How to Plant Small Seeds

Starting plants from seed gives you access to a greater variety of both vegetables and flowers as well as saving money over buying nursery grown seedlings. Seeds come in all sizes, ranging from quite large to seeds no larger than the period at the end of this sentence.

Sowing small seeds presents two challenges. The first is sowing evenly so that there is no need for major thinning after germination. The second is avoiding washing away the seeds when you water. Overcoming these challenges is not too difficult when the proper sowing method is used.

Things You'll Need

• Seed trays
• Compost
• Peat moss
• Vermiculite
• Pencil
• Sieve
• Spray bottle
• Plastic wrap
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Prepare seed starting trays by filling with a moist potting mix formulated for seed starting. Alternately, make your own mix with equal parts compost, vermiculite and peat moss.

2. Make rows in the potting mix by dragging a pencil in a straight line through it. Space rows 3 inches apart and make them no deeper than ¼ inch.

3. Open the seed packet. Hold it over the row at a slight angle. Move it along the row tapping the top edge of the envelope lightly so that seeds fall into the prepared row evenly. Repeat for the other rows.

4. Pour ½ cup of vermiculite into a fine-mesh sieve. Sieve out the large particles and use the fine particles of vermiculite to cover the seeds to a ¼ inch depth.

5. Fill a spray bottle with lukewarm water. Mist the seed tray enough to moisten the fresh vermiculite.

6. Cover tray with plastic wrap and place in a warm room to germinate. Check daily for sprouts and remove plastic and move tray to a sunny window once the first seedlings appear. Keep soil moist at all times.

7. Thin seedlings once they develop their first set of true leaves---usually the second set of leaves formed. Snip off the weakest seedlings with small scissors right at soil level. Leave the healthiest and largest seedlings in the tray. Thin so that seedlings are spaced approximately 3 inches apart.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the same method for sowing directly in the garden.

• Mixing small seeds with an equal amount of sand before sowing cuts down on the amount of thinning needed in large bed plantings.

• Always moisten the potting mix before sowing. A thorough watering after planting may wash away small, fine seeds.

References

• Ohio State University Extension
• North Carolina University Extension