After 3 Years Starting Seeds – Here’s What I’ve Learned

This is my third year starting seeds in my basement and the first year I think I’m actually going to be able to get them into the ground. Looking back over these last 3 years, I have learned so much and I want to share that with you today.

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Seed Starting

So you want to start your own seeds – AWESOME! Starting your own seeds is such a joyous and exciting time. You plant these tiny little baby seeds and you watch them everyday growing into something bigger and eventually you have a harvest – all from a tiny seed. Absolutely amazing.

Okay, so you want to start seeds but are new and don’t know where to start? Great! I’m sharing everything I have learned the last 3 years of starting seeds.

Our First Garden

The first year we had a garden it was in a kiddie pool on our cement patio in our apartment.

My husband, then boyfriend, had seen something on YouTube about gardening in small spaces and he actually got the whole thing going.

We went to a local drug store and direct sowed all the seeds. I think the only thing that came up was a couple spinach leaves. But I was out there everyday checking to see what was being produced but unfortunately it was a flop. I mean, we did plant some corn, tomatoes, carrots, spinach all in that small space and there was no sun or even enough holes for drainage.

We’ve had quite a few gardens since then but still nothing to write home about until these past few years. And it’s all laughable now but I look back and realize I have come so far since those first seeds being planted.

Planting Seeds

In 2020 it was my first year out of college and I was free from the constant studying and Summer filled of staring at my computer screen. I knew that since I was going to have so much more free time that I wanted to get back into my gardening. Actually produce something that we could feed our family. So I started my own seeds.

That first year I had NO CLUE what I was doing and failed miserably.

I started seeds in egg cartons and styrofoam cups on a table in our dining room that didn’t get much sun other than some indirect sunlight. Not to mention that it was so cold in that room and not the right temperature for seeds to germinate.

Since then I have learned so much about starting seeds – like where to get quality seeds and personally I enjoy MI Gardener and Bakers Creek Seeds

Seeds have starting dates, and have a preference on whether to direct sow or not. They have a certain temperature they need to germinate. They don’t like to be drenched in water but a good spritz does nice.

Really there are so many things I’ve learned about starting seeds so let’s get to what I’ve learned!

Seed Starting Dates

When you buy your seeds, whether you purchase them from the store, online, or through a catalog, seeds have certain dates that they need to be started. You don’t want to be like most of us that are too impatient to wait and end up killing seeds because it’s too early. Yes, we know it’s a fault of ours, no we don’t care!

To find when your seeds need to be started, you can look at the back of the seed packet or if needed, a quick google search can be helpful. Notice in the above picture – these are peppers – they have a start date of 8-10 weeks before the last frost and they take forever to germinate. If starting seeds teaches you anything, it’s to have patience.

To find when your last frost date is you can click the link here.

Some seeds that need to be started around 8-10 weeks out are peppers and onions.

Germination

Germination is the process the seed has to go through to be able to grow.

My friend Ashley has a great method for getting seeds to germinate. I actually had a difficult time getting some of my seeds to germinate and I used her window method. You can find the method on her blog here.

For seeds to germinate they need the proper temperature, sunlight or grow lights and good soil.

Temperature

For proper germination, seeds need a warm temperature. The first year I started seeds I didn’t know this. The soil was way too cold and wet for there to be any germination. So the next year I purchased heating mats specific for seed starting.

Now, heating mats are not 100 percent necessary but they do help with germinating seeds like peppers and tomatoes.

Another way to get warmth for seeds is to have a greenhouse. My goal is to have a giant greenhouse inside a fence with raised beds and have all my seeds out there but that’s just a dream for now.

Lighting

If you have a sunny window in your home you don’t need to worry about artificial lighting. Just place your seeds in front of the window and the let the sun do it’s thing.

However, if your home has very minimal natural lighting like my home does, you can opt for grow lights.

What I have learned about grow lights though is that you need to have the lights very close to the seeds, like a couple inches away. As the plants grow, you can move the lights so that they stay close without touching.

I didn’t know this the first year I used them and had them almost a foot or two away from my seeds. This resulted in very leggy seedlings (pictured below) because they were stretching trying to get closer to the lights. You don’t want this because it creates very weak seedlings.

Seedlings

Once your seeds germinate and you have little plant babies you want to make sure you tend to them daily.

I like to turn the grow lights on in the morning and use the timer setting which allows the lights to be on for 12 hours.

Then I use these spray bottles and give the plants a good spray down, about 10 sprays per plant every day. You do not want to soak the plants and really only want to water the plants when the soil is dry. Soaking the soil can result in molding and you definitely don’t want that.

Also, to produce strong, healthy plants you want to fertilize the plants about once a week. I use banana water on my seedlings once a week – on Thursdays – and they are doing so well!

Direct Sow

My first year starting seeds, I didn’t know that some seeds prefer to be starting directly in the soil instead of indoors.

Bush beans do very well if you make a trench and pour the seeds in a line. Squash and zucchini can be direct sowed just make sure to there is enough room to grow to maturity. My cucumbers I started indoors didn’t do as well as the ones I direct sowed right next to them.

These are things you will learn in time but seeds such as cucumbers, zucchini, corn, green beans, peas, carrots, all like to be direct sowed rather than started in doors. This doesn’t mean that you can’t start them indoors but you may have more success sowing them directly.

Some plants don’t like to be handled or transplanted – yes, plants are temperamental just like people!

Unfortunately, I am still learning which plants do well direct sowed versus indoors but just know that google is just a click away for that info!

You Didn’t Fail If Your Seeds Fail

One thing that stops a lot of people from starting is the fear of failure. Don’t let this stop you. Sure, you could put time and effort into starting your own seeds and they could all flop – me the first two years. But even if they flop, you are learning what not to do and you can carry that on to the next year.

Seed starting, gardening, life in general is all about living and learning. You can’t start something and expect to be a master at every single thing you start. That’s just not the way things work.

So, when you start your seeds for the first time, expect that some seeds won’t germinate, or if they germinate some may not handle being transplanted well. Take these “failures” as a lesson and keep going. Swing by a local nursery and grab some starters.

Your seeds failing or having to buy starters doesn’t make you a failure – not trying does. So get out there and just start! You’ve got this!

So, now that I have shared some of what I have learned about seed starting the last three years, I hope that you are encouraged to start your own seeds. It’s not too late and if there’s no germination grab some starters at a local nursery.

Just get out there and start planting a garden! You won’t regret it!

Until the next time,