Starting plants indoors can give you access to more interesting cultivars while saving you money. Here are seed-starting tips for a successful start.
Starting seeds saves considerable money over buying plants, and you’ll have access to many more interesting cultivars than the stores offer. You’ll also avoid bringing pests, chemicals, and diseases from the store-bought plants back to your garden. If you’re ready to get started with seedlings, here are some tips I’ve learned over the years.
- Read the package. Seed companies want you to come back because you liked how their seeds grew, so there’s good information on the back of the packs. Follow climate zone planting times, directions to soak seeds before planting, and seed depth recommendations.
- Days to harvest. Tomato, pepper, and eggplant seed packages may say 85 days to harvest, but those 85 days start when you transplant them into the ground. In a direct-sow crop, those days start at germination.
- Seeds, starts, or rootstock. While most crops grow best from seeds, sweet potatoes grow best from slips, nightshade potatoes from “seed potatoes,” onions from sets, garlic and shallots from cloves and bulbs, artichokes and horseradish from rootstock, and fruit trees from grafted saplings.
- Direct-sow or transplant. Any crops from which you eat the root or tuber, such as carrots, radishes, and beets, should always be direct-sown. Corn, peas, and beans prefer direct sowing, and squash plants are susceptible to transplant shock. But for fruiting nightshade plants, such as peppers, tomatoes, and eggplant, start early and then transplant.
- Safe soil. Using dirt from an existing garden could introduce diseases, such as early blight. Start seeds in a sterile medium, such as seed-starting mixes or brand-new potting soil. Order only certified disease-free seed potatoes. Be wary if someone offers you starts that are growing in soil that they took from their own garden.
- Germination temperatures. Add 10 degrees F to the individual crop’s optimal grow temp. Peas can germinate at 40 degrees, while eggplant may need a seedling heat mat to attain 80 degrees. Planting a seed in soil that’s too hot or too cold may mean the seed perishes before it can sprout.
- Moisture balance. Once you sow, don’t allow soil to dry out. Water with a fine mist, and don’t dump water directly onto seeds or seedlings. But be sure the soil is well-drained, so seeds don’t rot from too much moisture.
- Ventilation. “Damping off” occurs when wet soil allows specific seedling-killing fungal growth. The stem looks pinched and the seedling falls over and dies. Allow for airflow.
- Grow lights or windows. Sunny windows aren’t enough, unless they allow direct sunshine from three angles and all day. Grow lights must be within 1 to 2 inches of the plant for optimal growth. Inadequate light means spindly plants.
- Fertilize slowly. Don’t apply conventional fertilizers until seedlings have at least four true leaves. Apply aged compost at any time, but in moderation.
- Hardening off. If your seedlings enjoy the elements from the moment they sprout, you don’t need to harden them off, but seedlings started in a greenhouse or under plant lights must be gradually introduced to the sun and wind or they’ll sunburn, dehydrate, and very possibly die.
Marissa
Georgia
Dry Fresh Herbs
Fresh herbs can be dried easily and efficiently in a refrigerator. Just place some cuttings in a paper lunch bag and leave it in the fridge for a week or two, depending on the leaf size (i.e., thyme will dry faster than sage). The dried herbs will maintain their green color and taste so much better than those dried in a dehydrator.
Celine
Pennsylvania
Let the Plant Inform You When to Pick
It may seem unbelievable, but plants have a way of advising us when and what to pick. I learned this years ago from a grower who paid me to pick apples for him. His directions were, “Twist the apple three times, and if it doesn’t fall off, leave it alone. It’s not ready to be picked.” Some red ones looked perfectly ripe but didn’t yield to twisting and were left hanging. I trusted that he and the tree knew best, and those red apples just got sweeter while they waited for me to return.
Other plants will also tell you when they’re ripe. Raspberries, strawberries, currants, and even grapes are at their best when they yield easily to your fingertips. Break off broccoli where the stem snaps naturally. And if you don’t want the unchewable part of the asparagus, break its stem where it naturally yields to pressure.
Kale and collard leaves will tell you when they’re ready to be picked, bending when they’re too small, and snapping off easily when they’re ready. Likewise, when you go out to pick herbs, like parsley or basil, you don’t need to bring scissors. Instead, run your cupped fingertips delicately along each stem from the bottom up, and any leaves that are ready to pick will yield effortlessly to your fingertips.
This method of listening to the plant makes the decision of knowing what and when to pick easy, and leaves the plant in its healthiest condition. Nature is wiser than we think.
