Three Different Ways to Start Seeds NOW!
Are you overwhelmed by seed starting? I know; I hear ya. What do I do? What is the best way? What do I need?
Girl, I got you. I have tried several ways to start seeds, and I am here to tell you that there is no ONE way. There are lots of different ways to successfully start seeds. The key is to try something and see if it works. I have read many books on the topic of seed starting and watched hours of videos. To start, just try the option that seems the least overwhelming.
I remember the first time I tried to start seeds shortly after we married. My husband made me a really nice foil-lined box with a light. Now that I think about it, it was a pretty good setup.
How did my seeds do, you wonder? Well…. not the greatest, but my seed starting adventure wasn’t a complete failure. I got some planted, and they bloomed, just not till August. LOL. See, we all start somewhere.
I am going to share my three favorite ways to start seeds, and maybe you will find one of these to be a favorite for you too!
Winter Sowing - is by far the easiest to start seeds, and it is enjoyable.
All you need for successful seed starting:
milk jug
moist potting soil
duck tape
a popsicle stick
a good sharpie or garden marker.
First you need a growing container for the seeds. Cut the milk jug in half, ok, not entirely in half. Leave the handle, so the top of the jug hinges from the bottom. Poke a few holes in the bottom of the jug and fill the bottom half with moist potting soil.
Now plant the seeds in the soil; how deep will depend on the seed. Read each seed packet. I usually sow my seeds thicker than the seed packet says because I will split them out later. Next water the planted seeds, label each variety on a popsicle stick, place the stick inside the container, tape it shut, and write what seed is sown on the outside and bottom of the milk jug.
The next step in seed starting is to place the milk jug in a sunny location and monitor it regularly to see if the soil needs water.
When to start seeds depends on what zone you live in. I am in West Michigan, Zone 6. For Zone 6, cool season seeds can be planted as early as January and summer, or warm season seeds can be planted as early as April.
My favorite seeds to start with this method are Bells of Ireland, Echinacea, Mint, Rosemary, Poppies, other herbs, and perennials.
Once the seeds germinate, it is important not to let them overheat. You might have to take the lid off during warm sunny days and be sure to water the soil if it is dry.
Soil Blocks - my preferred method because it is so space-saving.
What You Need:
soil block compost or soil
small flat bottomed trays
plant labels
dome or a cover of some sort
soil blocker
heat mat
indoor lights - I use fluorescent shop lights
Soil blocks need to be started indoors. Soil blocks are made from a little gadget you can buy off Amazon or my favorite place, The Gardener’s workshop farm. It creates 20 cutesy little blocks that are perfect for seed starting.
Starting seeds using the soil block method requires a unique soil mix. The Gardener’s Workshop has the recipe. Otherwise, I use Vermont Compost made for soil blocks that I ordered from Amazon.
I use small cafeteria trays for my soil blocks, but you can use any flat-bottom container with a lip. The cheap Styrofoam ones from the dollar store work well for seed starting too.
Make your soil blocks
sow your seeds
Place your soil blocks on a nice warm heat mat or in a nice warm sunny window. I suggest the heat mat under a light. I use plain old fluorescent lights, nothing fancy here.
Keep your soil blocks moist, depending on the seed. Hopefully, the seeds sprout in a week or two, maybe sooner.
Always bottom water the soil blocks. Never water from the top. It will wash away the seed and destroy the soil blocks.
Pour off any excess water.
Plants can usually live in small blocks for 4 to 5 weeks. Sometimes they will need to be bumped into a bigger soil block or plug.
Lisianthus and eucalyptus seeds take a long time to grow, so they need to be started as early as January or February.
Snapdragons, strawflowers, stock, statice, petunias, celosia, cosmos, gomphrena, and ageratum seeds can be started in mid-March.
Check out this article here if you are wondering where to get your seeds and what to order.
Direct Sow - yup, you can do that right now.
What You Need:
Plant Labels
A way to make a straight line
row covers- optional
As soon as the ground in the garden can be worked - which essentially means as soon as the ground is no longer frozen solid. You can direct sow some seeds that love to germinate in cooler weather.
Larkspur, bachelor buttons, lettuce, bells of Ireland, nigella, phlox, poppies, sweet peas, bupleurum seeds can be direct sown into the garden.
My favorite way to do this is to prepare my garden bed in the fall and cover it with straw or leaves or something similar. Then, in March, when the ground is starting to warm up a little here in West Michigan, I take my seeds outside and sow them into the ground. I often will take a row cover and cover my started seeds when I am finished.
Another option is to take some lightweight frost cloth and cover the soil. The wind, birds, and bugs can sometimes wreak havoc on your newly planted seeds. Plus, the frost cloth keeps them warm. The row cover is a great way to warm up the soil and jump start the gardening season.
Larkspur, in particular, likes cool dirt to germinate. However, it may lay dormant for a while, waiting for the perfect conditions to sprout, so be patient.
What Seeds I am starting this Month.
March is a very, very busy seed-starting month. So as I am typing this, I am looking at my list, and I’m a little like, ok, WOW!
I plan to start several successions throughout the growing season. I usually do a cool flower season, two successions of warm annuals, and another cool flower succession. I am always trying and experimenting new methods to see what works. That is the fun part about gardening! Remember that, ok?
I divide my seed starting schedule into weeks. For example, I like to start my seeds on Saturdays. No particular reason, except it seems to be the day that works the best with my schedule.
Seeds I am starting in soil blocks -
1st week - onions, cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes
2nd week - nothing??
3rd week - celosia, cosmos, gomphrena, broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, bok choy, ageratum, amaranth hot biscuits, and love lies bleeding, basket flower
4th week - love-in-puff, Chinese lantern, hairy balls, euphorbia, hibiscus, nicotiana, black-eyed susan vine, salvia, hyacinth bean, cup, and saucer vine
Seeds I will direct sow -
larkspur
bells of Ireland
lettuce
carrots
bupleurum
ammi
alyssum
bachelor buttons
phlox
poppies
sweet peas
Do you have more questions about sowing or starting seeds? Please put them in the comments. I would love to create more posts to answer your questions!
I understand if you have no interest in starting seeds or are completely overwhelmed by it. I felt the same way when I started, so I created my cut flower garden trays. All the plant starts you need to get your garden going without the work of seed starting in February and March. Check them out here. They go on preorder on April 1.