Gardening can be an expensive hobby if you purchase all your plants as potted nursery specimens. Fortunately, most vegetables and ornamental plants can be started from seeds, which offers a much less expensive way to populate your garden. Each type of plant has its own particular needs for starting seeds indoors. Seed depth, type of growing medium, and water and light exposure needs will all vary depending on the species. But the general process is the same for growing seedlings you can transplant into the outdoor garden.
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There are a few basic steps to starting most types of seeds indoors before they turn into seedlings that are ready to be planted outdoors:
- Choose the right container to start off the seeds.
- Select the right spot with enough light for seeds to germinate and augment the space with grow lights and a heat mat if necessary.
- Keep seeds moist, but not too wet.
- Gently prepare seedlings for the outdoors by hardening them off if you plan to move them into your garden.
Now that you know the road ahead, here's exactly how to start seeds indoors, with pro tips every step of the way to ensure success. You'll be eating fruits and vegetables and enjoying flowers in no time!
The Spruce / Heidi Kolsky
When to Start Seeds Indoors
A package of seeds will usually announce if the plant should be started indoors, with instructions that include phrases such as "start indoors eight weeks before last expected frost date in your area." A simple internet search will tell you the date of the expected last frost in your area. Count backward to, for example, eight weeks before that, and that's the date you should start your seeds.
Not all plants should be started by seed indoors because they are better grown by sowing seeds directly in the garden. Root vegetables, like radishes and beets, and row crops, like beans and corn, simply don&#;t transplant well. Other crops&#;like cucumbers and zucchini or flowers like zinnias and sunflowers&#;germinate so quickly that starting by seed early has no real advantage. To direct sow seeds, follow the seed packet&#;s instructions, which provide a planting date range based on the last frost dates in each USDA hardiness zone and recommended soil temperatures.
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Everything You Need to Know About Starting an Edible Seed Garden
Reading a Seed Packet
The printed instructions on the back of a seed package will give you a lot of information on how (and if) you should start the seeds indoors. These elements are among the most important information to look for:
- Planting time: Most seed packets will tell you quite clearly if the seeds can or should be started indoors. For some species (tomatoes, for example), it is virtually mandatory to start seeds indoors in cold-weather climates. For other species it may be optional, and for other fast-growing species, there may be no indoor starting information at all&#;these plants are best planted directly in the outdoor garden.
- Days to maturity: This will tell you how long the plants take to produce edible fruit or ornamental flowers. Some tomato plants take as much as 100 days to reach fruit-producing maturity. If you want tomatoes in July, this means the seeds need to be started in early April.
- Light and water needs: The seed package will tell you if the seeds need lots of light. If so, starting them indoors may require a fluorescent grow light&#;or you may need to reserve your sunniest window for seed-starting.
- Soil needs: Some seeds can be started in ordinary potting soil, while others require a porous, fine-grained seed-starting mix. The package may also suggest an optimal soil temperature for seeds to germinate. Seeds that require 70-degree soil to germinate will clearly need to be started indoors in cold-weather climates since the soil does not get adequately warm until late into May.
The seed package will also give a wealth of other information, such as days to germination, fertilizing needs, planting depth, and transplanting techniques.
Before Getting Started
There are many good commercial potting mixes available that are suitable for starting seeds. Although they may be called "potting soil," they actually contain no garden soil at all. Instead, they are soilless mixes containing materials such as peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, compost, and more. This ordinary potting mix is fine for starting many seeds.
Some seeds&#;especially those that are small&#;may do better in what is known as a seed-starting mix. Seed-starting mix is a special form of soilless potting mix that is especially porous and fine-grained. It omits the organic materials found in standard potting soil. This is because seeds do not require the nutrients provided by organic material to germinate and sprout.
For many plants, a seed-starting mix is the best choice, because the organic material in a standard potting mix can lead to fungal problems. Avoid starting your seeds in outdoor garden soil, which can become compacted. And outdoor soil often contains weed seeds and disease pathogens that interfere with seeds germinating and sprouting.
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When starting out, it&#;s useful to have the right kit. So we&#;ve put together a list of the top 10 essential tools you&#;ll need to kickstart your gardening adventure. They range from gardening gloves that will protect your hands to cutting and digging tools such as secateurs, spades and hoes. Plus we&#;ve got some handy tips on how to take care of your tools, to ensure they work reliably and last for years.
If you&#;re looking for more specific kit, check out our expert reviews of tried-and-tested products, including the best garden hoses, best cordless garden tools and best cordless mowers, as well as our tailored guides such as the best Japanese garden tools.
Keen to grow vegetables? Then take a look at our guide to the essential kit for the veg plot. And if you want to help kids get into gardening for the first time, we&#;ve got a list of children&#;s gardening sets and lots of handy tips for gardening with children too.
Take a look at our list of essential garden tools below:
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Gloves
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Before you start ripping up pesky weeds or pruning roses, you&#;ll need a pair of gardening gloves to protect your hands.
There are many different gloves available, suitable for different jobs and weather conditions but a good quality, multi-purpose pair like these "all seasons" gloves by Briers are ideal for most tasks.
Check out our guide on the best gardening gloves for more handy buys.
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Secateurs
Okatsune 103 Bypass Secateurs
The pruning and tidying of plants is a regular garden task and a pair of secateurs will become one of your most useful pieces of kit. Garden clippers - a bit like scissors - which can be operated with one hand they are a worthwhile investment and will set you up for seasons to come.
We've tried and tested a wide range to identify the best secateurs available and the Okatsune 103 Bypass Secateurs review scored consistently well.
