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Seed Starting

Start Seeds Indoors! Here’s What You Need to Start!

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So you want to start a garden and you’re ready to start some seeds indoors? Seed starting season is upon us, and if you’ve never started your own seeds, there are some things your going to need to be successful. I don’t want to scare you with these items, because you can literally start seeds with a paper towel and a ziplock bag; but if you want to make this a long term hobby there are certain things you are going to want to have at your disposal to make life easier.

start seeds indoors

This blog post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my houseplant habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep me in the garden. It’s a win for everyone, really.

Start Seeds Indoors! Here’s What You Need!

Seeds

If you want to start seeds indoors, you are going to first need to get some seeds. Usually starting in late January, you will start to see seed kiosks popping up at your local big box stores, grocery stores, and greenhouses. You can also find a ton of seeds online if you prefer to not buy from your local stores.

Unsure of where to shop online? Check out this post with the 12 best places to buy seeds online.

When gardening for the first time, I recommend starting with what you actually like to eat; don’t get caught up buying tons of vegetable seeds or flowers you don’t like. It’s easy to get overwhelmed in the garden, so pace yourself and start with a few veggies and flowers you love.

Pots

Once you know what you want to grow and have your seeds, you need to think about what you’re going to plant them in. You can save money and use milk cartons, yogurt cups, etc; or you can buy seed starting trays. There are so many options when it comes to seed starting pots. Dollar stores often carry plastic pots for plants, and you get about 6 for $1.25; big box stores may charge a little more, or you can shop online.

Soil

Next up is soil. You can use regular potting mix, but when you use seed starting soil you will have a higher success rate with your seedlings. Seed starting mix is sterile, which means no bacteria to infect your seedlings and cause damping off disease.

Grow Lights

You need light for your seedlings; of course you can put them in a sunny window to grow, but in my experience this makes for leggy and stretched seedlings. What works best is overhead lighting. So when starting seeds indoors, grow lights work best if you don’t have a greenhouse. There are so many options for grow lights, so choose what works best for your setup.

Seed Starting Helpful Extras

You’ve got the basics down; now let me show you some helpful extras. I promise you these are so handy and you will want to add them to your seed starting set up.

starting seeds indoors

Drip Trays

Drip trays are the only way you will survive seed starting season. Seedlings need to be kept moist so drip trays come in handy so that you can water your seedlings in place.

Watering Cans

Using a watering can with a long spout is best when it comes to watering your seedlings or filling trays and bottom watering. It makes for less mess.

Shelving

Shelving comes in so handy. You will need a place to set up your seed trays and hang up your lights above your seedlings. These shelves are perfect.

Heat Mat

There are some seeds that need heat to germinate and usually a warm room will suffice, but adding heat will speed up the germination process.

Starting seeds indoors is a rewarding experience, and it’ll save you money in the long run. Buying everything up front can be costly so DIY, and shopping sales and clearance will be your best friend when you first start out. If you’re a first time gardener or indoor seed starter, take it slow. Buy the essentials, seed starting soil, pots and a grow light. It can be overwhelming the first year but hang in there and you will be rewarded when your plants begin to flower and produce food for you!

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

How To Acclimate Your Seedlings

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Hi There!!

It’s that time of year again, when the weather has warmed up enough for your seedlings to go out into the garden. But before you plant, you will want to read this first! Your plants can be severely damaged or killed if you move them from inside your home to outside in the garden without properly acclimating. It is very important to acclimate your seedlings to the sun and outdoor elements before planting them. Here’s how to do it.

close up shot of seedlings
Photo by Greta Hoffman on Pexels.com

On day one, you will want to put your plants outside in the sun for a half an hour. After the half an hour, bring them back inside or into a shaded part of the garden for the rest of the day.

On day two, move them out into sun for a full hour. Move the seedling back inside or into full shade after the hour’s up.

Day three, move your seedlings out for two hours, then move them into shade for the rest of the day.

Day four they are out for three hours, then shade.

Each consecutive day, increase the time your seedlings are out by an hour until you reach eight hours.

green parsley seedlings on marble table
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Once you have hit the eight hour mark, you are good to leave your sun-loving babies out all day! This is a tedious process but trust me, it’s very important to keep your seedlings healthy.

