🪴Selecting the Right Seeds
Every seed you start will eventually make their way into the garden.
As such, you should be familiar with the space you are eventually planting your seedlings in before you even set foot in the seed packet section. Is your space large or small? Are you sowing into the ground, in planter pots, or in a garden box? How much sunlight does the space get in the morning versus afternoon?
Afternoon sun can be quite hot during the summer, and if your tomatoes are out there without any protection from a July afternoon, they will scorch 9 times out of 10!
Once you’ve gotten familiar with your planting space, you are ready to select seeds.
Time to get your reading glasses on! Most of the information that you need to know when selecting seeds is listed on the back of the packet. Pay close attention to the size that a plant will grow to, the amount of sun or shade it tolerates, and other growth habits that will affect success in the space you are planting in. You don’t want to accidentally plant your cucumbers too close to your honeydew where they will compete for nutrients, garden real estate, or worse – attract a whole pest buffet!
Once you’ve found the plants, fruits, veggies, and flowers that fit in the space, tolerate the conditions, and pair well together, you are ready to start considering your seed-starting soil.
🌱Preparing Successful Soil
Ideally, soil used for starting seeds should be lightweight, with decent airflow, but arguably the most important quality is that it is well-draining. An overly wet environment can introduce seed rot or other issues. Young seedlings are especially susceptible to soil-borne disease.
A lot of times, a “soilless mix” comes highly recommended because it is usually made from ingredients like peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite, and these are less likely to contain pathogens, more conducive to proper aeration, and allow proper moisture drainage as they work together.
A good homemade soil mix could be as follows: two parts coconut coir or peat moss mixed with one part perlite and one part vermiculite. You can mix these together in a large container and store in a dry, climate-controlled space for continued use in the future.
Franz Witte Garden Center also sells various kinds of recommended and organic soils that can be used for seed-starting, so come on by and see us if you prefer to start with a premade mixture.
Pro Tip: When you fill your seed trays or prepare soil blocks, be mindful not to compact the soil too tightly to maintain the benefits of lightweight soil – namely for peak aeration and water drainage.
☀️Managing Light Exposure
Once you have your seeds and soil prepared, it is time to make preparations for the holy grail of photosynthesis – and let there be light!
The best way to start seeds indoors is with a grow light. This method is the most consistent, especially when paired with a temperature mat to create a well-controlled environment.
No, unfortunately not any old light will do. A grow light or glowlight is specifically manufactured to emit the wavelengths of light that plants require to complete photosynthesis.
Position your grow light from 6 to 12 inches above the seedlings. You may need to adjust the height again as the seedlings grow taller, so be sure to check on the position of the light any time you view your seedlings and provide water.
In some instances, you can place your seedlings in a window.
For reference:
🪟 South-facing windows – intense sunlight
🪟 West-facing windows – bright afternoon light
🪟 North-facing windows – consistent low light
You will need to consider the light exposure needs of your plant before deciding where to place it if going for a windowsill method. BE ADVISED – temperatures can vary in the windowsill too. It can be risky to start seeds in this way if they are not cold hardy by nature.
🌦️Minding the Woes of Your Local Climate
The Treasure Valley has some wilder variations and unpredictable patterns when compared to the wide-open planting windows available in all the cozy southern states and coastal paradises like So Cal.
Our frost date can be difficult to nail down – especially when hot and cold microclimates exist between cities within only a few minutes of each other. Planting in Nampa is going to look different than planting in Kuna, and maybe Boiseans are having more luck with a certain plant type than those residing in Star.
We have information here at the Garden Center that can help you identify your frost date and ideal times to start seeds. Come by and see one of our experts to review the climate zones and map.
🔬It’s Science, After All
Sometimes your seeds will not start. Maybe your seeds were not viable, maybe the soil temperature was wrong, maybe the soil health was inadequate, or perhaps it simply needed different levels of watering.
There are many variables that affect the fragile lives of a brand-new plant starting from seed, but don’t let that hold you back.
One of the deepest joys of gardening is the failures – it is much more satisfying to succeed when you didn’t give up after a failure. Every gardener, from novice to expert, has killed their plants. We are all in this together! Happy seed starting. 💗🌱
