Seed Starting - An Inside Job

pests, disease, weather... ... all cheat the gardener
so do more than get even
grow Better - grow More - Enjoy your garden for Longer...

Be the earliest with flowers and fruit by seed starting indoors in warmer controlled conditions. It's not hard to do and gives you great results - indeed at any time of year it's a more reliable method.

Heart and soul gardeners already do this to be early - to grow more in numbers and variety - and impressively, to take control of the vagaries that plague all gardeners not just organic gardeners.

I can sympathise with would-be gardeners who don't want to think about gardening when it's winter cold, let alone go outside.

But if you wait until later you'll be buying plants at greater cost and less choice of variety. Try seed starting inside in the warmth of your home.

Now let's review the great advantages of seed starting indoors - there are quite a few - let's not miss out. Then I'll take a look at the plants and the seasonal timing.

Take Control of the Garden -
Discover the Advantages of Seed Starting Indoors
in Modules, Trays, and Propagators.

• You’re independent of changing weather conditions:
Whatever the time of year the weather can play havoc. A dry spell can delay seed germination and scorch seedlings especially in naturally dry soils. A downpour of rain can erode soil and wash your seeds away.

By planting out from seeds started indoors your ready rooted plants have the necessary to better hold on and survive.
• You get more consistent results than garden earth by using tested prepared seed compost to germinate seeds in propagators:
Garden earth needs to be well prepared before sowing seeds. Germination can often be erratic in the garden and germination reduced depending on how well prepared it is. More on preparing garden soil.

The simple answer is to sow in prepared compost in modules, trays, or propagators. Propagators create a constant environment that takes the guesswork out of watering, even providing maintenance during your absence.

You will get healthy seedlings and the exact number of seedlings that you wanted. Do you have a spare windowsill you can use?
• You get an earlier start to your growing season:
When the earth outside is only just ready for seed sowing, you will have plants ready-grown in modules, trays and propagators, to go in the ground. - Don't forget to harden them off gradually to outside conditions.
The result - your garden will be flowering and cropping earlier.

• A propagator placed in your window saves heating a full greenhouse. Ensure there's sufficient light and gentle warmth.
  Note: the advantages of lighting your home.
• You can grow more plants:
By spreading out the work of sowing seedlings you can produce more plants. You might aim to sow or plant every week of the year woooow!

But seed starting in the fall to overwinter undercover, or starting indoors where it is warm during winter and early spring will leave you time to sow and plant even more later on.
• You grow a much wider variety:
With heat you stand a better chance of growing plants that wouldn't normally have time to grow in your particular climate zone.
• You have fewer worries about pests and disease:
The seedling stage is the most vulnerable. It doesn't take much to finish off your tiny seedlings when they've hardly begun. Slugs, snails, mice, fungi, rot... there are lots of natural enemies.

Garden soil that's ready for growing your seeds is also ready for growing weeds that will compete with your seedlings.



Organic gardeners must avoid killing with poisons - there's no need. The problems are avoided by growing through the seedling stage inside, or in greenhouse, cold frames or cloche. You produce strong plants before exposing to the full rigours of nature.

Always the alternative is to use ready prepared sterilized seed compost - either homemade or bought in. Remember: you'll get consistent results with tried and tested prepared seed compost.

More on Matching Your Propagation Method to Your Plant

Of course there are situations that do favour starting your seeds in the garden – e.g. tap rooted carrots for one, successional sowing... Get my links that explain the when and how of sowing seed outdoors.

When and What to Grow by Seed Starting Undercover?

This is the best way for individually spaced and productive plants

• to grow plants for hanging baskets and containers,
• where each individual is carefully placed and spaced in a flower display,
• where each individual is highly productive in fruiting or cropping e.g. tomatoes, sweet peppers, cucumbers, melon, courgettes, squash, pumpkin... ...
• for perennials and slow growing shrubs that may need individual nurturing,
• when seed is expensive or in short supply e.g. F1 hybrids,
• where seed starting requires extra heat,
• where an early start is particularly beneficial,
• to grow many more seedlings by moving on and spacing time-wise.

Click this link to compare actual methods of seed starting undercover in trays, pots and modules...

The Season for Starting Seeds

Some seed starting can be done anytime indoors, but I will describe two main sowing times:- late summer / autumn and late winter / spring.
Check your seed packets.

• Late summer / autumn sowing gives plants an early start the following year. Plants can be over-wintered in polytunnel, greenhouse, or cold frame,
• Hardy annuals can be sown outside during late summer / autumn in my zone 8 equivalent,
• Many biennials need a cold spell to stimulate flowering. Sowing them in late summer / autumn saves keeping them in leaf for a year,
• Late summer / autumn sowings free-up time during spring,
• Autumn sowing gives you a second chance should seeds fail first time – a good reason to select your seeds early,
• Early spring sowing in warmth, gets plants to an advanced stage quickly. This helps you move large numbers on to make room for more,
• Planting out happens when direct outdoor sowings are only just being made. But don't rush to plant out too early or before plants are fully hardened to the outside conditions,
• Not all plants are suitable for autumn sowing find out more...

Seed starting equipment & propagators are compared on this link.

Next   >  Starting seeds in propagators  - How to match your method to your plant seeds & garden needs; more here...

My Wheelbarrow

Gardening Catalogs - America

Gardening Catalogues - U.K.

The Garden Seat - books by experts to help you grow garden seeds

Books on seed propagation coming soon...

Garden Gate

The main plot for information on seeds and seed sowing   on this link includes:- planning your seed site & sowing seed, making a seed bed, saving seed, seed compost, growing flowers and vegetables from seed, using: modules, root trainers, deep fiber pots, propagators, ... ... ...

ALSO on The Organic Gardener:-
Flower gardening the organic way

My Neighbour's Garden Plots

Home Of The Organic Gardener

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