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

How to Grow Coleus From Seed

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Coleus make gorgeous statement and filler plants in the garden. They add fullness and a pop of color that can brighten up those all-green spaces in the garden. One thing you may not know about Coleus is that they are very easy to grow from seed.

Coleus Seedlings
Coleus Seedlings

You can purchase seeds in your big box stores or local greenhouses at a reasonable price. If you are unable to find any locally you can find some on Amazon

All you need to get started growing coleus are seeds, pots and seed starting soil.

  • Add two seeds per pot
  • Fill your pots with your seed starting mix
  • Cover with 1/4 inch of soil
  • Water them in and continue to keep the soil moist
  • Place them in a bright location or under grow lights
  • Once they’ve sprouted, you can begin giving them a low-dose fertilizer and continue keeping them in bright light and moist soil.

When your seedlings get about 6-8 inches tall, you can pinch them to make fuller, bushier plants. Coleus are very easily propagated in water. Propagation is a great way to make those garden bucks go further!

Coleus Propagations

Coleus make beautiful stand-alone and filler plants in the garden. Growing them from seed makes it all the more rewarding.

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

How sowing seeds in Milk Jugs is a game changer

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Sowing seeds in milk jugs is the most uninvolved way to start seeds. Once you get your jugs set up, there is virtually nothing else you need to do unless you need to do supplemental watering. If you like hands off seed starting, this post is for you!

Sowing seeds in milk jugs is wonderful for several reasons. One, because this kind of seed starting requires less hands-on work. The jugs take care of everything by creating a micro greenhouse within and protecting the seeds from the elements. Two, you do not need to harden off seedlings sown in milk jugs. They are already acclimated to the climate by planting time, so no need to transition which can save you a week. You will also not need to cold stratify your seeds because they will go through a stratification process within the jug.

Gather up your milk jugs!

I start collecting empty gallon milk jugs as early as August the year before. As we empty them I wash them out and save them. How many you collect is up to you. I have 20 jugs right now, but will likely not use them all. You can use any type of jugs you want. I’ve used half gallons jugs, 2 liter pop bottles, and OJ cartons

Prepare your jugs

To prepare the jugs for sowing seeds using sharp scissors, I snip at least four small holes or slits in the bottom of the jugs for drainage. Once my drainage holes are cut I cut the jug in half leaving the handle uncut.

Soil

Now that you’ve got your jugs cut, it’s time to add soil. For my jugs, I used Vermiculite this year instead of a packaged seed starting mix. You can and should use a seed starting mix because it’s light and fluffy, which is perfect for sowing seeds in milk jugs. Make sure to pre moisten your soil to make life easier then add enough soil or Vermiculite to fill half the jug. That’s about 2ins.

Milk Jug Seed Sowing
Milk Jug Seed Sowing

Watering

If you experience regular rain, snow and cold winters, you should only need to water your jugs once when you pre moisten the soil. If your winters are mostly dry, you will need to water your jugs when they appear dry.

Sowing seed

Follow the seed packet instructions as to how to plant your seeds in the soil. Some seeds require surface sowing and others need to be buried in the soil. You will have to do the due diligence on this part and read the seed packet.

Close up the jugs

Once your jugs are seeded, you can now use duct tape and close up the jugs. I use duct tape all around, sealing up any holes. At this point you can discard the lid to the jugs as you do not need them. The opening at the top is how the jugs will get water throughout the winter.

When to open your jugs

So when should you open your jugs? I recommend opening your jugs once your temps are consistently 46 degrees or higher in spring. Your seedlings will be fully acclimated to the temperatures and the sun so there’s no need to harden them off.

When to plant your seedlings

Divide and plant your seedlings one week after opening your jugs if they have a set of “true” leaves. True leaves are the second set of leaves grown by the seedling. Be sure to use care when separating the seedlings and always hold the true leaves while using a fork or garden tool to lift the roots.

Lupine Seedlings Sown in a Milk Jug
Lupine Seedlings sown in a Milk Jug

Tips for success:

Do not water your jugs unless you haven’t had snow or rain for at least one week. If that’s the case, give them a bit of water. They don’t need to be dripping wet.

If your area has been covered in snow for weeks don’t worry about watering. Snow will make its way inside the jugs and once melted will water your jugs.

Don’t worry if you see growth at any point during winter. The jugs act as a greenhouse and will protect your seedlings from the elements.

This method of sowing seeds may not be right for you but I suggest you try it once. It could be a game changer for the busy gardener.