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Hand trowel
Wilkinson Sword Hand Trowel
A good garden hand trowel is useful for a whole host of jobs including hand weeding, planting, potting on and seed sowing.
This trowel by Wilkinson Sword is made from stainless steel, so it's rust resistant and long lasting plus it comes with a 10 year guarantee, so it's great value for money.
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Hand fork
Spear & Jackson Select Carbon Steel Weed Fork
A useful tool for planting in the garden, a hand fork will help break up compacted and clay soil and can cut through stony ground with ease.
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Watering can
Haws Watering Can
To keep seedlings and young plants refreshed a watering can with a &#;rose&#; (the sprinkler attachment on the end of the watering spout) will distribute water more lightly and evenly.
A Haws watering can is a gardening classic and this model has a seven litre capacity as well as a brass rose for a gentle water spray. For more ideas, read our list of the best watering cans.
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Hose
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For established plants in beds and containers using a hose for watering is quicker, easier and puts far less strain on the back than using a can.
We've reviewed a whole range of the best garden hoses and hose spray guns and the Hozelock Pico Reel is a light and easy kit for a small space. It has good features, comes with a five-year warranty and is great value for money.
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Spade
Kent and Stowe Stainless Steel Digging Spade
Essential for digging and planting a spade should be high on your garden tools list.
During our expert testing process for the best garden spade, we awarded Kent and Stowe&#;s Stainless Steel Digging Spade Best Buy status. The stainless steel blade cuts cleanly through the ground and it feels robust and comfortable to use.
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Fork
Spear & Jackson Digging Fork
A garden fork is just the thing for getting vegetable plots and borders ready for planting. Perfect for getting through stony soil, the back of the fork also breaks down clods ready for raking.
This digging fork from Spear and Jackson has polished stainless steel tines and an ergonomic grip so its comfortable to use.
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Hoe
DeWit Dutch Hoe - BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
For clearing weedy ground, a Dutch hoe will skim off weeds in no time.
We tried and tested a range of the best garden hoes to find which was the most effective and easy to use and our testers awarded the DeWit Dutch Hoe Best Buy status and full marks in every category.
Lightweight and easy to use, it hoes smoothly, is excellent quality and comes with a lifetime guarantee.
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Rake
Burgon and Ball Ground Rake
One of the most essential gardening tools, a ground rake breaks soil down to a fine tilth thats perfect for seed sowing. The wide head and teeth allow the tool to open and level the top surface of the soil, while tamping the ground with the back of the rake will help firm it down.
This ground rake from Burgon and Ball is made from stainless steel, has an ash handle and is endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society.
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If you want to keep your garden and plants in tip-top condition, it&#;s essential to use the correct equipment. Using the wrong tools can make jobs more difficult, time-consuming and even dangerous, so it pays to invest in the right kit from the start:
- Efficiency and precision: Designed for unique purposes, each tool will bring efficiency and precision to your gardening, helping you achieve tasks more easily and potentially saving you valuable time. From accurate digging with a strong, durable spade to a neat, clean trim using suitable secateurs, gardening tools can help you get good quality results.
- Safety: Don&#;t underestimate the importance of safety when gardening &#; which means choosing the right tool for each job and wearing the correct protective kit. Good quality gardening gloves help to prevent injury from thorns and prickles, as well as keeping you clean. Many tools are also ergonomically designed to minimise muscle strain and reduce the need to bend or stretch too far.
- Healthy plants: Regular maintenance of your plants, lawn and soil using the appropriate tools will contribute to their overall health, productivity and appearance. With the right watering can you&#;ll be able to keep your potted plants thriving in hot weather, pruning with sharp secateurs will promote healthy growth, and a rake will help you create perfect soil conditions so your seedlings grow well.
- Weed management: Using tools such as hoes, forks and rakes will help keep weeds at bay.
- Design and creativity: Gardening tools allow you to get creative in your garden. Once you have a vision and design idea, you can use the various tools, from hoes to spades, to see it through.
Regular maintenance of your gardening tools is essential to ensure their longevity and good performance, as well as your own safety. Here are our top tips on how to look after them:
- Cleaning: Before you put your tools away at the end of any gardening task, clean them to remove the dirt and debris that they may have picked up. Use a wire brush or stiff-bristle brush to scrub off stubborn soil, and use a solution of water and mild detergent on sticky sap residue. Dry thoroughly before storing them, to prevent rusting. Never leave them out in the garden &#; always put tools away after use.
- Sharpening: Ensure bladed tools always work smoothly and efficiently by sharpening them regularly. Blunt tools are harder to use and can damage your plants and cause injury to yourself too.
- Metal care: Keep the metal parts of your tools in good condition by oiling them regularly. Apply a thin layer of oil, such as linseed oil, to prevent rust damage &#; this is particularly important for tools that are in contact with moisture or soil frequently. Always store tools in a dry place.
- Handle care: If your tools have wooden handles, check them regularly for any splinters or cracks. Sand down any rough spots to prolong their lifespan, and keep them dry at all times. Take care of plastic and rubber handles by wiping them down regularly to prevent dirt building up.
- Storage: Store your tools in a cool, dry place to avoid rust and any other damage. Consider investing in a shed or weatherproof storage box to protect them from the elements, and use hooks to hang them up, to keep them organised and easily accessible.
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To compliment your essential gardening tools, you might want to consider accessories such as a garden trug, gardening shoes and a garden kneeler for weeding. If you need somewhere to store your new kit, take a look at our best garden sheds round-up which is full of tips for what to look for when buying a new shed.
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