I gave you an update yesterday about our garden plans. Today, I’m back to share our seed-starting ideas.
When we decided to go over-the-top with the garden, we knew we couldn’t purchase plants from the garden center for everything, It would cost a small fortune and would also seriously limit what we could grow.
So, we went back to our seed-starting roots and decided to try our hand at it again. We’re focusing on starting seeds for the plants we’ve had success with in the past. (We’ll be starting seeds for all the peppers, tomatoes, eggplants and herbs. I’m also going to start cucumbers and squash to see if they’ll hold up to transplanting and give them a head-start.)
Here’s how we are handling seed-starting.
Seeds
To begin, I made a detailed schedule of when seeds should be started and put the dates in my calendar. The dates vary based on the type of plant and your frost-free date. I’ll be starting seeds from early March to early April (I use the calculator at A Way to Garden.) After buying the seeds I needed, I organized my seed packets in plastic bags labeled with the date they need to be started. This will make the process a bit simpler for me.
Containers
Because we’re growing more plants than ever, I’m using pretty much every container I can get my grubby paws on. I didn’t want to buy a lot of stuff, so I’ve been saving egg cartons, milk jugs and yogurt cups. I also always hoard planters when I buy plants in a garden center. Between all of these containers, I should be good to go.
For the first week, I also started the seeds of some flowers to see how it goes. It’s all a giant experiment up in here.
After planting the seeds, I left them in our dining room covered until they sprout. It allows me to check on them and keep them out of direct light. It’s also a bit warmer upstairs. We’ll move them under the lights when they sprout. (I sure hope they sprout.)
Labeling
I labeled each of the containers/flats with the number of plants. This will help my horrible memory. I always think I’ll remember what I planted, but I never do.
Lights
Ryan helped me set up a little grow station in the basement. It’s nothing fancy – a few shop lights that lower on chains (each with a warm and cool bulb), a tarp for any spillage and a timer to get 14-16 hours of light each day. We have $40 or so in the set-up. (Psst: The lights had a great rebate at Menards so we ended up getting some of our money back.)
We have tried growing in windows before and it’s just not ideal. Having this set-up makes it much more likely that we’ll see success. It also allows the plants to be out of the way and gives us more room to spread out. (If you are interesting in learning about seed-starting from experts, read about seed-starting at Old World Garden Farms and Enjoying the Harvest. There are some really great details about lights and set-up.)
Ryan has been growing trees for the property for the past year and he recently moved the seedlings under the lights. We can’t believe how much better they are growing already. (Note: The light should typically be 1-2 inches away from the plants. It just wasn’t in these pictures.)
It’s fun to see a plan come together, and I’m excited for our new seed-starting adventures.
Who else is starting seeds this year?
I just found this post from Pinterest. Wanted to offer you a few suggestions that worked well for me as it was my second year with a garden and my first year trying seed starts. Have you ever heard of winter sowing? I believe it’s wintersown.org, but just search for it. At any rate, you can start hardy seeds in milk jug mini greenhouses even when it’s still snowy out in certain zones. I’m in Michigan- I believe 6b and had fantastic luck with squashes, oregano and flowers like coreopsis, cosmos, and marigolds. I also had good luck starting tomatoes by a window in the same jugs but indoors with hardening off. They were leaning toward the sun and some did better than others, but so far the plants, planted May 31 and June 1 are doing mostly well in the garden. You can also get free seeds from this group and getting on their FB group has been a blessing for me in terms of asking questions as I go. Looking forward to getting peppers started next year and appreciate your links to info on light set ups. I’d like to try that next year as well and think it might make for hardier plants with some that I struggled with this year.
Thanks so much for sharing your tips.
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Poor Nick wanted to do a garden so bad this year. We just got in the house way too late. I don’t know if he will throw one together or not.
Great job! Excited to see the results.
Hardening is very important to the plants – less light should be a key factor there.
Thanks for the tip!
