How to Create the Perfect Seed Starting Setup
Starting your plants from seeds is one of the best ways to save money in your garden and also ensure you have the healthy seedlings that you need for your garden to thrive. But to get reliable results with your seeds, you need a good seed starting area. Here are some things to consider when figuring out the perfect seed starting setup for you.
How Big is Your Garden?
The first consideration for your seed starting area is size. Are you going to be starting a handful of seeds for your tiny windowsill garden, or do you need a lot of space to create an army of transplants for your backyard farm? I always recommend that you start small and build as you gain confidence and experience. It also makes it easier to control important factors like light, temperature, and moisture if you’re not taking care of hundreds of seedlings on your first try. So consider your rough idea of how many seedlings you are going to start this growing season and pick an area that can accommodate that many seed starting trays.
What do You Want to Grow?
Some plants need to be directly seeded in the ground outdoors and will never transplant well. Other plants almost have to be started inside or they won’t get to harvest in a short growing season for northern gardeners. If you want to grow tomatoes and peppers, you’ll want to start them indoors in late winter or early spring and peppers especially will benefit from a warm place to sprout. I have my peppers on a temperature-controlled heating pad and it’s made all the difference. However, I also start onions, cabbage, and broccoli inside to get a jump start on the growing season. Those plants do not appreciate warm soil temperatures, in fact it can make it harder for them to germinate. So when picking your seed starting area, consider the temperature preferences of the plants you want to grow. Or have two areas (or just different shelves) for warm vs. cold season plants.
How Can You Get Enough Light
When your seeds first sprout, you need to get bright light on them right away. It prevents them from growing long, slender stems looking for light. Getting “leggy” by stretching towards the light can permanently damage your seedlings and keep them from producing well for you at harvest time. You need to consider how to get light to them from the beginning. A sunny windowsill may not be enough light to keep your seedlings healthy. Some sort of supplemental lighting is key to making sure your seedlings get the best start in life. It’s also helpful to be able to adjust the height of the lights, or at least the distance between the trays and the lights, so you can keep the lights at the right distance as your plants grow. Consider investing in some fluorescent shop lights or adjustable shelving to keep your plants thriving.
How Close Is Your Water
This may not seem like a big deal when you are first starting your seeds. But when you need to check and water your plants once or more a day, it can become an issue if your water sources are far away. Water is heavy to carry and can make a mess. If it’s not possible to have your seed starting area close to the water, consider water storage methods that you can bring closer. You don’t want to let your seedlings dry out because you got tired of lugging water around. Consider your water sources from the beginning and pick an area not too far away.
Where Will You Notice Them?
This is the last consideration, but possibly the most important. Most seedlings will take three to six weeks to go from planting to big enough to transplant outside. Some may even take longer. During that time you need to remember to check on your seedlings at least once a day. You will need to make sure they have enough water and get light on any new sprouts. That’s easy enough when you’re just starting out and full of excitement. Especially when you’re waiting for those first few sprouts to appear. But what about after a month? When life has gotten busy and nothing much is changing with your plants? Nobody plans on forgetting to water the plants and losing trays of hard work, but it happens to the best of us. Make sure your seed starting area is in a spot where you have to walk by at least once a day. Build a habit of checking on them, possibly tied to something else you will do every day without fail. Maybe you check your plants while your coffee is brewing in the morning, or while you listen to your favorite podcast to decompress from a long day at work. Find something that will trigger you to check your plants and keep them thriving.
Every gardener has a different way of gardening and every family has different space, resources, and time available to spend growing food. Taking some time to consider the perfect seed starting setup for you will help you start your garden off on the right foot. So, answer the questions above and choose a spot today. If it doesn’t work exactly as you hoped, tweak your design and try again. Seed starting is something you can do at any point in the year, so give it a try today!
Want more help growing from seed? Check out my FREE Super Seedlings Guide!
