I’m excited to share some tips on how to start seeds indoors! I’ve been gardening for a few years now and although I’m no professional, I’ve definitely learned a lot along the way. Every year my garden does better and better. Gardening has been a fun hobby for me and I’ve grown to love it. It truly is rewarding when you’re able to grow your own food from seed!
How I Got Started
I first got inspired from my mother in law who has a beautiful garden in her backyard. Over the years, she would grow different vegetables. She even had plants that would continue to grow back every summer. Now my girls and I enjoy picking raspberry and strawberries from her garden!
I was inspired to start my own garden and failed the first summer. Through trial and error and lots of research — I’ve learned A LOT. I hope I can share a few tips that can help you start your garden indoors!
Picking Seeds
When I first started gardening, I would buy plants from nurseries and just plant them in my garden. And although you can absolutely do that, it saves you a little bit of money if you grow your own varieties of vegetables and fruits. One packet of seeds is less expensive than buying one plant at a nursery.
If you have kids, this is especially a fun thing you can do with them! This year I bought my seeds from Walmart and had my girls help me pick out which ones they wanted to grow. I’ve also gotten seeds from Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Target.
Last Frost Date
You will want to start planting your seeds 6-8 weeks before your last frost date. I always check when the last frost date is using a frost date calculator. This will tell you the date of when you can plant your seedlings outdoors. You can check when your last frost date for your location HERE.
Starting Seeds Indoors
To make it easy, I always buy seed starting potting mix from Home Depot or Lowe’s. It’s usually light and fluffy which is perfect for seeds. To start, use a big bucket or bowl and pre moisten the soil potting mix with water. This helps the seeds germinate. You also want to make sure your containers have drainage holes so they don’t get waterlogged. You can easily poke about 3 to 5 holes at the bottom of them so the water can drain out. Most seed starting trays already have holes at the bottom.
Tip: You can use anything you have on hand like plastic cups, yogurt containers, sour cream containers, or egg cartons. I also reuse my nursery pots that I have collected from buying flowers at nurseries.
After I fill my containers with seed starting mix, I firmly press it down so there aren’t any air pockets. I then place 2 to 3 seeds in each one. This allows you a better chance of at least one of them to germinate. Look at the seed packet to see how far down to plant them. Most seeds do best when planted ¼ to ½ inch deep. Then, use a spray bottle to water them.
Tip: Always label your seedlings! Put the date on the back of the label so you know when you started them.
If you don’t want to mess with soil, you can try using peat pellets. They are compressed discs that expand when you soak them in water. I tried peat pellets for the first time this year and I was very impressed with them.
Tip: Use a heating mat to help the seeds germinate. The seeds love the heat!
Grow Lights
Your seedlings will need lots of light and most gardeners start off by putting them in a sunny window. I have done this in the past and what I quickly learned is that my seedlings don’t get enough light and they would become “leggy”. This means that your plants will begin to stretch out and look for the light. This gives them thin and weak stems. You can try placing your seedlings outside if it’s warm and sunny. But for me, Colorado weather is always unpredictable.
I finally decided to buy grow lights and this was a game changer for my seedlings! They grew quicker and were much stronger than in years past. Although you can try placing your seeds by a sunny window your first time around, I highly recommend buying grow lights if you want them to be strong and healthy seedlings!
There are many different types of grow lights on Amazon. You will need special lights that are designed to grow seedlings indoors. Your light bulbs need to be 1,500 to 3,000 Lumens (intensity/brightness) and 4,500 to 6,500 Kelvin (mimics daylight). Both of those matter when picking your lights. The higher the number the better. I have linked which lights I use below!
Tip: You will need to keep your seed trays under the grow lights for 18 hours on and 6 hours off. Place them 2 to 3 inches away from the light.
Watering & Fertilizing Seedlings
A common mistake with beginners is over watering your seeds. I am guilty of this! I’ve learned that the best way to see if your seedlings need water is by looking at the soil. If the soil is light in color and is dry to the touch then they need to be watered. But if they’re darker in color then they probably don’t need water.
Tip: Always water your seedlings from the bottom. The drainage holes from the bottom of the trays will soak up the water it needs. Once the soil is dark then drain the leftover water.
When your seedlings have a couple sets of true leaves, they will need some extra nutrition. I always use a water soluble fertilizer which really helps my seedlings give them an extra boost. You mix the fertilizer in your watering can with water and bottom water your seedlings once a week.
Transplanting To Bigger Containers
Most likely you will need to transplant your seedlings into bigger trays or containers within a few weeks of planting your seeds. There are a couple ways to tell if they’re ready to be transplanted. First, when you notice the seedlings have roots that are coming out from the bottom, that means they need more room to grow. Another reason is when your seedlings have 2 or 3 sets of true leaves. These are both good indications when they need a bigger pot.
Hardening Off Seedlings To The Outdoors
When your seedlings are about ready to be transplanted into your garden, they need to spend about two weeks getting acclimated to the outdoors. This progress needs to be gradual because your seedlings are still little baby plants who haven’t been introduced to the weather outside.
For the first day, pick a shady spot to put them for an hour or two. The next day, put them in a sunny spot for one hour so they don’t burn. Then each day after, you will gradually increase the hours of sunlight. Do this slowly and bring them back inside at night. Eventually you will keep them outside overnight so they get used to the cooler nights as well.
Tip: Make sure to check your weather forecast ahead of time in case there is a rainstorm or hailstorm. Bring your seedlings indoors if there is any predicted frost.
Supplies You’ll Need:
There are two books that I highly recommend if you’re new to gardening. These two books have helped me tremendously and everything that I’ve learned is because of these two books from CaliKim. Organic Gardening For Everyone and Raised Bed Gardening. She also has a YouTube channel that has a ton of useful videos!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out and I’d be happy to help! I’ll be writing another post soon all about my raised garden bed with tips on how to produce vegetables all summer long.
I hope you’re inspired to start your own garden because it is totally worth it! There is just something about getting your hands dirty that is good for your soul.
I’m excited that my girls can help me harvest my veggies and plants when they’re ready. I’ll be sharing my garden progress this summer over on Instagram at @_cathyjune so make sure you follow me over there. Thank you for reading!
