How to Sow Seeds Indoors

Starting plants from seed indoors is a great way to get a jump-start on spring. Although it takes a bit of a knack, it's not hard - especially when you know a few tricks of the trade.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Plant Light
• Potting Soil
• Seed-starting Medium
• Seeds
• Vermiculite
• Containers
• Plastic Bags
• Plastic bags
• Seeds

1. Consider your timing. Some plants need to be planted as much as 12 weeks before your region's last average frost date, while others do best when started just two weeks before.

2. 

   Choose your seed-starting container. Nearly any container with drainage will do, but good candidates include milk carton bottoms, egg cartons, plastic produce boxes, peat pots and special seed-starting flats. (Punch drain holes into containers that need them.)

3. 

   Plant seeds in sterile seed starting mix. It has no soil to cause disease problems and is lightweight - perfect for baby plants to get off to a good start. Sprinkle vermiculite over seeds that require covering. Its lighter color helps you see just what you've covered.

4. Follow seed package directions about the depth of planting. As a rough rule, the larger the seed, the deeper it's planted. Some very small seeds are just scattered directly on the soil and not covered up at all.

5. Water gently. Either set the container in 1 to 2 inches of warm water and allow the water to wick up to the soil surface, water gently from above with a special bulb-type hand sprinkler, or dribble water from your hand.

6. 

   Slip the container into a clear plastic bag to minimize drafts and conserve moisture. Twist the end shut.

7. Put the seeds in a spot with the correct temperature. (Check the seed packet.) Keep the seeds out of direct sunlight or risk fatally overheating them. Seeds usually need either cool temperatures of 50 to 65 degrees F or warm temperatures of 70 to 85 degrees F. Find an especially warm or cool spot by checking with a thermometer in different locations in your house.

8. Check the seeds daily. If water drops form inside the bag, open the end to vent it. Once the seeds germinate, remove the plastic and put the seedlings in the brightest indoor spot possible.

9. Put the new seedlings in a sunny, unobstructed south-facing window. Or set them a few inches below a shop light equipped with one warm and one cool fluorescent light. Use an inexpensive light timer to automatically keep the lights on 14 to 16 hours a day.

Tips & Warnings

• If you've planted the seedlings more than a couple of weeks before the last frost date, it's a good idea to pick them out and transplant them into individual pots so they have plenty of room to grow. To do this, lift the seedlings out gently with a pencil or table knife and plant them in regular potting soil.
• When you're planting seeds, it's critical that the soil be neither soggy nor too dry. Soggy conditions contribute to fatal diseases, while too little water is just as fatal.

on 3/23/2006 Use empty toilet rolls for sweet peas. Use once the seeds are ready for planting. Put them into the toilet roll, then plant when ready. You can leave them in the tube, which breaks down in the soil. They are easy to store in seed trays and save space.

on 11/22/2005 I have been very successful starting seed in recycled Styrofoam cups. Just make a drainage hole in the bottom and cut to the desired size (height). The Styrofoam keeps the soil warm and helps germination.

on 11/22/2005 When top-watering tender seedlings, I use a ziploc bag. Fill w/water or fertilzer solution, then snip off a little from the corner of the bag. It's easy to adjust how much water you need. Or, poke holes closely together with a pin for the gentlest stream.

on 11/22/2005 Use mulch, compost, and vermicompost to make sure all the important players are present and healthy in your soil. This will keep disease causers in check *and* make sure the beneficial organisms are there to provide necessary nutrients.

on 11/22/2005 If you are planting seedings into open earth, "gas" your soil with methal bromide. This will kill microorganisms that cause root diseases.