I often receive emails and messages from new gardeners asking me why their seeds won't grow. In fact I think this is the question I get asked the most, especially during the planting season. And I try to answer everyone who messages me or emails me and very often after they follow these basic rules they succeed. I receive so many of these messages that I think it's time I write the updated post and create a permanent page for it on the blog.
Oftentimes, we start seeds only to lose them all, or most of them, later on. Or, they grow but their growth gets stunned. Or, they grow in a weird way. Or, they die in a weird way. And there's many other "or's". I have had most of these happen to me and I think I have mastered the art of starting seedlings now, and I want to share it with you. Starting seeds is not hard. In fact it's easy, I promise, as long as you follow some basic steps. Like REALLY follow some basic steps.
Here are the steps you NEED to follow to succeed at starting seeds:
1. Start your seeds at the right time. I can't stress that enough. Starting seeds at the wrong time will head you to a disaster. Most seeds can be started around mid October. Some seeds, such as tomatoes and courgettes, can be started earlier. And some, such as spinach and lettuce, should be started closer to mid November. Hello
2. Choose the seeds that CAN be started as transplants. Not all seeds should be started as transplants. Some, such as radishes and carrots, should only be direct seeded. Some can be started as
transplants, but do better when direct seeded. Do your homework before you plant anything
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3. Avoid starting your seeds indoors. Why? Well, there are two reasons for that. First, is that there is no adequate lighting indoors to start your seeds and have them grow. Often, our windows are tinted or have some light filtering on them. Sometimes, it's plain lack of light that is so much needed for the emerging seedlings, well most of them. Once the seedlings have germinated ALL of them need light to grow, and they need an adequate amount which the indoor environment usually can not provide. This will cause leggy seedlings that usually die. Unless you can provide special artificial lighting for starting your seeds, avoid it altogether. Another reason you don't want to start your seedlings indoors is a little bit more complicated. In this part of the world we usually start seeds around beginning of fall. We want to start seeds indoors to be able to have our plants ready to harvest earlier, or to extend the planting season in other words. What happens, is that our seedlings are usually ready to be transplanted while it's still too hot (this is provided we did manage to grow them successfully). The transplant shock is usually very strong (so strong that most plants don't make it). So unless you are able to plan and time everything wisely, and/or you have time and enough space indoors to pot up and keep the growing seedling at, avoid starting seeds indoors.
4. Start outdoor seeds in dappled shade. So if you follow step 1 above, then you'll be starting your seeds outdoors. To have a better chance of succeeding at this you want to provide some shade for your seedlings. If you plant them in full sun they run a chance of frying up. If starting in the beginning of fall, which most of us do here, then look for the coolest place in your garden that still gets some dappled. You want some sun. Preferably, you will provide dappled shade. In my garden, I built this shade house using an old gazebo and shading net. It worked great and the only thing I would change, is move it out of that spot because it receives full sun all day long.
5. Choose the right containers. To start seeds you can use many containers. Note, smaller containers will need more frequent watering. You can buy special seed starting trays, cells, flats. But you can also reuse nursery containers as long as you wash them and disinfect them well. You can also reuse things such as yogurt containers and disposable cups. Any container you choose will need to have drainage holes.
6. Use the right soil mix. There are many soil recipes for starting soil. My personal favorite is equal parts of very well aged compost, coco peat and perlite. You can also use peat moss instead of coco peat, but coco peat is more sustainable. Another mix that is often used in nurseries is half peat half perlite. Whether you choose these recipes or use another, the most important things is to use new soil. It's ok to reuse soil in your garden, but not for the purpose of seed starting. Young seedlings can be vulnerable to diseases that may be present in old soil. To my mix I add a little bit of a slow release fertilizer, such as Sustane. It helps the seeds to get going once they've used up their own reserve. Do not add fast acting fertilizer as it can inhibit the seeds' growth.
A basic soil recipe is described in this post Soil Matters Basic Soil Mix Recipe
7. Soak the seeds prior to planting. Some seeds, such as parsley, will benefit from soaking. Soaking will improve germination rate for almost all seeds. Research soaking time for your particular seeds, as some, such as beans, will get damaged with prolonged soaking. For most seeds warm to hot (not boiling) water works great.
8. Plant correctly. Wet the soil mix well, fill the container, and pat it or press gently. If you don't press, the mix will settle once you water it and you'll end up with very little soil in your container. Plant two to three seeds per pot. A planting depth depends on what you're planting, but as a general rule you plant at a depth of 2-3 times the size of the seed. Some seeds need to be covered lightly with soil only as they won't germinate without light and vice versa. The seed packet will usually provide that info. If all of the seeds germinate you can later snip the weakest ones leaving only one strong seedling. If you're planting in trays then make furrows and plant your seeds, thinning them later.
9. Water your seeds correctly. This is a very important step. I repeat: this is a very important step. If you're starting your seeds in the beginning of the fall then this is especially important. Once seeds get wet they start "waking up". For most seeds, if they dry out at this stage they'll die. So keeping them moist at all times till they germinate is very important. But, at the same time you don't want your seeds to be in a soggy soil either. Depending on when you're starting your seeds, it means watering them anywhere between once to trice daily. Once they germinate, watering once a day is usually enough, just keep an eye on them especially during dry spells.
There's a concept of bottom watering, but I don't have enough experience with that. Here, you water your seedlings from the bottom rather than from the top. Sometimes the pots are placed in a tray and water is added as needed. Sometime watering mat is used. I hope to experiment more and write about it sometime.
10. Fertilize. This is a tricky one and can be confusing too. Some sources tell you that seeds have their own nutrient reserve and don't need to be fertilized for the first few weeks of their life. Other sources tell you that you need to start fertilizing once the true leaves occur. From experience, I noticed that seeds that get supplemental feeding perform better. I go with the feeding once true leaves appear. Whatever fertilizer you choose, make sure you only use half dose. It's a good idea to water your plants before applying the fertilizer to avoid fertilizer burn. Personally I use seaweed extract and liquid fish fertilizer. I alternate them weekly and
11. Harden off. A week or two prior to transplanting, start hardening off your seedlings. When you plant your seedlings in their final position the conditions there usually differ from where your seedlings were kept. To reduce transplant shock, you want to get your seedlings used to the sun exposure. Get them out in the sun everyday. Start with morning sun for a few minutes, gradually increasing the time.
12. Transplant. Transplant your seeds in late afternoon, preferably on a cloudy day.
Bonus. Let the children touch the seeds and do their magic. I don't know what it is about kids and seeds, but it seems that seeds touched by children grow much better.
I hope this guide was helpful to you. If for some reason your seeds fail, don't be afraid to start again. It happens all the time.
Happy Gardening
Yana