This is the time of year when our gardening dreams start to turn into reality. For some of us this might include getting all your supplies together to get a head start on the growing season by starting a few seeds inside. Seed starting isn’t for everyone. If you have a small garden and don’t need many plants, or if you don’t want to invest the time or energy, then picking up the plants you need at the local garden center is the path for you. If, like me, you have eclectic taste in tomato varieties or just enjoy watching the magic of germination and maybe sharing it with kids in your life, starting seeds in your home might be a great spring project! This is the right time to start many plants. Seed packets usually include how long before the last frost date (around May 18th here) that seeds should be started inside.

Seed starting is relatively simple. You just need light, warmth and water. Though best results can be had by using supplemental light, starting seeds in a sunny window is certainly possible, especially if you plan to start just a few. If using natural light, use a south facing window that gets at least 6 hours of light per day and expect that your plants may look a little stretched compared to what you find in a garden center or by using lights. It can be tempting to invest in special, and often pricey, grow lights meant especially for growing plants indoors. Research actually shows that standard fluorescent lights are effective, providing both red and blue wavelength light that plants need to grow well. They are also relatively inexpensive. When I set up my seed starting equipment I use portable shelving in a south facing window and two sets of 4 foot fluorescent lights that I commandeer from my husbands garage work space. The lights are hung on chains so that as seedlings grow the light can be raised appropriately. Incandescent bulbs are not recommended because they produce lots of heat and too much red-wavelength light to be used alone for plant growth. 

I have had good luck with different soil-less potting mixes, from those specifically marketed for seed starting to the run of the mill mix that can be used in container gardening. As with any container growing, soil from your garden is not recommended as the drainage can be poor and can harbor disease that can kill seedlings. Unless the mix contains fertilizer, you will need to water with dilute fertilizer once seedlings have their second set of leaves.

While most seeds will germinate at usual indoor temperatures, the process can be sped up by using an additional heat source. I generally use a heat mat for this express purpose but you can also place your seeding trays on top of a refrigerator or near a heater vent, just until germination has occurred. Using additional warmth can speed germination from a few weeks down to just a few days depending on the plant.

Keep the soil mix moist but not dripping wet, taking care not to let it dry completely as this will stress or even kill the tender seedlings. Use containers with drainage holes! You can re-purpose milk jugs, yogurt containers and such as long as they are clean and you plan for drainage. Use care if you plan to reuse containers that have been used for plants in the past. They must be sanitized with a 1:10 bleach/water solution to prevent disease in your new plants. 

Other helpful tips: Once, seeds have germinated a small fan blowing across your plants, even just an hour our two a day, will keep them stockier and sturdier than they would otherwise be. If plants bend toward the light, rotate the container 90 to 180 degrees daily to keep the growth relatively straight. One more important consideration is hardening off your plants before putting them into the garden. This is the process of acclimating the plants to outdoor conditions after living a posh life in your home. On pleasant days in the week or two before you put them in the garden, set your plants in a shady spot for a few days, then dappled shade for a few before full sun for several days, bringing the plants indoors at night until the last few days of hardening off.