If you want to create a thriving garden this summer without breaking the bank, you need to learn seed starting 🌱 For new gardeners it can be intimidating—it’s much easier just to buy transplants and stick them in the ground. But once you know how to grow plants from seed, you have so many more possibilities for what you can grow. Almost all of your supplies can be reused and you can save seeds at the end of the season, giving you a never ending supply of plants!
Gardening doesn’t have to be expensive, and learning seed starting is a game changer when it comes to affordability. One packet usually has about ~100 seeds, and costs $3-6 depending on what you’re growing. And seeds stay viable for years when kept in a cool, dry place. For my garden this year, I’m using a lot of veggie seeds from packs that I bought 5 years ago!
In this post, I’ll share the lessons I’ve learned from trial and error, and knowledge passed down to me from my grandma and other older women in the gardening community. But be sure to subscribe to this blog and follow me on Tiktok so that you get all my garden tips throughout the season! 💚
First, let’s dive into the supplies you need, and then how and what to grow in your space.
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Here’s what you need to start your seeds
When it comes to the supplies you need for seed starting, there’s a lot of options for all sorts of budgets. But in general, you’re always going to need seeds (duh), soil, trays and domes, and a light source. For beginners and smaller scale gardens, I recommend getting a seed starting kit from Ferry Morse to make your life easier. I’ve used these for years!
If you already have an extra baking dish or shallow plastic bin or something waterproof around your house, you can use that + soil blocking for a low-waste, low-cost option!
🌱 Where to buy seeds for vegetable and flower gardens
I will allllllways recommend sourcing from local farms that sell heirloom varieties, because I love supporting local agriculture. However, if you don’t know of or have local farms that sell seeds in your area, there are great online retailers. Select what types of veggies, herbs, or flowers that you want to grow (I have a list of recommendations at the end of this post), and see if there are varieties that interest you on any of these sites:
They have a massive selection of non-GMO seeds for all sorts of veggies, flowers, and herbs—heirloom and organic seeds. Plus, they have cover crop seed for all the sustainable gardeners out there looking to improve soil health.
They have a good selection of non-GMO veggie, herb, and fruit seeds that would be great for beginning gardeners (but not many heirloom varieties). They also have a complete indoor growing seed starting kit that I’ve used many times in the past. It comes with a tray, dome, soil pellets, grow light, and veggie seeds. Plus, you can even order live transplants that are shipped in recyclable packaging.
They’re a family-owned organic seed company and research farm that focuses on resilience in the varieties they grow, as well as heirlooms. They also have growing guides and a great garden planner.
Johnny’s has tons of variety for veggies and flowers, including heirloom and organic varieties. They’re the go-to for most market growers I know. And their flower seed options include lots of color variation and are specifically bred for long stems ideal for cut flower production.
If you love flowers and you don’t know Floret, I am soooo happy to introduce you! A small family farm in Oregon, their Floret Original seeds were created from their on-farm breeding program for new varieties of zinnias, dahlias, and celosia.
Seeds from your local hardware store or garden center
Most garden centers and hardware stores have good seed selections of the most common varieties of veggies and flowers grown by home gardeners. This is always a great option! The only drawback is that depending where you live, the options you can find may be limited or not organic. It could be hard to find heirloom varieties as well.
Seed starting soil
If you’re not using a seed starting kit that comes with soil pellets, you’ll need to buy or make a high quality seed starting soil. I can get a great seed starting mix from a local nursery for about $12.99/ 2 cu ft, but you can make your own. If you buy the ingredients for the seed starting mix to DIY it, it’ll give most gardeners enough for multiple years worth of mix.
Whether buying or DIYing, what you want is ingredients that allow for high water retention without getting soggy, and a light texture so seeds can germinate quickly.
A great seed starting soil mix DIY recipe:
- Organic store bought or fully-finished homemade compost (screen to remove big chunks) or worm castings to add nutrients
- Coco coir to create a light texture that holds moisture (more sustainable than peat moss which is often used in seed starting mixes)
- You can also just use these coco coir pellets
- Perlite to help with drainage
- Vermiculite to retain water and release nutrients
You want a ratio of about 4 parts coco coir, 2 parts compost, 1 part perlite, and 1 part vermiculite. Mix it together and soak it thoroughly with water before putting it in plugs or making soil blocks.
I also recommend mixing in a DIY herbal fertilizer to any seed starting mix.
I learned from an older gardener in my town that she used to use a great herb-based organic fertilizer, but it went out of business. She kept the recipe and shared it with me. I sourced these herbs from my favorite local apothecary, Rebecca’s (they ship, or look for a local option to support). Then I blended them up together, and would mix in a couple pinches to each tray’s worth of seed starting soil. I swear, the seedlings I’ve started with this sprout and grow faster and are more hardy!