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

Don’t Plant Your Elephant Ear Bulbs Until You Read This!

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Which side of the Elephant Ear bulb is the top? This is a common question among first time Elephant Ear growers. Once you gain experience growing bulbs, you will be able to spot the top right away. Since the foliage and root growth comes from the bulb, you will want to make sure to keep it watered and fertilized properly, make sure you keep the bulb watered during the growing season.

Planting Elephant Ear bulbs in the right direction will help it sprout in the right direction and you will see growth faster than if the bulb has to take time to search for the surface of the soil.

https://www.elephantearsplants.com/?ref=

Whether you’re starting your bulbs indoors or out, you need to know your growing zone so check out this link to find out when to plant your bulbs outdoors

On the top of the bulb, you will see rings. Each ring is a growth ring, so each circle is where foliage has grown. You can compare it to an onion or garlic as far as growth. This is the side you want to face up in the soil because when it starts growing, the foliage will head to the light.

The top of an elephant ear bulb
Top of an Elephant Ear Bulb

The bottom of Elephant Ear bulbs look much different in most cases. It’s more gnarly and can have some hairs. This is the side you will want to plant down into the soil towards the bottom of the pot.

Pro Tip: If you still are unable to determine the top from the bottom, plant it on its side and let the bulb figure it out.

Bottom of an elephant ear bulb taro
Bottom of an elephant ear bulb Taro

Elephant Ear plants are a joy to have in the garden. I hope you will give them a try because they add such whimsy to the landscape. If you want to see what they look like in full foliage, check out this video below.

How to grow elephant ear plants

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

How to Grow Begonia Bulbs

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Many people may not realise that Begonias grow from tubers or bulbs as many people call them. Growing Begonia bulbs is relatively easy, you can either plant them outside or grow them indoors. I want to warn you that some types of Begonias grow better outside and don’t make good houseplants. In this post we are growing Begonia bulbs that will be planted in the garden and make great shade garden plants.

plants with white and pink small flowers
Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com

Once you’ve got your Begonia bulbs you will want to do an inspection. You will be feeling around for softness. If your bulb is squishy, toss it in the trash. You will also be inspecting for mold and if you find a moldy bulb, you will want to also toss it out. If it’s a small amount of mold you can try to plant it, but know that mold spores don’t go away and your soil will likely get moldy too.

How to plant begonia bulbs

Prepare your soil. If you are growing Begonia bulbs outdoors, you will want to make sure your soil has warmed up enough. 60-65 degrees and higher is best for starting bulbs outside in ground. Add some fertilizer to the bottom of the hole before putting in your bulb, cover, then add water in.

If you are starting bulbs indoors, you will want to use a soil mix that is light and fluffy like a seed starting mix; alternatively, you can use potting soil with added Vermiculite or Perlite to add extra drainage to the soil. Make sure you use a pot that is 1 inch – 2 inches bigger than your bulb. If you are planting multiple bulbs in a pot, you want to make sure they have about an inch of space between the bulb and the sides of the pot.

TIP: You can also start your bulbs in flats. Add soil or damp peat moss to a flat tray. Set your bulbs on top and don’t cover. Once it’s past your frost free date, you can plant your bulbs in the garden or pots.

Which way to plant?

Believe it or not, there is a right and wrong way to plant begonia bulbs. Begonia bulbs can be quite confusing to determine the top and the bottom. The top of the bulb will have a cavernous space or a dip in the bulb.

Top of the begonia bulb
The top of the Begonia Bulb

The bottom of the bulb will be round and have dried root hairs. You will want to plant the solid round area towards the bottom of the pot or hole you dug. Once you’ve got your bulbs potted, cover with 2 inches of soil then water them in.

bottom of the begonia bulb
Bottom of the Begonia bulb

Water your pots when that first two inches of soil has dried. Bulbs can quickly rot when kept too wet for periods of time. When your bulbs begin pushing growth above the soil, continue with the same watering routine and your plants will thrive.

Keep the potted bulbs in a warm sunny room to help them wake up. They don’t need direct sunlight but bright light is helpful to help wake the bulbs.

a close up shot of tuberous begonia flowers
Photo by Anca on Pexels.com

Begonias are easy-going garden plants that thrive in shade and have gorgeous foliage and blooms. They are a must-have for the garden, and now you can start growing them from bulbs!

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

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