Starting Seedlings Show & Tell

I finally got to starting my flowers tonight and decided a quick show and tell might be helpful.

As you consider starting your own seeds here are some containers I have on hand for this year's planting.  You'll notice some were bought (by someone) and some were scavenged from my kitchen.  The less I pay on supplies the better as far as I'm concerned and why should perfectly good containers take up landfill space! ;)  Just be sure that there are drainage holes in the bottom of the container before you add the soil & seeds.  You don't want to drown your new seedlings!

Once you have prepared your containers, it is time to add soil (JUST moist) and seeds.  Tonight I'm planting flowers.  Seeds should no deeper in the soil than their diameter.  Some of my flower seeds were pin tip size and I let them lay on top of the soil!  Place 2 or 3 seeds in each cell or an inch apart if sharing something like the clam-shell container you see above.   Be sure to label you containers well because your memory is never as good as you think it is (experience!!!) and they all look alike when they first come up!!!

Place your seeded containers into a larger 'drain pan' or flat to catch water and cover the whole thing to hold in the moisture. I used a system I purchased last year for my flowers tonight, but you can use an aluminum foil or any other baking pan and plastic cling wrap as well.  I will use a combination of these as I continue my plantings this season.

At this point your seedlings do not need light, but they do need warmth.  Most seeds germinate best at 70F or just above, and if your house is like mine, you will need to provide them with some supplementary heat.  There are several ways of doing this.  Here are a couple of easy ones: set them on top of a warm appliance like your refrigerator or provide them with a heating pad set on its lowest setting.  You will need to check on them occasionally so don't make them too difficult to get to.  For my convenience, I keep mine on my plant stand with all of my supplies.  Last year little fingers played in my newly seeded flowers, so tomorrow I will make sure everyone knows these are Mommies and not to be played with!  Hopefully I'll get flowers this year....

Now you are set!  Check on your seeds every day or two to give them more water (mist with a spray bottle or bottom water so you don't wash away your seeds!) or vent if they are too warm/humid.  In a week or two you will begin to see little green plants push their way out of the soil.  It is an exciting day when the first green begins to show!

Happy planting! :D