Mary
Wisconsin
Easy-to-Pour Peas
The peas are harvested, shelled, washed, and ready to be frozen, but those tiny roly-polies can be a challenge to get into a freezer bag. I solved the problem by inserting the bag into a large drinking glass and folding the edge of the bag over the rim of the glass. Then, it was easy to just pour the peas in.
Mary
Idaho
Cheap Seeds and Plants
Seeds can be expensive. I save my own for easy things, like beans and squash. I also check out Little Free Seed Libraries around town and at my local public (book) library. Garden clubs often host seed swaps, where you can get good varieties. Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace sometimes offer free plants, such as raspberries or grapes (here are mine!), especially if you dig them.
Josh
Minnesota
Groundhog Remedies
Many of us have had difficulty with these critters that have voracious appetites. There are many myths regarding how to deter them, like scattering human hair or urine, spraying coyote urine, etc. The most effective ways I’ve found are to destroy all hiding places to which they could quickly escape, and, most importantly, wood ashes have been an effective deterrent. They seem to dislike ashes on their feet. After all, the old-timers used wood ashes to create lye for their soap-making.
Alta
Virginia
Entertaining Erosion Control
I set up a roof turbine to fling rainwater to avoid ground erosion. Rain chains are nice, but this adds in a fun way to watch a waterfall.
Ken
Florida
Keep Birds Away From Your Blueberries
Birds enjoy eating your blueberries, currants, and other small fruits. I learned years ago from my mother to always plant hummingbird-friendly flowers, like bee balm, hyssop, lobelia, and more, among my blueberry and currant bushes. Why? Hummingbirds are very territorial once they’ve adopted your garden, and they’ll drive out the bigger birds getting anywhere near their nectar sources! It’s worked like a charm with no nets (that can entrap and kill birds), chemicals, or tacky reflectors. Plus, it’s great for pollinators and bird-watching!
Aimee
Washington
Alternative Tomato Cages
At our community garden, we became frustrated with flimsy, rusty tomato cages. We needed something stronger, so we purchased 10-foot sections of masonry reinforcement wire, which we cut in half. We took the 5-foot pieces, joined four or five together, and put them around the tomato plants. We added wine corks to the bent wire at the top to keep from getting poked. We also added recycled plastic-coated wire around the sides of six-sided cages to support tomato stems and give cucumber tendrils something to cling to. We’ve used these sturdy, rust-proof cages for years.
Linda
North Carolina
Wire Basket Veggie Washing
The basket I use to gather veggies from the garden is made of a tight mesh wire. It can be put under running water to get the majority or even all of the dirt, leaves, etc., off the veggies. Then, I roll the veggies onto my veggie-drying mat to inspect, clean them a little more if necessary, and dry them off.
Deanna
Michigan
Repurpose Old Golf Clubs
Old golf clubs are a treasure. They can be found at yard sales for as little as 10 cents apiece. It takes bolt cutters and some muscle to get rid of the club ends, thus leaving a sturdy and sharper end for multiple uses. They work well as short fence posts for securing tarps, etc. They’re easily pushed into the earth without the need for tools. They’re great for gardening projects and easy to store and use year after year.
Sylvia
Pennsylvania
Picking Zinnias for Kids
I have the joy of preschoolers walking to our backyard for field trips. They play, eat their snacks, get an eating tour of the vegetable garden, and then get to take home a flower from my flower garden (seven 80-foot rows of flowers). I wanted to send them home with a flower, but the idea of them picking a single flower didn’t seem practical. I bought clear plastic floral tubes, made holes in a Styrofoam block, and put this in a tray. I filled the flower tubes with water, picked the most beautiful zinnias in the garden, and put one in each tube. I had some extras picked, just in case a child wanted a color that wasn’t there when it got to their turn. There are no spills as they’re walking, because the top of each floral tube has a plastic lid with a hole for the flower.
Deanna
Michigan
Replacement Jar Covers
For many years, I’ve found it extremely expensive to purchase replacement covers for canning jars used for storage. Then, I started using the plastic covers when my 32-ounce minced-garlic jar was empty. I also save the covers from certain glass pasta-sauce jars. This has saved me quite a bit of money.
Dutchess
Virginia
Summer Use for Winter Firepit
During our Massachusetts summer heat, we let our winter firepit be consumed by native milkweed, which was purposely placed near our blackberry bushes to benefit from the native pollinators attracted to the milkweed. The beautiful monarchs are frequent visitors. To further propagate milkweed, we’ve donated the quick-growing plant seeds to local families and suggested they register their yard as a Monarch waystation: www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/.
Holly
Massachusetts
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Originally published in the April/May 2025 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS and regularly vetted for accuracy.
