If you love the excitement of starting seeds but feel like you have mixed success from year to year, you might be making some of these common mistakes of seed starting.
The number one goal of starting your own plants is to produce healthy and vigorous seedlings that will survive the trials and tribulations of the outdoors once they’re planted in the garden.
Focusing on a few of the most important factors that go into growing great plants will help you improve your seed starting success by leaps and bounds.
And that means it will be a lot more fun – which is one of the main reasons to start your own seeds!
At the end of this post, you can also watch a video where I expand a bit on some of these mistakes.
Seed-Starting Mistake #1: Catalog Hypnosis
It is tough to resist the beautiful pictures and glowing words in seed catalogs. Even experienced gardeners struggle to resist the allure. That is the first mistake most seed starters make: ordering too many seeds. A simple secret to success with seed-starting is exercising self-restraint. If you are new to the practice, do not start too many different types of seeds. Stick with simple ones, such as Tomato, Basil, Zinnia or Cosmos.
Seed-Starting Mistake #2: Starting Too Soon
In many regions, sowing seeds gives you a chance to get your hands dirty when it is too cold to garden outdoors. Do not start your seeds too soon. Most plants are ready to shift into the great outdoors in 4-6 weeks. Learn more about perfect timing for seeds.
Seed-Starting Mistake #3: Planting Too Deep
Read seed packets carefully, for detailed information about how deep to plant seeds. The rule of thumb is to plant seeds at a depth equal to two or three times their width. It is better to plant seeds too shallow than too deep. Some seeds, such as certain Lettuces or Snapdragon, need light to germinate and should not be covered at all.
Seed-Starting Mistake #4: Not Labeling Trays
Once you start sowing seeds and get dirt on your fingers, you will not want to stop and make labels. Before planting, prepare labels and add them to containers as soon as the seeds go into soil. Otherwise, it can be tough to tell seedlings apart. Be sure to include sowing date on your labels.
Seed-Starting Mistake #5: Soil Is Not Warm
Seed packets specify the temperature seeds need to germinate – soil temperature, not air temperature. Most seed germinate at 78ºF. You will have sure success if you use a waterproof root-zone heating mat. Once you start germinating seeds in soil, aim to keep soil temperature in the 65-70ºF range.
Seed-Starting Mistake #6: Too Little Light
In the warmest regions of the country, there is enough ambient light in a south-facing window to grow stocky seedlings. In northern areas where winter brings persistent cloud cover, you will need supplemental lights. Purchase or build an illuminated plant stand to start seedlings. For stocky, healthy seedlings, provide 14-16 hours of light daily. Suspend lights 2-3 inches above seedlings.