Nothing is more satisfying than the process of nurturing a seed to a mature plant and harvesting from that same plant. Starting from a seed is also the only way to grow a wide variety of vegetables, including many new and unusual varieties that are only available as seeds. Different seeds should be started at different times. Follow the instructions from the seed manufacturer closely and time your seeds. Generally, you want to start indoors, six to eight weeks before the last frost date for your area.
Where to sow your seeds:
Sowing, or the the process of planting seeds can be done indoors in a controlled environment or directly in the garden. Sowing indoors will give many slow growing vegetables and flowers extra growing time so they’ll grow faster and bloom quickly when you set them in the garden. If you do not start your seeds indoors, slow growing vegetables and flowers might not bloom or produce a harvest before the first frost. Plants that require indoor sewing include tomatoes and eggplants. Check the instructions from your seeds to determine if indoor sewing is needed.
When to start your seeds:
Each plant has its own seed maturity schedule. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and plan accordingly.
What your seeds need:
For healthy, robust plants and vegetables, you will need to provide the 4 main needs of a seed. These 4 needs are water, temperature and soil and light.
Water. Water starts the germination process. Once sown, seeds and seedlings should never be allowed to dry out. But be careful, too much water can harm or kill your seedlings. Over watering makes soil temperatures colder and reduces the amount of life-giving oxygen in the growing medium. The best seed starting systems use water mats to water from the bottom, promoting root growth. If you are new to gardening, we recommend one of the kits below:
Soil. We do not recommend using soil from your yard when sowing seeds. The soil from your yard may contain disease, pesticide, weed killer and will form clumps making it difficult for a new sprout to grow. A sterile store bought mixture is usually the best way to go. A homemade mix consisting of 1/2 vermiculite/perlite and 1/2 peat moss will also work. If you use the square foot garden system, then you can simply use the soil mixture from your garden. The best garden kits come with a pre-mixed growing medium.
Light. Some seeds require light to germinate. Please follow your manufacturer's instructions carefully. For all other seeds: Once the seed germinates, it needs light to develop and grow. Seedlings placed in a sunny southern exposure should grow well with just this natural light. If you cannot expose your seedlings to sun, then you can purchase a cheap light kit online.
How to sow your seeds:
Sowing is easy. Just make sure you've met all the requirements above for a habitable sprouting environment. Sow 2-4 seeds in each growing cell and add water. After several days, beautiful sprouts will emerge in each cell. Find the largest sprout (healthiest) and trim the rest with a pair of scissors. The trimmed sprouts will die off and give your healthy sprout adequate room and nutrient to grow. Make sure you mark what you planted in each cell. To ensure a bountiful harvest, sow more plants than you plan to grow for each type of vegetable. Pick the best ones to transplant in your garden when the time comes.
 |
| Sow 2-4 seeds into each growing cell. |
 |
| Beautiful sprouts emerge. Pick the largest sprout and trim the rest. |
Where to buy your seeds:
The best place to buy seeds is from an online seed house. They offer the best price and largest selection. Refer to our online nursery guide for a list of online seed houses reviews for ordering seeds online. Be careful when buying seeds offline as they can be stale seeds from previous years that may not germinate. After each growing season, you can also wait for your plants to produce seeds and save them for the next season.
Tools for starting seeds:
Starting your seeds is fairly simple. All you need is seeds, seed containers, planting medium, water, and a light system (usually the sun). See our review at the end for our favorite picks.
Transfering your seedling:
With proper care, your seed will grow into a healthy seedling. Eventually, the seedling may outgrow its initial growing cell. At this point, simply move it to a garden pot or large container until it is ready to be planted in your garden. Be careful not to damage the roots when transferring. Many plants can go directly from the seed cell to the garden. Just make sure you harden them off first. If you followed our instruction and started many seeds of the same kind, pick the strongest, largest and healthiest seedlings to transfer. Refer to our growing guides for more detail.
 |
| Handle seedlings carefully from the rootball when transfering. |
Hardening your seedling:
Before transferring your plant to the garden, you will need to ready them for the harsher outdoor climate. You can do this by letting it sit out in the sun during the warmer hours of the day and moving them back in during chilly nights. After a week, and all danger of frost has passed, you can leave them outdoors overnight. A week or two later, the plant is ready to be transplanted into your garden.
 |
| Harden off your seedlings in the warm sun. |
Transplanting to your garden:
Find the designated area in your garden for your plant. Transplanting is best performed on a cool, cloudy afternoon after all danger of frost is past. Dig a hole large enough to accommodate the plant you are growing and water the hole before transplanting. Certain plants including tomato and peppers should be planted deeper to aid growth. Please refer to our growing guides. You can also soak your plant in plant food before the transplant to avoid shock. It is normal to see a little wilt after the transplant. Just water regularly and with adequate sunlight, they should grow into healthy and bountiful plants.
 |
| Transplanting your seedling to a square foot garden. |
Our favorite products for growing from seed:
x
x
x
To wrap it all up again:
- Buy your seeds from a reputable retailer. We recommend online.
- Determine if your seed needs to be started indoors or can be directly sown. Containers for growing indoors can range from specially designed germination trays and units to simple household cups. Seed containers should have drainage holes, allowing excess water to escape the growing cell.
- The soil should be a ready made mix or a combination of perlite, vermiculite, and peat moss. Never use ordinary garden soil for starting your seeds. Ordinary garden soil is heavy and clumping and could contain soil-borne diseases.
- Water your seedling every couple of days but do not over-water. Overly wet soil will promote disease. Let the soil dry out a little on the top, then water thoroughly. The best way to water is from the bottom as it will promote root growth. A strong root makes a strong plant. You can accomplish this by using a professional kit.
- Provide adequate sunlight. If sowing indoors and there is no sunlight, consider a cheap and efficient light kit.
- Harden of your plant when danger of frost is past.
- Transplant your plant and be on your way to growing delicious organic vegetables.
