The Seed Starting Process

Lately I've been getting questions about what I do to "start" my seeds for the garden. So, since the Morehead Afterschool kids are starting seeds this week, I've gone ahead and documented my process.

I use the disc shaped peat plugs because they're small and cheap. You put them in water for about 5 minutes and they swell to be cylinder shaped.





Once the peat is thoroughly wet, you can then put a single seed into the top of each plug.




If the seeds are really small or white like these tomatillos, I usually put them on a flat surface with a lip around it (this is a lid to a food container) so that I don't lose them. Then you carefully put one in each peat plug and cover it with dirt. Usually the seed packets have directions on how deep to plant the seeds.




I've found that if you then put the seeds on a tray and cover them right away with a clear "greenhouse" top, they might stay too wet. So I let them sit out uncovered for a day and then put the clear dome on top to help keep the seeds warm. Ideal germination temperatures are usually 60-70 degrees (you can find this on the seed packets too). You can see a picture of my mini greenhouse in the tomato post below.