Let’s Start Some Seeds!

Let’s Start Some Seeds!

Fall is here, and it is time to get gardening! A great way to get a jump start on the season, and really anytime during the year, is starting seeds indoors. Let me take you through my process, and how I use a grow light inside my home. It doesn’t matter how much or little space you have, anyone can do this! Be sure to watch my YouTube video that shows my process and what all I am starting indoors this fall.

seed pots under indoor grow light

Basic Tips on Starting Seeds

The process of starting seeds is essentially getting a head start on growing plants outdoors. You are growing your seeds in an optimal, controlled environment before they would be able to do so out in the elements, or you are growing them ahead of time to speed along their maturity process.

You will want to start seeds roughly 6-8 weeks before you will be planting them outside. The most common times to do this are in the fall and spring to beat the frost coming or going. Just figure out when is the best time to plant something outside, and count backwards for your seed starting date. This gives you 5-7 weeks of growing time plus a week to harden them off before transplanting.

It is also important to note which plants do well being transplanted, and which will do better being planted directly outside. Think about carrots versus broccoli. Carrots are root plants that grow in the ground. You will have a hard time transplanting them; it would disrupt the growing of the long taproot and ruin your crop. Broccoli, however, grows above ground, and does just fine when started indoors and then moved outside.

Some great options of vegetables to start indoors: tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant, corn, lettuces and other greens.

Vegetables that do best when directly sown outdoors: carrots, beets, squash, radishes, turnips, peas, beans.

What You Will Need

seedlings in seed pots outdoors

First think about where you will be growing your seeds. Maybe you have a greenhouse (lucky!) or maybe you will be utilizing a space in your home or garage like me. Look at your space and how you want to use it. If you won’t have natural sunlight from a greenhouse space, then you will need grow lights. Just putting your seedlings in a windowsill will not give them enough light and they will grow very weak.

I start my seeds in my office and utilize both blue/red and full spectrum grow lights. I will take you through how to use them below.

Here are the other materials for starting seeds. All can be found in my Amazon store:

  • Seed starting soil mix
  • Seed pots or tray
  • Tray for water runoff
  • Fish emulsion for fertilizer

Steps for Planting

  1. Determine how many seeds you need to start based off how many plants you want to grow.
  2. Fill your pots or tray with your seed starter mix.
  3. Moisten the mix with water before planting.
  4. Determine planting depth for your specific seeds and plant in the mix accordingly.
  5. Add a little bit more water, being careful not to disturb the seeds.
  6. Set them up in the water runoff tray and under your grow lights or in your greenhouse.

Tips for Growing

Keep your seeds moist, watering once a day, until they germinate. After that water them every 1-2 days. Every 2 weeks fertilize them with fish emulsion for an added boost. After they have sprouted, be sure to give them some movement on a daily basis by running your hands over the seedlings or even placing a fan nearby. This mimics the outside world and makes them stronger.

How to Use a Grow Light

You will want to set up your grow lights so that they can be adjustable as the plants get bigger. They need to be roughly 1-2 inches away from the top of the seeds when first planted and can get further away as they get bigger. Most grow lights I have seen are either full spectrum LED or blue/red LED. You will find a lot of information on the benefits of both, but in my opinion it doesn’t matter which you use.

seedlings under grow lights indoors

If you use a full spectrum grow light, try to keep the nm between 400-550 to mimic blue/purple light for germination and vegetative growth. If you use a blue/red light, use blue light only to germinate, and once the seedlings get a couple inches tall then switch to blue/red mix.

Run the lights for 15-16 hours a day during the daytime to mimic normal growing conditions.

Let’s do this!

Well, there you have it, in a nutshell! Be sure to check out my post here on how to transplant your seedlings when the time comes. Be sure to check out my video on my seed starting process and see what seeds I am starting this fall.

Happy gardening, y’all!

Dani