Different Ways to Start Seeds
There are many different ways to start your seeds. We will go over a few of them here.
Peat or coconut coir pellets.
You can purchase seed starting kits that come with dehydrated pellets and a refillable tray. The tray can be used over and over, you just have to buy pellet refills. These offer an easy, mess free way to start seeds. All you have to do is hydrate the pellets with water and add seeds. After your seeds sprout, you can plant the whole pellet without disturbing the roots of your seedlings. The downside is that peat isn’t eco friendly and it is harder to find pellets made from coconut coir.
2. Seed Starting Trays
Seed starting trays come in many shapes and sizes. These generally do not come with soil, so you must add your own. This can be a bit messier than pellets, but you can choose which type of soil you want to use and avoid peat. You cannot plant the plastic trays so you will have to wait until your seedlings are big enough to transplant.
3. Recycled Items.
Paper towel/toilet paper tubes, egg cartons, plastic solo cups. Any small containers that can hold soil can be used for starting seeds. Add soil to whatever you have on hand and plant your seeds. Make sure to check on them everyday to make sure they haven’t dried out. You may need to water multiple times a day if it is hot out.
4. The Paper Towel Method
This is a great method for seeds that are older or more difficult to germinate. You can test your seeds before planting them and if they are not good, you don’t waste any soil or time watering.
To do this, you will need paper towels, a zip lock bag, and a marker to write the date and type of seed on the bag.
Soak the paper towel and wring out the excess water.
Place your seeds inside of the paper towel and fold it over so that the seeds are covered.
Place the paper towel inside of the zip lock baggy and zip it shut.
Open the paper towel every few days. Once you see a white root coming out of the seed, you know it is good and can plant it.
5. Direct Sow
You can also start the seeds wherever you want the plants to grow. This could be in the ground, in raised beds, or large pots. This way you won’t have to worry about transplanting. This works well for crops that don’t like their roots disturbed such as root vegetables. One of the downsides is that you can’t start your seeds early and have to wait for the weather to be appropriate for what you are growing.
These are just a few of the ways you can start your seeds. Try a few of them out to see which method you prefer.
-Happy Planting
