Seed Starting

Have you always wanted to start your own seeds for your garden, but aren’t sure where to start? It’s easier than you may think, and you don’t always need a greenhouse! Below, we have laid out our setup for starting seeds and getting a jump on the season, even when the outdoors still carry frigid winter weather.

Find a Spot

To start seeds indoors without a greenhouse, you’ll want to find a spot in your home that won’t be disturbed. For us, keeping seedlings safe from the kids and the dog means that ours are in the basement. Your location should be warm, since seeds need to be in soil that’s 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit to germinate. A sunny window is nice, but not required. We’ll get to that.

Tools of the Trade

Here are the basic items we use to give us strong seedlings to start our season, pictures below:

  • utility metal shelving units

  • fluorescent (or LED) garage lights

  • seedling pots or trays

  • seed starting compost

  • popsicle sticks or tongue depressors

  • Seeds! We have had great success with seeds purchased from Johnny’s Selected Seeds, High Mowing Organic Seeds, and Floret.

Getting Going

We all know that seeds need soil, water, and light to grow. Whatever tools & setup you choose to use, HAVE FUN!

  • Moisten your soil before you begin to fill your trays.

  • Use your popsicle stick to mark what seed you’re planting and the date

  • Pop in your seeds, and keep the soil moist. Kids love to help us water! Enjoy!

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Seedling Trays

On the left, is the Winstrip trays from NeverSink Farm Tools. On the right is a 6-cell flat, they’re common to find in your local garden center or online. There are many options for pots & trays, find what you like and what works best for you!

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Garage Lights

You can see here how the light is connected to the shelving unit using chain that’s strung through the shelf above it, using S hooks.

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These garage lights use 2 bulbs, we leave them on 24/7.

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Lights on Stands

We used this light on a stand our first year when we still had seedlings on our dining room table. We’re still using it, and depending on how many seeds you want to start, this is a great option if you don’t want to use, or don’t have the room for, a shelving unit. We found this stand on Amazon.

Pictured are 4 trays of onions.

Joel & Megan Dille