Simple Steps to Starting Seeds Indoors + Giveaway

When spring started all I could think about, like so many others, was my garden. I wanted to try my hand at starting my vegetable and herb garden from seeds again. I learned a lot from my failed attempt at it last year.

Gardening is a labor of love and with any garden a little planning and preparation will take you far. Throughout this post I will show you what worked for me to successfully start my garden indoors. Trust me its not that daunting of a task, I will show you how easy of a process it really is.

The basic ingredients you will need to successfully start your seeds indoors are a soil mix, containers, warmth, light, and water.

One | Soil Mix

Soil is one of the most important components in growing plants. It provides valuable nutrients for your plants to thrive. You can DIY your soil mix or buy a bagged mix but I used compressed soil pellets. Soil pellets are easy to use and are easy to transplant without breaking your seedlings precious and delicate root system.

Two | Containers

You can use just about anything to hold your soil mix from peat pots to egg shells. All I needed to hold my many soil pellets was a plastic tray flat like this one. Also, check your local nurseries as you can find many recycled flats that are free.

Three | Warmth

There are two stages in seed starting: germination and growing. Germination is the sprouting stage, in which the plant emerges from the seed. It is not necessary to have light during this stage but they will need warmth to sprout. Place your trays on top of a refrigerator, dryer or you can use a heat mat. I used a heating pad that you can adjust the temp and has an automatic shut off switch. I set it to its lowest setting.

Four | Light

When your sprouts get about an 1/2 inch in height you will need to move them to a light source. A bright window will do but you may notice your plants getting leggy. If your plant is not getting sufficient light they will grow long and thin trying to reach for the light. This can cause a lot of problems later.

I used a grow light that I bought from a local co-op. I keep it on 16 to 18 hours during the day and turn it off so the plants can rest during the night. Place the grow light 3 to 4 inches above the plants. I attached mine to the ceiling using eye screws and s-hooks.

Five | Water

This gives them the energy to grow. You must keep your soil moist to insure proper germination and growth.

Now that you know a little about the ingredients you will need to start your seeds, follow these simple steps on how to use soil pellets:

One | Place the compressed soil pellets into your flats. Using warm warm, soak the soil packs for 4 to 5 minutes until they fully expand.

Two | Add 3 to 4 seeds to each pellet by making a hole about 1/4 inch down into each pellet. Cover seeds with soil.

Three | Cover flats with Saran Wrap and place in a warm place. Keep soil warm and moist. Seeds will generally sprout in 7 to 10 days.

Four | Once your seeds get about 1/2 inch tall place under a grow light for 16 to 18 hours a day and allow to rest at night. Keep soil moist.

Five | When your seedlings get it's second leaves or the roots start to grow out the bottom of the pellet, transplant them to a larger container. Enjoy!

Seedsnow.com Giveaway

To start you on your way, I am giving away a Endive - Full Heart Batavian Starter Pack. It contains a seed pellet and approximately 10 seeds. 

Endive is an excellent choice for salad greens. This plant produces excellent yields of dark green curly leaves with large tender crisp ribs. It is rich in many vitamins and minerals, especially folate and vitamins A and K, and is high in fiber.

Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. If you are a Bloglovin or mobile reader just click the Rafflecopter link to be taken to the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

See ya soon!