So you’ve made the decision to start a vegetable garden from seed!! I am so excited for you, because you will never go back! Seed starting definitely has challenges, but I swear the harvest is so much sweeter when you’ve tended to the plants from the very beginging.
Choosing what to grow
The first thing you need to do is figure out which vegetables you want to grow. This is also the hardest part. There are a lot of factors to consider when deciding what to plant. First and foremost, you need to think about what your family eats. If you won’t eat it don’t grow it. Even if you’re considering giving it away, when it comes time for the harvest season, it will be very easy to just give up harvesting something that you won’t eat yourself, and then all your efforts become wasted.
You also need to look up your growing zone. Certain plants grow better in certain areas than others, and unfortunately some won’t grow at all in certain zones. Check out this link to find your zone. Another important thing to consider while thinking about the “where” is where you will put your garden. Is there a lot of shade? Full sun? 50/50? It’s best to watch your garden for a full growing season (or at least a couple of weeks) and pay attention to how long the sun shines on certain areas. If your garden is mostly shade, then you will be limited on which vegetables will thrive. On the other hand, if your garden is full sun then cooler climate vegetables may get too hot, and you will have to consider things like purchasing shade cloth if you still want to grow them.
You also have to consider the size of your garden. When researching what plants you want to grow, pay attention to how much space each plant needs, and how much each plant yeilds. Yeild is the size of the harvest you should get from each plant. This is when growing what you will eat comes into play, along with how much your family will eat, and if you have the means to preserve your harvest. I know, so many things to “consider”. The most important thing is not to get overwhelmed. Get a little notebook and write down all the stuff you look up. Seriously, this helps SO MUCH. Starting a garden should be fun. And sure if you have to eat your weight, weekly, in green beans for three months straight then thats all part of the “learning what to do differently next year” process.
Buying seeds
Yay! You’ve done your research and decided what plants you want to grow, now it’s time for my favorite part; buying seeds! There are many different places to purchase seeds. You can opt for online purchasing or head to your local home and garden center. Either of these options should give you a wide variety. My favorite online seed stores are Johnny’s Seeds, Botanical Interests, and Eden Brothers. Regardless of where you purchase, be sure to check how many seeds come in a packet, and compare that to your garden area and how many plants you plan on moving to your garden.
All seed packets should have growing conditions the plant needs to survive(think full sun vs full shade), and instructions on how to start them outdoors or from seed. The information you need to look at is when to start them if starting from seed, and how soon to transplant them after they started growing. You will be amazed at all the info on one little seed packet!
Buying seed starting equipment
Okay, I lied earlier because this is actually my favorite part. There are so many options for seed starting, you can go all in and purchase an entire growing tent with all the works, or you can start small and use what you have around the house. I started somewhere in the middle area and it was perfect for me. You will need soil first and foremost, then something to put all your seeds in. That, plus the seeds of course, is as bare bones as you can get. You can also use grow lights and warming mats to help things move along, but these are not always necessary. Here is a complete list of everything I used to start my seeds last year:
Bootstrap Farmer seed starter trays with inserts
grow lights
zip ties to connect the lights to the shelf
warming mats
soil- I just purchased an organic brand from Walmart
shelving unit – I used one I had in our shop, but this one would be a good fit
power strip for all the mats and lights
painters tape and marker for labeling
oscillating fan
Actually seed starting!
Ope, lied again, THIS is my favorite part! Now that you have your garden planned, either mentally or on paper, your seeds bought, and all the supplies…it’s time to start planting. Basically you just follow the instructions on your seed packet! And keep the packet!! At least until youve transplanted to your garden. Remember all the info on there is important. After you’ve filled your seed starting cell with soil, added your seeds, placed it on your mat or tray, and have given it a good water, now it is time for the absolute most important part of this entire process. LABEL YOUR SEED CELL!!!! I know, seems dramatic right? Trust me when I say the last thing you want to be doing in the middle of May when you’re transplanting seedlings is guessing which plants are what. Trust me…
If you’ve added grow lights, most plants don’t need them to germinate (for the seed to start sprouting), but once they do sprout you should get them shining on the plant. It’s best to keep them close to the plant, like 6-12 inches away so the plants don’t have to reach for the light and get what’s called leggy, or all stem and no plant. If you choose to use a fan, you also set that up after your seeds are growing. A light wind on the plants will help their stems grow stronger, and help them adapt to windy conditions once they are moved out to the garden.
After your seed cells are LABELED (trust me), and grow lights are set if you’re using them. Now you just enjoy and watch your garden grow.