Howdy there you Botanical Texans! Spring has officially sprung here in North Texas despite its best efforts not to (I’m looking at you snowapocalypse…). This spring I wanted to really be more initial with doing items I always say I’ll do. One of those activities on the bucket list is starting seeds inside! Not only have I never started seeds inside before, but I’ve never started seeds at all! Now you may be thinking “but Michelle, you have a minor in Horticulture”, which is true. However, since I was a Landscape Architect major, I tried to focus all of my horticulture classes on topics that would be useful for my field. Truth is, other than Fred the Snake Plant, I never interact with real plants at work. All of that to say, this is my first seed experience!
I thought it would be fun to create a series of posts on my first seed starting journey. Even if I am horribly unsuccessful, I think it would still be good to document. After all, I feel like a lot of Plant Influencers that I love never post about the unsuccessful plant endeavors that they encounter. Trust me, everyone kills a plant in their plant parent journey.
Starting Seeds
Part one of this post series will be all about actually starting the seeds themselves. If you’re interested in learning how keep on reading!
Materials needed
One thing I have learned is that you can’t start seeds without a few basic items:
- Seeds
- Seed Starting Soil Mix
- Seedling Trays
- Water
Things to consider when starting seeds
Before starting seeds, I did some basic research (aka Joe Gardeners website) and discovered that there are a few things to consider before starting seeds. One of those is two know when the last frost of the season is in your area. From that date, work backwards. For example, you should start basil seeds about 6 weeks out from the last frost. By the last frost, they will be ready to put into the ground if you desire.
Another pretty important thing to consider when starting seeds, is what plants are you actually going to want to use. Don’t start carrot seeds if you hate carrots! Seems like a self-explanatory thing, but when you’re in front of those seed packets at the store, they all look so fun that you just want to plant them all!
Quick seed Starting steps
- To begin with, I filled two trays with soil. I left roughly 1/4″ to fill after I added my seeds.
- Once filled, I took a bit of water and moistened each tray just to make sure the growing medium was moist. Moisture is key to seeds growing is what I have heard.
- Next, I poked holes into the soil of each cell and added my seeds!
- I then thinly covered the seeds with some soil.
- I remoisten the soil
- Afterwards, placed the seeds into clear bags to create a “greenhouse” for lack of a better term. This should help keep the soil moisture in an ideal.
- Finally, I have placed them in a “sunny” window sill with artificial light (if y’all have read my lighting guide post, then you know the lighting situation of my apartment).
If you’re interested in seeing if I end up with any catnip for Apple, stay tuned for a part 2 update coming in a few weeks! Also, if you have any tips for starting seeds inside, please share them with me!