Seed Starting Indoors
Grab what you want to grow for the season. When choosing seeds, pick things that sound tasty to you but even more, look for plant descriptions that sound well-suited for your climate and garden. For instance, varieties that are especially cold-hardy, or heat-tolerant and slow to bolt if you have scorching or windy summers. Next it will be ideal to start seeds in fresh, sterile, bagged seedling starting mix because it will be less heavy and dense like “regular” potting soil.
Benefits of starting seeds in smaller pots:
More soil space means more moisture retention. Having smaller containers helps to reduce the frequency you’ll need to water and prevents the seedlings from accidentally drying out.
Also, tiny seeds and seedlings don’t necessarily want to be swimming in a huge sea of soil. It is easier to overwater, and their roots might struggle to develop.
Seeds don’t mind being hugged slightly until they need more space. Once being moved, they can get great growth encouragement because we can mix into richer soil. Which could be missed when being planted in larger containers from the jump.
No matter what size seed containers you choose, they should sit inside some sort of tray that can catch any excess water runoff. Trays should be kept covered with dome lids after the seeds are planted, before sprouting. The lids help keep in moisture and warmth, assisting in germination.
Heat and Humidity:
Seeds are almost here! Starting your herbs, vegetables, and flowers inside is a great way to ensure your selection of seeds will be ready for the spring. Keep in mind that we will have to control the environment by mimicking spring and summer conditions. Therefore, having the proper temperature and humidity levels are ideal to start germination and sprouting seeds indoors. When preparing sufficient temperature and humidity levels, all seedlings can vary, we often find that an average temperature range is from 24°C to 29°C; this is an estimated soil temperature that would be ideal.
How can you provide the right soil temperatures? Putting a heat mat below the trays can transform your growing space completely. Heat mats are specifically designed to gently increase the temperature of the seed-starting medium. The soil temperature is more important than the air temperature so using these mats are very important. If your air temp goes down to 10°C during the night but the soil temp remains at 22°C, then your plants will still be happy.
Using plastic covers to enclose a space over the seeds is great to build up air temperature and ultimately higher humidity. With humidity levels ranging from 50-70% this ensures the seeds can retain moisture longer and doesn’t allow for drafts or cold air to affect the sprouts. Wanting to make sure the soil is moist but never soaking wet, misting them is a great initiative to create good air circulation and moisture as well.