How to Start Your Garden Seeds Organically

Begin by reading the packets of each type of seed you purchased. A few will require direct seeding into the garden, but most will need to be started in flats. Flats are plastic planters used specifically for starting seeds. These are what plants come in when you buy them at the store already grown. They contain separate individual spaces to plant seeds. After determining how many plants you will be planting, you can decide how many seed flats you will need. These can also be purchased at any gardening or hardware store. Fill the flats to the top with potting soil (be sure it has not been treated with any chemicals). You can add compost or manure for plant food. The soil should be soft and moist and full of organic matter, not clay.

Begin your seed starting about 4 to 6 weeks before the last thaw. Put your seeds in the refrigerator for at least one day before you plant them. This will stimulate germination by producing an artificial winter. If you are using the plastic containers, fill them almost all the way to the top, leaving about 1/2 inch around the edges. The soil will settle during watering, so be sure you don't have too little soil. Any seeds whose instructions say, should be soaked in warm water overnight. This is usually only for large seeds such as cucumber and corn. Put aside the seeds that say they should be direct-seeded. You will plant these when the time is right.

Make a little hole in each flat with your finger or a spoon and drop in the seeds. For large seeds (cucumber, pumpkin, squash, watermelon) plant only one seed per flat. If, after one week, you see a flat that is not sprouting, plant another seed in it to get it going. If the seeds are small (strawberry, herbs, etc.) plant two or more seeds. The smaller the seeds, the more you should plant in a flat. Smaller seeds can be harder to germinate and many of them won't make it. Cover large seeds with about 1/2 inch of soil. Cover small seeds with about 1/8 inch soil. For large seeds, water after they are planted. Small seeds may float to the surface, so make sure the soil is completely moistened before covering them and don't water them afterward until the soil begins to look dry..

Mark the seed flats with a marker so you will remember which seeds are planted where. You can make plant markers with plastic yogurt or margarine containers. I cut them into long triangle shapes. The point, I press down into the soil and I write the name of the plant on the wider end with a permanent marker. Some seeds need dark to germinate and some need light. Place seeds that need darkness in a closet or under a cabinet where they will stay cool, but don't forget to water them if they get too dry. Seeds that need light to germinate can be kept in a window. It can take anywhere from three days to three weeks for a seed to germinate. Read the package to find out how long the sprouting time is. If you don't see any seeds sprouting after this time, you may have over or under watered them.

Once the seeds start sprouting, give them a little time to grow and gain strength. Small plants will need to be watered with a mister. Larger plants can be watered with a watering can or under a low-running tap. Be careful not to drown them. After one week, you will need to weed them. Each plant needs room to grow, so you cannot have more than one plant in each flat pot. Decide which of the sprouts in each pot you want to keep. The healthier one should be kept and the smaller one should be pulled up. Pull them until you have only one sprout in each container. If you have any containers that have not sprouted yet, plant another seed in them so that each pot will have a plant. This one will be smaller when it sprouts but will catch up with the others quickly. Keep weeding out the smaller sprouts each time you go to water them. If mold or mildew begin to develop on your planting flats, move them outside or somewhere where it is warm and dry. They may be in an area that is simply too moist.