Kim, you are so hardcore. I’m excited for your abundance of vegetables.
In case you are wondering, not a single plant has come up yet. Womp womp.
So exciting! I should start tomato seeds yesterday! And I love your little baby trees 🙂
Aren’t they adorable?
This is so inspiring. I want my kiddos to see seeds growing like this, but I’m afraid to do it because there’s a 98% chance I’ll just kill them. 🙂 Love your organization system!
Meh. Killing them isn’t a big deal. Worth the risk.
Lots of seeds are being started around here too. Many different veggies and a bunch of herbs as well. I can’t wait for spring!
If you end up needed some more trees, let me know – our pasture has tons of sugar maple starts and 2-3 year olds in fence lines we just chop down.
Oh yeah, we’ve got a patio bursting with seed pots. I also use eggshells, toilet paper and paper towel rolls, as well as snagging stuff from neighbors’ recycle bins on trash day.
So thrilled that you are doing a big garden this year! Enjoy!
You are so thrifty! I love it.
None of my seeds have come up at all. I think my old seeds were bad. (I told my husband that but he convinced me they’d be fine.)
Ugh. Oh well. This horrible winter will set back our growing season anyhow.
How’s about you grow me some rhubarb, mkay?
I am pondering doing a little garden this year. I feel like the deer would just eat it all. Lame.
I looooove rhubarb. I’ll grow some if you make me treats with it, mmmmkay?
i have got to get on the ball and start some seeds. maybe in 2015. or 2021. no promises.
I’m holding you to it.
I agree with Katja! Love your system
Ugh. Good for you. I have garden envy all the time, but it’s a lot of freaking work and I just never get around to starting my own. Bah.
I feel you. It’s a big time commitment, no matter what anyone says.
Growveg.com was a great site for planning our garden last year. I just signed up for the free month trial and used it to plan. It is great for showing how much space you need for each plant, when to plant, what goes well beside what, etc. It allows you to create a floor plan of sorts for the garden as well and even creates a shopping list for how many plants of each kind you need. Check it out if you have some time- although it looks like you did an amazing job of all this already. Maybe it will help someone else though : )
Thanks for the tip! I gotta try it.
Oh my goodness you are so organized. I love your system!!
Kim,
I’ve wanted to start seeds for the last few years and never really had the courage to start. I think I’m going to give it a go this year. Thanks for sharing all of the links and tips. I hope your starts make it and thrive this summer! <3
@emmybuf (instagram) 😉
Can’t wait to follow along! It’s so rewarding – I hope you love it.
I can’t even grow a plant that was once thriving in the store! You & R are heroes in my book.
Speaking of heroes, I’m obviously way behind on my blog reading & such so I just caught up on your Moms at Work post. Oh my gosh, K!! I didn’t realize all that! Brava, mama, brava! I made a similar decision when Quinn was born (work from home pt aka a few nights/weekends per week) & 2 yrs later there’s no place I’d rather be.
Sure I drink more wine these days but it’s awesome! 😉 I adore you through & through.
xoxo
Thanks, FC. It was a good decision for us. And the more wine is just a happy bi-product.
So, seeds. I struggle with seeds. One year I started a whole bunch of stuff from seeds, they (almost) all sprouted and grew like crazy…and died as soon as I planted them outside. Gardening fail.
I’m hoping to try again this year, but if you can include tips on how to keep the darn things alive while transplanting them I would be forever grateful.
OR you could come up here and do it for me. I’ll make coffee. And muffins. Tempting, I know.
Did you harden them off before you planted them? Not hardening them off properly is the number one cause of transplant death.
Very good tip! And super important everywhere -but especially in our colder climate.
How do you harden the plants before you plant them outside?
I typically just bring them outside when it’s warm enough and back inside at night.
But this year, I’m going to also try a “Homemade Greenhouse” with a clear rubbermaid tote. It will make it easy to get things in and out of the house and will also add a layer of protection.
Our frost-free date is still a month out, so there’s lots of time!