Herbal organic seed starting fertilizer recipe:
- Kelp/Seaweed
- Yarrow (use the leaf not flower, unless you want a bajillion yarrow sprouts 🤦🏼♀️)
- Yucca root
- Alfalfa
- Comfrey
- Nettles
If you try this with your seedlings, let me know what improvements you see! You can send me a DM on Tiktok or Instagram, or send an email.
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Seed Starting Supplies
You can choose from so many different methods of seed starting. I’ve tried all of the below options, and give my honest opinion of each. Generally, you’ll want something to hold your seedlings, like a tray or small pots, a way to keep your seedlings covered to retain moisture, and a grow light unless you have enough sun.
Grow lights for starting seeds
My grandma always starts her seeds in a south-facing bay window, or in her sunroom. If you have a window that gets lots of light and direct sun, definitely use that! However, I am a renter and my light conditions for seed starting change practically every year, so I almost always use grow lights.
This grow light is easy to mount on any surface, and these adjustable clip grow lights are great as well. I like to put my grow lights on a timer so I never have to worry about it. These clip lights come with one built in, but you can also just get a plug timer from any hardware store and plug your lights into that. Set it and forget it is always my solution!
Seed starting trays and humidity domes
This is my preferred method for seed starting, especially now that I use a soil blocker. You can get trays and domes, or use a baking sheet and cover with a clear plastic bin. I think soil blocking is a great-plastic free option, but you can also use plugs. This setup has everything, plus a heat mat.
This is best if you’re starting lots of plants for your garden, as the trays can hold 50-128 seedlings depending on the size of your soil blocker.
Starting seeds in a milk jug or plastic bag
This method is awesome for the DIY seed starter. Simply cut 3/4 of the way around the middle of your milk jug. Fill the bottom portion with seed starting mix and scatter your seeds. The top of the jug will act as a humidity dome to keep moisture in. You can also use a large ziploc baggie and fill the bottom 1/4 with soil, sprinkle in your seeds, and then close the zipper seal 3/4 of the way to retain moisture.
Once your sprouts have a set or two of true leaves, transplant them to your garden or up pot them so each seedling has more space to grow before planting out.
Seed starting in eggshells, egg cartons, or TP tubes
I’ve tried this before, and my honest opinion is that the soil always dries out faster using this method, so you really have to be on top of misting the soil or gently watering often to keep seedlings alive and healthy. But if there’s too much moisture, you can get mold or fungus growing on the egg carton or TP tubes. With all that being said, it is a cheap DIY. I do like using eggshells for plants with sensitive roots, but I would poke a large hole in the bottom of the egg shell and use a tray to bottom water so the seedlings always had enough.
Direct seeding
For some veggies (like carrots and many other root veg), direct seeding into your garden is the best method to start seeds. This is super easy—just follow the planting instructions on the seed packet. I also recommend covering with a light layer of chemical-free grass clippings, or leaf litter to help protect the seedling and keep the soil moist as it’s germinating.
How to care for seedlings
The two main questions I’m always asked when it comes to seed starting are “How do you keep seedlings alive?” and “How do I know when they’re ready to plant?” These are great questions, and we will go over both!
Keeping seedlings alive and healthy
There honestly are very few feelings, imo, that are worse than watching a little baby seedling thrive and then get neglected and die. (Or, as is common in my house, get annihilated by one of my cats🙄) So much promise, so much potential! You can become a great seedling parent by following these tips.
- Keep the soil moist at all times. Not soggy, not waterlogged, but moist. Make sure you have already wet the soil before you plant seeds, and that you somehow cover them so the soil stays moist. Once you’ve planted, there’s a couple things to keep in mind. Some seeds are tiny, and can get sucked down too far into the soil if you water from the top with a watering can. From the time I plant until the time they have their cotyledons (first set of leaves) I mist the soil with a spray bottle so that I don’t sink the seeds. To water them when they’ve sprouted, I bottom water if I’m using a tray (make sure its solid, some have holes). All you do is pour about 1/4 inch of water into the tray at a time, and let it be absorbed by the soil. If you’re using milk jugs or egg cartons, you can water normally.
- Make sure they have enough light. Even if you have a sunny window, it can still be helpful to use a grow light until seeds sprout, just to make sure they have enough light to grow strong and not get leggy. That happens when light is too dim or not close enough to the seedling. It’s not the end of the world, but the stems are thinner and more delicate. To avoid this, I keep my grow light only about 4in above the soil until they germinate, and then keep it about 4-6 in above the plants until they’re ready to go outside. If you’re starting them in a window, make sure that they get at least 6-8 hours of direct sun per day.
- Take off the humidity dome as the plants grow. You don’t want your sprouts to be pushing up against the humidity dome or clear plastic bin as this can cause them to grow sideways in order to stretch out, making your stems wonky and weaker. Depending on how tall your lid is, you may need to remove it soon after they sprout or you may be able to let them grow for a bit. Once the seedlings are close to touching the top of the dome, take it off. But this means the soil will dry out faster, so check them every day and water as needed.
