Simple tips for starting seeds indoors as a beginner gardener! Learn how to start your own seeds indoors instead of buying expensive plants for your garden. Whether you are new to gardening or starting your own seeds at home you can gather all the info you need in this post…
What You Need for Starting Seeds Indoors
Starting seeds indoors is a fun, affordable, and productive way to grow your own garden- big or small! The process is simple and you only need a few things to get started…
- Seed starter trays. Seed starting trays come in all shapes and sizes. My favorite are these reusable silicone trays from Amazon. They hold up well and the investment is well worth it. They are also easy to store when not in use. Click here to check them out!
- Seed Markers. Seed markers will help you keep track of what you planted where. As the young plants grow many can look identical and the structure of a seed starter tray can make it tricky to know what’s what! The seed starter trays I linked above come with their own seed markers.
- Seed Starting Soil.
- Spray bottle. A spray bottle is best for keeping your soil watered but not over-saturated while growing them indoors.
- Heating pad or seed warmer. This step is completely optional based on where you live and when you start seeds. Personally I live in a very mild climate (growing zone 7) so I have never had any need for warming my seeds. If you live in a colder climate, do your research to see if this is something you may need to add to your list.
- Seeds! You will want to make sure you have your seeds ordered and on hand. I get most of my seeds from a great company called True Leaf Market. They provide a vast variety of seeds and their website makes the process of selecting your seeds simple!
Is it cheaper to start your own seeds?
When it comes to starting your own seeds and the extra time and attention it takes it is very important to me that I am getting the best return on my investment. Sure, you can easily go and get plants from a nursery to grow in your garden. Some plants are definitely worth considering this option! Let me break it down for you…
The cost breakdown for starting your own seeds at home, with the reusable seed trays, is around $34-40 (this does not include seed cost). The average cost in 2024 was around $4-$6 per plant. So depending on what you are planting, and how much you want to plant, starting your own seeds is definitely the cheaper option.
However, some seeds can be harder to grow to maturity from seed versus buying from a nursery. In my opinion, these plants would include certain varieties of tomatoes and peppers. I have learned how to cultivate these on my own with great results but the time and attention the plants need may deem them better suited to purchase vs growing from seed. Most other seeds I have had no problem growing from seed, transplanting, and getting great yield!
When to Start Your Seeds
The “when” completely depends on a few variables such as growing zone and what you are planting.
Growing Zone. The USDA has broken down the United States into growing zones based on climate. This website can tell you exactly what growing zone you live in based on your U.S. zip code. I would assume other countries may have a similar system. Each growing zone also has an average last frost date. Count backwards from this date to estimate when you need to plant seeds.
What you are planting. Each plant will be different but most packages/websites will give clear instructions on how many weeks before the last first date. Most seed packets will recommend you start the seeds indoors around eight weeks before the last frost date. Count backwards for each plant and that is roughly when you will want to start your seeds.
Want more spring content? Go check out this post with all my Spring Cleaning Tips!
How to Start Seeds Indoors
Starting your own seeds indoors is truly a simple thing to do. You just need to have all of your seeds and essentials ready to go! Here’s a step by step mini guide for getting your seeds started….
1. Get everything gathered.
Gather up all the seeds you are wanting to start, your soil, and seed starter tray(s). You will want everything on hand as well as information about how deep to plant, lighting, etc. This is all found on the back of the seed packet or the website you bought your seeds from.
2. Read your seed info.
Again, this info is found on the back of the seed packet (in most cases) or online from the company you purchased from. You will need information like how deep to plant, when to start indoors, when the transplant, etc.
3. Fill your trays and plant!
Using the information on the packet you will fill your trays and plant seeds accordingly.
4. Label.
Labeling is important because it is easy to mistake young plants when you begin transferring them to your garden.
5. Lightly water and keep the soil moist.
Using your spray bottle, lightly mist the soil after planting your seeds. You will want to keep the soil damp, not overly saturated, throughout the indoor growing process. Depending on what you planted you will start to see growth within 5-10 days of starting most seeds. Keeping the soul hydrated from that point on will greatly effect your success. Make sure they have enough water that the root is getting watered as well.
Transferring Your Starter Plants to the Outdoors
As the plants mature, around 4-8 weeks after sprouting, you will want to slowly incorporate time outdoors. On warm days take your starts outdoors for natural sunlight, (be sure to water them so they do not dry out in the sun!). You will want to keep the time short at first and slowly increase it over time.
Never leave baby plants outdoors throughout the night for the first several weeks of transferring them. Do not take them out in bad weather or low temperatures. If you live in a very warm climate be sure not to leave them out in the scorching sun. You might find that taking your plants out early in morning or before sunset in the evening is a better solution.
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The goal is to ease your starts into life outdoors, carefully watching how they adapt and pulling back when it seems to be too much.
It sounds much harder than it is!
After the plants have successfully been hardened to outdoor life (refer to the seed packet info) you can plant them outdoors and expect great results.
Extra Tips for Starting Seeds on Your Own
Plant more than you need. There are many different ways to calculate how many plants you need to start for your garden. Always plant more than that! If you need 5 tomato plants, go ahead and start 8-10. You have to margin for error when starting your own seeds. Things happen and it is always better to be over prepared.
If you still end up with more than you need you can sell your extras to recoup some expenses or gift them to friends!
Keep a list of what you planted. This is very important, especially for new gardeners. Not all varieties of plants are created equal and what works best in your garden will be different than mine. That is why it is best to document what you plant each year. You want information like what variety it was, yield, diseases, where you planted, etc.
This seems like a lot of extra brain calories but it only takes a few minutes. It will exponentially help your future gardens and lead you to exactly what should be planted in yours!
Mom tip- involve the littles in the process. If you are a toddler mom and this all sounds a bit impossible let me encourage you to try! Get the kids involved and let them “help” you by planting their own little garden with some cheap seeds in a pile of dirt. Get creative!
Set timers. When you start to transfer plants outdoors the biggest problem is forgetfulness! Simply forgetting your plants are outside overnight, forgetting they’ve not been watered, or that they have been in the hot sun for hours. These things can all be fixed with timers on your phone and a good routine. Take them out at the same time every day, water, set your timer!
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