Super Easy Seed Starting

Seeds need three to four things in order to germinate, depending on what they are. Learn about all four so you can make sure you're giving your seed exactly what they need to germinate evenly and quickly.

See the worksheet for a table of the optimal temperatures.

Now you're ready to get your hands dirty! I'll walk you through the process of starting seeds step by step.

It's important to keep records so you don't have to re-invent the wheel each season. You can build on your successes and get rid of the things that aren't working. 

Print out the seed starting record and keeping track! I also included a copy of my record so you can take a peek.

This is a critical step! If you don't know exactly when to take your seedlings out of the germination chamber they'll get overheated and be very unhappy.

Some vegetables will benefit from a little supplemental heat to help them germinate more evenly and quickly. I share why you might want to use one and which vegetables I use it with in this video. 

Most gardeners have the same questions about starting seeds. In this video I answer the most common ones so you don't have to wonder any longer! 

If you've been looking closely at your new seedlings you may have noticed that the different sets of leaves don't look very similar to one another. Here's why! 

This is another critical step in order to grow healthy and vigorous seedlings! I'll walk you through the process of separating seedlings if you end up with more than one in a pot or cell. It's easy!

If you've struggled with growing onions in the past, starting your own seeds will definitely lead to a much better onion harvest in the summer. If you're growing a lot of onions you'll start them a little differently than most other veggies.

Growing herbs in your garden is so much fun, especially if you like to cook! There are a few different categories of herbs you need to understand before you decide whether you want to start seeds or not. 

Starting your own flower seeds at home gets you access to lots of interesting varieties that can't be found at your local nursery or farmers market. It's very similar to starting vegetables, with a few extra tips!

Check out the flower seed starting calendar under Resources.

Who knew that you'd have to give your seedlings a haircut. Grab the scissors and let's get started!

Keep your piles of seeds organized with this simple and tidy system.

Here's what happening with my seedlings in early March.

Come with me to check in on my seedlings to see how they're progressing.

You cannot take your seedlings right off your grow light rack and put them directly into the garden. You need to slowly accomodate them to the outside world. This is called hardening them off, and I'll show you exactly how to do it.

We'll wrap up the class with some resources you can use to continue to build your gardening skills.