Seed Starting: My Favorite Trick!
Starting seeds is an exciting activity, that can quickly turn into a boring waiting game, followed by second-guessing and eventually giving up! I have placed thousands of seeds into soil with the hopes and dreams of 100% germination and an incredible garden that would be the envy of the neighborhood… but inevitably, I end up with way fewer seedlings than I had anticipated.
Over the past several years, I’ve honed my seed starting skills, and I’ve learned a few tricks that have increased my success rate!
You Can Grow From Seed!
No matter if this is your first attempt at planting seeds, or you’ve tried for years, I’m here too increase your Seed Starting Success!
I should start by saying, Overall, I am a lazy gardener.
What I mean by that is: if there’s a way to avoid starting new seeds, I’ll go that route! Perennial plants are such an incredible investment in your garden, because they come back year after year, with little to no effort from you! I will be writing about some of my favorite perennial plants in an upcoming post, so stay tuned! For now, you can check out Nature Hills Nursery for perennial plants specific to your gardening zone! *
But sometimes, you have no choice but to start from seed.
Some of the heat-loving flowers I start from seed each year are Zinnias*, Cosmos,* and Sunflowers.* I also save seeds from these flowers in the fall (before the rain and frost hit!) to save myself some money. Seed-saving is super fun, but be aware: not every seed produces a plant true-to-form. I like a variety of colors in my summer annual garden beds, so saving seeds works well for me!
Helpful Tips to Get Started:
Where do I order seeds from?
Siskiyou Seeds is located in SW Oregon and they have lots of wonderful seeds and great customer service!
Redemption Seeds is also located in Oregon and has wonderful customer service and quality seeds!
One of my favorite seed suppliers is Johnny’s Seeds, and although they are a LARGE company, they provide some of the best germination rates I’ve seen with seeds.
When do I order seeds?
To be safe, I try to order whatever it is I want to plant by the time I’m finished harvesting those flowers. (This is especially true for tulip bulbs, which I didn’t plant for this year, but just an FYI!). I try to order my summer flower seeds by the end of the calendar year, so I’m ready to go when spring time hits!
When do I start seeds?
It depends on the flower! Some flowers like a cold start, some like a hot start. You can read all about when to start some of my favorite cut flowers on this blog post.
Ok: Time for my Favorite Seed-Starting Trick!
I decided to record a short video about my favorite seed starting hack, you can watch it here for a quick and easy explanation!
Basically: I pre-sprout my seeds to give them a head start, as well as give me peace-of-mind knowing that I’m only planting viable seeds.
There’s nothing more annoying that planting out a bunch of seeds, waiting (impatiently) and then not knowing whether they didn’t germination, whether a bird ate them, whether the rain washed them all away, etc. etc. etc.
My favorite trick for pre-sprouting is super simple: all you need is
wet paper towel * and
an airtight container, such as tupperware * or a ziploc bag.*
Start by labeling your paper towel with a permanent marker, so you know what the heck the seeds are!
Run the paper towel under water and wring it out so it’s wet but not dripping
Lie the paper towel flat and place seeds on one half (not overlapping, see video)
Fold the empty half over the seed-filled half, fold again as needed to fit inside your air tight container of choice
Place in a warm room and check in 2-3 days!
Some seeds take longer, but set yourself a reminder, because some seeds sprout Super Quickly, and you don’t want their roots getting too long before you place them in soil!
After you see a tiny root popping out, you know your seed is viable and it’s ready for some soil. Place your seed either in a garden bed or in a starter pot of your choice.
Important note: Birds, slugs, and other pests love to devour baby seedlings when they first pop up!! Set yourself up for success by laying down Sluggo * and covering with a frost cloth or other barrier to keep birds off until they are taller!
Need to see it all in action?
Links with an asterisk * are affiliate links, and I may earn a tiny commission from qualifying purchases.
