In depth seed starting guide
Welcome to our blog everyone! Our first blog post will be about seed starting. The internet is full of bad advice and some of the really good info is hard to find. Hopefully we can help eliminate some common problems and get you on your way to being a seed starting pro in no time.
The most important thing about seed starting is to use sterile potting mix. That means no compost, worm castings or anything that has been exposed to outdoor soil. These contain bacteria which can cause dampening off. Choose a mix that is labeled for seed starting, sometimes called fine or super fine mix. These mixes work well because they have no large pieces of perlite or pine bark to interfere with seeds trying to emerge from the soil. Another technique that has helped us start old or hard to germinate seeds is diatomaceous earth. (the white stuff below)
It works very well for seed starting because it is 80-90% silica which eliminates mold, absorbs water at 100 times its weight while still maintaining the perfect moisture level for seedlings, and protects from insect pest like fungus gnats which cant burrow into it to lay eggs.
The one caveat with DE is that you must fertilize the plants as DE provides nothing for the plants to feed on. The best way to do this is to mix a weak solution of fertilizer, we do a 20/1 dilution rate, and pre-soak the DE before planting my seeds. Then every week or so water with this same solution until seedlings are ready to transplant into potting mix. Ideally when they get their 2nd set of true leaves.
Some more tips for success:
1. Cover your seed starting tray with saran wrap or press & seal after watering to maintain the proper humidity for germination.
2. Use a heating mat (especially for tomatoes/peppers) to speed germination and improve it.
3. Dense planting peppers and tomatoes works great and saves room. We like to plant 20 to 50 seeds in each 3 inch container.
4. Always remove your covering from seedlings as soon as the first seed pops up and place it under lights or near a sunny window. Leaving them covered to wait for more to germinate will cause more harm than good.
5. After you have your seedlings under lights keep a spray bottle of water handy to mist the top of the seed starting mix until all or most of your seeds have germinated.
We hope this helps anyone who has struggled with seed starting. Our first attempt at seed starting was a nightmare, and they all died, but now we can start thousands of seeds and not loose a single seedling so don't give up!
I wanted to add that anyone looking for advice on anything garden related should check out Tomatoville. It is a wonderful forum with no ads, great people, free seed giveaways and more. I post regularly there as do many well known tomato breeders and authors.
See you around and feel free to suggest blog topics that interest you. We are here to share knowledge and help you be as successful as possible!
