Germinating seeds to start a garden can seem like an overwhelming task. Look at the back of most seed packets and you’ll find some really great information to help you be successful. One particular recommendation on them that stands out is “When to start inside”.
Seeds need soil, sunlight, and water to germinate & grow so how can we mimic that indoors without making a huge mess? Grow lights can be expensive. What benefits do they give to germinating seeds and do you really need them? I recently made a Germination Station in a small corner of my kitchen to contain the seed trays, allow ample air flow & light, and to help contain the project sprawl.
Soil
First let’s talk about soil. Most seeds are tiny. They only have just enough energy to push through soil about as deep as they are wide. You’ll see this distance reflected in the planting depth on your seed packet. If your soil is rocky, or has twigs and heavy clumps, it makes seed germination that much more difficult. Not using the proper soil type can affect your germination rate.
Look for soil starting mix or a fine, loose container soil. Not only are these soils the right consistency for germinating seeds, but they also typically contain nutrients & microbes that will help feed the roots of your seedlings as they grow.
Seed Trays vs. Pots
When it comes to the containers you use to start your seeds in, it’s completely about personal preference. When I started my Victory Garden last year I had several leftover paper egg cartons that I used to start my seeds. The cartons worked great but don’t hold as much soil or water, so I had to watch them more closely.
In the past I have also used Jiffy Peet Pellets. These compacted soil pellets are easy to use. Just reconstitute them with water, sow your seeds, and then plant the Peet pellets right into the ground when the seedlings are ready. This works great with kids too but isn’t really the most feasible method for larger gardens.
Plastic party cups, or recycled plastic pots are another great container source for germinating seeds. Collect party cups from your next picnic or gathering, wash them, and recycle them as planting cups.
This year, I’ve made the switch to large seed trays. These long, plastic trays have 72 small cells for germinating seeds. Just fill the cells with soil and sow your seeds. Each cell has a drainage hole in the bottom, and some come with a base tray to collect the draining water. This also allows you to use absorption to water the soil rather than top watering which may displace your seed. It’s a great way to conserve & recycle water.
Watering
While we’re on the subject of watering, be sure your soil is moist before sowing your seeds. You don’t want the soil to be overly wet. Heavy, wet soil is difficult for a seed to push through and may lower your germination rate.
Once you sow your seeds into the moist soil, use a spray bottle to mist the top of the soil and cover the entire tray or container with plastic. The plastic will help retain moisture during the first few days of germination ensuring your tiny seed has enough moisture to wake up and do its job. Remove the plastic on day 3 and continue using the spray bottle daily to moisten the top of the soil until you see your little sprout peeking out.
Once your seedling emerges, you can water your soil using the absorption method (if your containers have holes in the bottom) or carefully top water by adding water off to the side – not showering your delicate seedling from above.
Another great watering tip is to use the water leftover from boiling pasta, eggs, spinach, or potatoes. These waters collect nutrients like calcium, iron, potassium, and starch that are expelled from these foods like boiling. Recycling these waters for your seedlings will trigger the release of much needed nutrients into the soil.
Cinnamon
Yes, Cinnamon! An old trick to use when germinating seeds is to lightly sprinkle the top of the soil with Cinnamon after sowing. This delicious aromatic also has antifungal & antimicrobial properties that prevent fungus growth that can be problematic with damp seedlings.
To help further strengthen the stem of your seedling, and to keep them from getting “leggy” (tall skinny stems that don’t properly support plant growth) you can gently run your fingers across the tops of your seedlings once a day. This technique mimics wind and will stimulate the plants natural defenses to strengthen the stems.
Sunlight
Last but not least, let’s talk about sunlight. How do your mimic the benefits of sunlight inside your home? Yes, you can put your seedlings in the windowsill. The light and warmth on the windowsill will aid in germinating seeds, but this only works if you’re only doing a few seeds. Windowsills aren’t that large. Also, seedlings that are left to germinate in a window can become “leggy”. When the source of light is too far away from the surface of the soil, seedlings will stretch to get closer to it. This creates tall, thin stems that may not provide enough support for your growing plant.
If you’re looking to germinate enough seeds to grow a good-sized garden, you’ll need some lights. Grow lights come in many different sizes and have a good comprehensive color spectrum that is more beneficial to plant growth. We all learned about the color spectrum in school. Germinating seeds is one of the places that spectrum knowledge is beneficial, but how does it work?
The blue light in the color spectrum promotes plant growth while the red light promotes flowering. There are many different shapes and sizes of grow lights on the market that are targeted specifically to these colors and prepare yourself because they can be costly. A quality grow light can make all the difference in germinating seeds and may be a good investment for you have.
If you’re on more of a budget, you can absolutely use standard LED’s to help in seed germinating. While standard LED’s don’t have the targeted color spectrums, they do contain an overall color spectrum which includes the red & blue necessary for germinating seeds. LED’s are a more cost-effective way of providing the necessary light for successful seed germination.
I used LED’s for my Germination Station to keep it affordable. I found these great lights by Barrina on Amazon and purchase a package of 8 of them for less than $60. This allowed me to double up the amount of light for each self on my Germination Station. Having more light, in a crossing section should provide enough red & blue from the color spectrum to aid in germinating seeds for my garden.
Germination Station
As I mentioned before, I was looking for a way to contain my mess and control project sprawl when germinating seeds. Last Spring, I had seed trays covering my dinning room table for weeks! This was not something I was looking forward to doing again. I don’t have a greenhouse yet, and I needed a different plan. I did some digging around and created this Germination Station for less than $60!
SUPPLY LIST
Bookshelf – any size will do. Use what you have or find a curb alert to claim.
Lights – LED or Grow lights. Use whatever fits your budget.
Zip ties – I used 18” zip ties and needed 6 for each shelf plus 8 more to secure the switches. That’s a total of 32 for this project.
Timer Switch – Like me, you may already have one of these laying around from Christmas. If not, you can pick them up at most stores for less than $10.
PROJECT DIRECTIONS
We had an old, metal bookshelf that was left in our garage by the previous tenants. The sturdy construction and average size made it the perfect candidate for my project, and the best part is it was FREE! I cleaned it up and got to work.
Using 3 zip ties on each end, I attached 2 lights to the underside of each shelf. I first attached the lights loosely – just enough to keep them suspended close to the shelf. As I straightened and positioned each light where I wanted it on one end, I slowly tightened the zip ties. Once both ends were in place, I finished tightening them to secure them there. It would be easier with a second pair of hands.
Chasing the switches down the sides of the bookshelf for each shelf is not my idea of fun, so I used 2 more zip ties per switch to secure them to the front of one bookshelf leg. I also used a permanent marker to label the switches, so I’d know which one coordinated with which shelf. Labeling the switches gives me the freedom of using just a few shelves if I wish.
The last thing I did was plug my lights into a timer. I already had one that I used for my Christmas lights. Seedlings need about 12 – 14 hours a day of light stimulation to simulate the sun. I knew I’d never remember to turn them on and off daily so using the timer removes that stress from me and automates my Germination Station.
This project has made a great, useful space for me to germinate seeds. My seedlings will thrive happily there until they grow their second set of true leaves. At that point, they’ll be ready to be transplanted into larger containers, or planted directly into the ground outside.
If you don’t have the space for a full Germination Station like mine, try looking around at the spaces you do have and see what you can use. Hopefully, my project will inspire you to create a seed germinating space of your own!
Happy Germinating!