- Thin out your seedlings if you have too many. Sometimes I get anxious and I put 3 seeds in each soil block ~just in case~ I get less-than-stellar germination rates. If you do this and they all sprout though, leave the healthiest looking seedling and pull out the others. You also might need to do this if you direct sow, and some of the seedlings start popping up too close to each other.
- Use organic fertilizer once they have 2 sets of true leaves. I love adding the herbal fertilizer into my seed starting mix, but you can also add a liquid fertilizer to your water after they have 2 sets of true leaves. You don’t need much, as you don’t want to “burn” the seedlings with too many nutrients. You can infuse any leftover fertilizer herbs into your water overnight, and use that. Or, opt for an organic fertilizer, like my favorite Neptune’s Harvest.
- All commercial fertilizers will have 3 numbers on the label, which tells you the ratio of the essential plant nutrients Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (NPK). It will always be in that order: N-P-K. For seedlings, you want a fertilizer that has the same ratio of each, or slightly higher N and K, like 1-1-1, or 3-1-2.
How to plant out seedlings
Whenever you plant seedlings outside, you need to know your last frost date. You can look it up on the Farmer’s Almanac. This basically tells you when it’s most likely that the danger of frost has passed, so your seedlings are good to go in the ground. However, with climate change many areas are experiencing crazy weather fluctuations in the spring and fall, so I would keep a close eye on the weather for the first 2 weeks after planting. If there is the potential for frost overnight, you can cover your baby plants with an old sheet (use twigs to prop it up so that it doesn’t weigh down or break their stems), or milk jugs, or cardboard boxes.
Planting seedlings will ALWAYS be dependent on your last frost date. On the seed packets you will see instructions like “Start seeds 4-6 weeks before your last frost date. Plant outside after the danger of frost has passed.” or other variations. Some plants, like spinach and peas, are more cold hardy and can be put outside before your last frost date. Others, like tomatoes and eggplants, don’t have cold tolerance.
I’ve made a free, downloadable planting plan that you can get in my shop to help you keep track of planting dates and when to transplant things outside.
Hardening off seedlings
*THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT* !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your little baby plants can’t just go straight from growing inside in your constant 68-72 degree house, right to being stuck in the ground in full sun with temperature swings from 40-75 degrees. They will get super stressed and have a much higher risk of dying. You can avoid this through a process called hardening off. This gets the plants used to the temperature first, then direct sun.
About a week or two before planting them out, you want to start this process. Basically, you put your tray of plants outside for a few hours at a time, then bring them back inside.
For days 1-3, put your plants outside in dappled shade in the morning for 3-4 hours, before it gets too hot. For days 3-6, put them in a spot where they can get some morning sun for about 3-4 hours. For days 7-10, give them morning sun and dappled shade in the afternoon, leaving them outside most of the day. For days 10-14, leave them in full sun all day, being sure to water them in the morning (as needed) so the soil never dries out.
If you don’t have dappled shade, you can prop up a white sheet as a little seedling umbrella to allow light to come through without risking them getting sunburnt (yes, that can happen!). The shade also keeps them cooler as they’re adjusting to life outdoors. If you live in an area where it gets hot (80+) by noon even in the spring, be very attentive for signs of stress the first few days, and make sure they have enough water and some shade.
Once they’ve been hardened off you can be confident they will thrive in your garden!
How do I choose what seeds to grow in my garden?
I’ve compiled some recommendations based on your level of experience with gardening, and what your sun conditions are. But my biggest advice is to look at what produce you regularly buy at the grocery store (especially what is most expensive!) and grow that! For example, I buy a ton of lettuce and the organic variety is now $4 per head. But I could grow lettuce for the entire summer with a $4 packet of seeds.
If you want support designing a thriving veg or flower garden, you can work with me 1-on-1!
Seeds to grow for beginning gardeners
- Lettuce, spinach, kale – most types of greens (these do best in the spring/fall, or when shaded during the afternoons in high summer)
- Squash (summer and winter varieties)
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes
- Peas and beans
- Carrots (just toss these seeds in your garden once it’s warm)
- Flowers: sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos
Seeds to grow for experienced gardeners
- All of the above, plus
- Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli
- Celery
- Eggplant
- Radishes
- Beets
- Potatoes (start this from “seed potatoes” aka sprouted eyes)
- Okra
- Heirloom varieties/uncommon veggies
- Flowers: Yarrow, marigolds, dahlias, celosia, native flowering perennials
Seeds for a full sun garden (6-8+ hours)
- Most vegetables (tomatoes, eggplant, celery, brassicas, squash, cucumbers, etc.)
- Root veggies
- Flowers
Seeds for a part sun garden (under 6 hours)
- Tender greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula, etc.)
- Sugar snap peas
- Cool season crops (they like to be shaded in the afternoon in high summer)
I hope this was helpful to you!! If you follow the advice in here to start seedlings this spring, please send me pictures or tag me—I would LOVE to see your little plant babies! Find me on Insta @meanttobea.gardens or Tiktok @meant_to_bea.
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