Seed Starting Savvy: Five Quick Easy Tips and Tricks

Think you know everything about starting seeds? I've been gardening for over forty years now, If there's one thing I've learned, it's that you can never have enough advice. If I buy a gardening book and glean one single valuable piece of information from it, it's worth the price. In that spirit, here's some tips about starting seeds I've learned over the years. Hope you find them as helpful as I have.

Lost that seed packet? Big seeds almost always go in the ground. Of course there are exceptions. Still, if you're not sure, that's the best rule of thumb. What do I mean by big seeds? Think pumpkin seeds, corn and peas. None are a struggle to pick up from your hand. All do best when planted outdoors, rather than being started indoors and transplanted.

Just because a seed is small doesn't mean you should plant several together. While it's true that some seeds are planted in threes, not all are. For instance, the first time I grew radishes, I used that plant three rule and was sorry I did. Radish seeds are prolific and grow rapidly. I should have spread them out more. I ended up losing half my crop to thinning.

Seeds are usually planted twice as deep as they are long. I'm not sure where I picked up this little gem Likely it was from my Dad. He saved seeds from year to year, rather than buying them. It makes sense he would need this information, having no seed packet to refer to. I do remember him telling me about smaller seeds. They need to planted deep enough not to migrate when watered: So, at least an inch deep.

Keep seeds moist while germinating. Sure, everyone knows this, right? The problem is, some people take it too far. If seeds are too moist, they will start to mold. This is especially true if they're kept in a covered seed starter. Your best bet with these is to water once and not water again until condensation is no longer visible on the lid.

Small seedlings shrivel in intense sunlight. It's a balancing act. They need sun to grow, but intense sun will destroy them. I keep mine in a sunny window, but watch them closely for signs of drying. If the sun seems too intense for them, I move them to another window. I watch the soil too. Usually that dries before the plant does.

More from Jaipi:

Five Reasons Seeds Are Better Than Seedlings

Cheap or Free Seed Starting Containers

How to Make Guerrilla Gardening Flower Seed Bombs