshells, egg cartons, rolled-up newspaper pots, yogurt cups, toilet paper rolls, and more.
A lot of these materials are biodegradable, so the whole pot can be planted directly into the soil. That is definitely a benefit, as is the ability to repurpose something that would otherwise be tossed in the trash.
I have tried a few of these items and either found them to be too small or had them decay and break down before I could plant my seedlings outdoors.
These are pre-made pots, trays, and discs (also called pellets) sold widely online and in stores.
They're biodegradable, so again, you can plant the entire pot or disc.
I've had some get moldy and—like what happened when I tried to use toilet paper rolls—break down too quickly when exposed to water. I am not a fan. Plus, you have to pay for something that's not reusable.
You can poke holes in the bottom of just about any cup and use it to start your seeds. Be sure to place them on a surface or tray that can catch runoff when you water them (like my baking sheet in my original setup).
The benefit of these is that they are bigger and thus can grow your seeds all the way to transplantation without needing to pot them up (in other words, you don't have to move them to a larger pot before they go into the garden).
The negative is that they take up way more space than the cells of a typical seed starting tray.
Another option that is gaining popularity is to use soil blocking. While this option has technically been around for centuries, many home gardeners have never seen it used.
The beauty of this option is that you use the soil as both the growing medium and the container. The soil is packed enough to stay together and allow the seed to grow roots without running out of space.
You do need a few particular items to get started.
I know many gardeners who are turning to this method and quite enjoy it. You can see the items you need here and read up on how to's.
My top pick would have to be from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. Everyone knows their seed starting materials are top notch, and I love supporting a company that has such a great reputation and relationship with its employees. Their trays can be a bit on the pricier side, but you know that they will last for years. They have numerous options to choose from, so here are a few you might want to try:
With any of these trays, make sure you also order trays to catch or hold water underneath if you're growing indoors, as these trays all have holes that allow for drainage or uptake of water.
Plenty of other companies have similar tray setups that are good quality. You can get a kit from Gardeners' Supply that includes a 12- or 24-cell tray and a mat, and Burpee has a similar setup that also includes a dome lid, markers, and grow pellets. Growers Supply carries similar products, but you have to order a certain number of trays, not just one.
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Amazon has a really neat kit that has a 60-cell tray with a mat and dome lid, as well as a grow light—a great setup for beginners! You can also find inexpensive trays and kits at places like Home Depot, as well as your local gardening supply stores.
You can water at the top or the bottom. Many people get fungal disease, which affects seedling growth, by watering on top of the soil if it is kept too moist. This has never happened to me, but you want to be careful how much water you use. You can avoid this issue by pouring water into the bottom catch tray; the seedlings will absorb it up through the holes in the tray.
When it comes time to remove your seedlings, a butter knife is your best friend. Just insert it gently along the side of the soil and pop your seedling out.
Always be sure to wash and sterilize your tray kits before use for new seeds. The moment after I transplant my seedlings, I wash my trays out and remove any dirt or debris and let them dry out before storage. When it comes time to start new seeds, I soak my trays in a diluted bleach solution to kill off any lingering bacteria that could harm my new seed babies. You can use a 9:1 ratio of water to bleach, or 9 cups of water for every 1 cup of bleach.
I personally do not use a heating mat and do just fine; however, I see plenty of gardeners and, for sure, farmers who use them and have excellent and speedier germination. I don’t feel this is necessary to get started if your space is warm, but it can definitely help.
There is also an option to purchase a dome. I have used domes at times and not used them at times, and in my opinion, they aren’t totally necessary if you have a warm space to start your seeds. If your space is a little cooler, like less than 72 degrees, then a dome can provide extra warmth and humidity for your seeds to germinate.
Seed trays make the process of growing seedlings a whole lot easier. Although it may seem like a simple task to buy a few little seed-starting pots, you will soon discover that there are many different types to choose from. Buying the best-suited seed trays for your seedlings will ensure they grow healthily and quickly. In this guide, we outline everything you need to consider when choosing the best seed trays to start your dream garden.
Some seed trays with cells can hold up to 70 seedlings while others have only 6 cells. The size you choose will depend on what you are planting, where you are keeping your plants, and how many seedlings you plan to work with. If you have a small greenhouse with plenty of space for your seedlings, a big tray is a good idea. If you want to keep your seedlings on the windowsill in your home, opt for a smaller tray.
Seed starting trays are either made of plastic, which is reusable or they are made from a biodegradable material such as peat which is generally not used more than once.
Both types of trays work well to grow seedlings. The tray material you choose may depend on a few different factors.
If you are an avid gardener and use trays every season, it will be more cost-effective to get reusable trays. The thicker the tray, the more durable it is, however, it is also harder to remove the seedlings from a plastic tray for transplanting.
If you are reusing your trays keep in mind that you will need to clean them and have some storage space to keep them where they won’t get damaged.
Organic veggie gardeners should opt for BPA-free polypropylene plastic seed trays that will not leach chemicals into the planting soil.
Some plastic trays are very thin and intended for one or two uses only. As they are thin, they are easy to manipulate, allowing you to remove the seedlings from the tray without much effort. However, in doing this, you will also likely break them. These types of trays are generally meant to be thrown away after the first or second use, which might not bother you since they are inexpensive. However, plastic waste is not great for the environment.
Biodegradable trays cost more, but they offer many benefits when it comes to the health of your seedlings and the environment. When your seedlings are ready to be transplanted outdoors in your garden, there is no need to remove them from the pots. Simply place the whole pot with the plant in the soil. The pot will break down naturally over time and the roots will spread into the ground. This prevents any transplant shock, stem damage, and root disturbance during the replanting stage. It also makes the entire process less messy and much quicker.
Check whether your seed tray purchase includes any of these items. You can choose a kit that includes all the extra items or buy what you need separately.
Some seed trays come with a dome lid. This clear plastic lid allows you to control the temperature and creates a humid environment ideal for seed germination. Domes will either be solid or have adjustable vents to allow humidity control. If you purchase a dome separately, make sure it matches the size of your seedling tray so that it seals around the edges.
Base trays are fairly flat with no cell structure and are used to keep cell trays organized. Placing your cell tray in the base tray allows you to catch drainage water from the cells and also allows you to water seedlings from underneath to reduce pest and disease problems. Base trays can also be used for hydroponic growing, wheatgrass, and microgreens, and help keep things clean.
Watering mats can be used to draw water to the seed tray cells without oversaturating the soil mix.
Heating mats are usually purchased separately and don’t come with a seed starting kit. They are a great accessory for early indoor growing since they increase germination and growth rates by providing the ideal temperature.
Don’t forget what you have planted. Labeling your seedlings might be necessary, especially if you are new to gardening and not yet proficient at differentiating all your seedlings by just looking at them.
If you’re looking to use a seed to kickstart your winter garden, check out this video below for the tips and tricks to doing so.
For more information, please visit cheap seed starting trays.