Starting seeds indoors

Starting seeds indoors is when you sow seeds indoor as opposite to direct sowing outdoor.

You sow the seeds in small containers, transplant them to bigger containers and then they are ready to go outdoor or in the greenhouse.

You don’t need to pre-germinate, but for some kind of plants it will give you better results and for me – living in Denmark with a relatively short growing season – pre-germination prolongs the season and keep me busy and happy in those first cold months of spring.

Why should you be starting seeds indoors?

Plants with a long development time from seed to maturity are good to pre-germinate. Carrots, beets and other vegetables where you eat the root are no-go, they don’t like to me moved around.

From the Sprout pencil range of vegetable, we recommend you to pre-germinate cherry tomato and peppers. You can also get good results with pre-germination of lavender, sweet pea and strawberry.

Choice of growing media

When you sow a seeds – or plant a pencils – it is best to use a soil or a mix suited for seed starting. Such a soil is low in fertilizer and has a great water holding capacity which is good for seed germinating and small seedlings.

If you like, you can make your own soil-less seed starting mix after this recipe:

• 1 part of coco coir (made from coconut fibres)
• 1 part of vermiculite (a mineral expanded by heating)
• 1 part of perlite (volcanic glass)

Take equal parts e.g. one litre of each substance and mix well. Add water until you can squeeze out a drop of water when you press a handful of the mixture.

How to sow

• Fill small containers with seed starting soil or media.
• Press the soil slightly together, eventually adding a little more soil on top of the containers so they are filled to the edge.
• Place 1 or 2 seeds in each pot and cover with a thin layer of soil or vermiculite.
• Water from beneath and make sure the soil is always moist, but not soaking wet. Check every day, as germination will fail, if the seeds dries out.
• Eventually cover with a lid or a plastic bag to ensure a high humidity. As soon as the seeds have germinated, this coverage can be removed.

So if you can’t wait to start your own garden, try to start some tomatoes seeds indoores or grow some micro-greens. You can find our Sprout Pencil with Cherry Tomato seeds inside in this 8 pencil package.

It is great fun and so life assuring to see seeds germinate – just try!

Sprouting greetings

Green Thumb by Sprout

Helle Haugaard

Indlægget starting seeds indoors blev vist første gang den Sproutworld.