How to Plant Indoor Seeds

Planting indoor seeds is easy to do as long as you have the right products and sufficient light for the seeds. The steps for planting are basically the same for all plant seeds, including plants you intend to keep indoors rather than transplanting to your garden.
Many plants, including flowering plants such as impatiens and petunias, and vegetables, such as tomatoes and zucchini, can be started from seed indoors. A quick trip to your local gardening shop (or even an online shopping expedition, if you don't feel like leaving your home) is all you need to get products for starting indoor seeds.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Seed starter potting soil
• Pencil
• Seedling trays or small pots
• Watering can

How to Plant Indoor Seeds

1. Fill your seed trays or small pots with seed starter potting soil. Use a small watering can to dampen the soil.

2. Poke a hole in the soil (in each individual section of the seed tray or in each small pot) with the eraser end of a pencil. Holes should be about one-eighth to one-fourth (maximum) of an inch deep.

3. Place one to two seeds in each hole. If you are using small plant pots instead of seedling trays, you may start more seeds in one container--just be careful not to overcrowd them.
   Cover the seeds with the soil--just enough to fully cover them so they are not visible is usually sufficient.

4. Place the trays or pots in a sunny window--seeds germinate most easily if soil is kept warm--or under grow lights (regular fluorescent lights can also work, but you may have better results with sunlight).

5. Check the trays or pots at least twice a day. Small containers dry out quickly--during the seed germination process, soil should be kept damp and warm. After pressing your finger against the soil, a bit should stick to your finger--this means it is appropriately damp. If soil feels mushy and wet to the touch, it is probably too wet.

Tips & Warnings

• Most seed trays and many pots have a hole in the bottom. This is for drainage but can also be used to water roots when the seeds start to grow. Just place the tray in a shallow pan with a little water. Don't skimp on potting soil. The extra investment you make now can make a difference--this doesn't mean the most expensive is the best. Simply look for a soil specifically for seed starting--this soil tends to have better drainage and may even contain root stimulating ingredients. Make a note on a calendar when you planted the seeds. This will help you keep track of their progress.
• Don't let the soil dry out bone dry between watering--seeds may not germinate. Likewise, do not keep the soil soggy--soggy seeds are prone to fungus problems.

References

• More About Starting Seeds
• Starting Seeds Indoors
• Planting Indoor Seeds