In this article, originally published in Issue 02 of Homestead Living, Melissa K. Norris delivers a comprehensive guide to starting your own seeds, offering a clear path to enjoying the nurturing of plants from seed to harvest.
With practical tips on seed selection, soil preparation, and container choices, you’ll be ready to harvest bushels of home grown food!
Ready to build the foundation for your garden this year? Let’s get into the advice and wisdom from one of the modern homesteading movement’s most trusted and accomplished teachers. Let’s start some seeds so we can get gardening!
Growing from Scratch: A Step-by-Step Guide to Starting Your Own Seeds
By Melissa K. Norris
Seed starting is like bringing a day of spring into the cold winter days.
Much like anything with homesteading, you can buy seedlings from almost any garden supply center. And if you miss the window for seed starting on your own and it’s the only way for you to grow it yourself, that option is still there for you.
However, learning to start seeds and making it a part of your yearly routine will serve you well. Not only does it give you a deeper sense of cultivation, but there are so many more varieties of plants than what you’ll find in the tiny selection of the garden center. Every year, I try one new variety of something. Having gardened for over twenty four years, I’ve barely scratched the surface of varieties.
When you harvest a tomato you started from seed almost half a year back by the time it fruits, there is a level of connection I’ve never felt from a store-bought seedling.
What Seeds to Start Indoors
I don’t start any seeds indoors that aren’t a necessity. I find direct sowing (planting the seeds outdoors in the place where they will grow to maturity) to be the easiest with the least amount of stress on the plants. This is because transplanting stunts growth for a few weeks no matter how careful you are in comparison to plants sown in their final growing space.
That being said, there are some plants that need to be started indoors because they’re frost tender and require more growing time than your frost-free days allow until they are ready to harvest.
The first step to determining which, if any, plants you should be starting indoors is to find out what your warm weather growing days are. These are the number of days in between your last average frost date in the spring to your first average frost date in the fall.
If you live in a moderate or warm climate, you may have enough warm weather growing days to grow any crop outdoors with no need for seed starting indoors. But if you have a shorter growing season and want to grow crops like tomatoes that require more growing days than most warm weather crops like beans or summer squash, you’ll need to start them indoors.
Your seed packet should show how many days to harvest is needed for each crop. If not, a quick search online will tell you.
Once you know how many days are required to reach harvest and how many days of warm growing weather you have, you will know if you have enough warm days to grow that plant. If you fall short, you’ll need to start seeds indoors.
In order to know your seed starting date, you’ll need to count backwards from your last average frost date in the spring. A good general rule is to start seeds indoors around 6 weeks before your last average frost date.
Seeds that are best suited for indoor seed starting include brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts) and heat-loving plants like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.
Cucumbers, melons and squash (both summer and winter) can be started inside and transplanted out or direct sown.
Legumes like beans and peas, as well as root vegetables like carrots, turnips and beets don’t like to be disturbed and do best when sown directly in place.
Choosing The Right Soil
Young plants are like infants: they’re more susceptible to disease and getting sick. If you use dirt straight from your garden, you’re basically introducing any disease, bacteria, or fungus that’s in that soil to a baby without an immune system.
This is often the cause of damping off (a form of blight on seedlings), which is one of the biggest culprits of why seedlings die.
You’re also bringing insects and their eggs into the house or gardening shed, and you don’t want those on your baby seedlings or flying and crawling around in your living room (which is where I start my seeds).
Options for seed-starting soil
Option 1: Purchase potting soil. I only use organic potting soil because it’s already the perfect mix of ingredients and has been sterilized to kill any disease and/or fungus.
Option 2: Bake your dirt at 200°F (93°C) until it reaches 180°F (82°C) internally. This is your make-at-home version. But I’ll be honest: I don’t want to deal with trays and trays of dirt in my oven.
Option 3: Make a mix of equal parts compost, topsoil, and sand. Again, you’ll need to sterilize the topsoil, but this is another DIY way of making your own.
Seed Starting Containers
Too often people want to germinate their seeds in a larger pot so they don’t have to transplant their seedlings into a larger pot before moving outdoors. However, seeds germinate best under a controlled environment. It’s much easier to control the soil temperature in a small container of soil than a big, deep container of soil.
I like to use plastic clamshell egg cartons because the holes are nice and small. Plus, when I close the lid, the container acts like a natural greenhouse to keep the moisture and heat in.
Whether you repurpose an egg carton or buy the seed starting pods, you’ll want to be sure there’s a way to cover the container until germination is complete.
Free Options
This is always my favorite route.
Egg cartons work well for starting seeds. They’re free and will degrade down if you decide to plant them in the ground. However, they draw up more moisture due to being porous, so you’ll need to water more frequently. They’re small, so they won’t hold the seedling for long before needing to be transplanted to a larger home.
Plastic clamshells and lettuce containers are some of my favorites because they create the natural greenhouse effect we need when starting seeds by simply shutting the lid. Lettuce containers with the lid are deep, so I don’t need to replant many starts -especially lettuce- when using these containers. Plus, it gives new use to something I’d normally throw out.
Milk Cartons have a handle for easy moving and are quite deep.
Worth the Money
Gallon pots are necessary for warm-weather crops in cold-weather climates. The main seedlings I start indoors are my peppers and tomatoes. Due to our shorter growing time here in the Pacific Northwest, it’s the only way I can get a crop of tomatoes and peppers.
Because my darlings spend months indoors, I have to pot them into larger containers so their roots can flourish and grow. I purchased my pots years ago and reuse them every year. They have been well worth the money and should last me for several more years.
Heat & Soil Temperature
The big question I get asked all the time is whether or not people need to buy seed starting mats in order to successfully start plants indoors. In my experience, the answer is no.
Even with my house temperatures dipping down in the mid to low 60’s°F (15-21°C) at night, I’ve never actually needed to use a seedling mat to successfully germinate seeds. However, if your house (or where you’re starting your seeds) tends to be on the cooler side, a seed starting mat may be necessary.
Each seed has a unique temperature for germination, so check your seed packets to know how warm your soil temps need to be.
For warm-weather crops, your soil must be at least 60°F (15.5°C) or warmer for the seeds to germinate. The general rule of thumb is between 60 to 70 °F (15 to 21°C), though your hot peppers may need to be 75+°F (24°C) for best germination rates.
To measure your soil temperature, you can use a soil thermometer or go by the average temperature in your home. I don’t use seedling mats or hot pads and the temperature in our living room is usually 65 to 75°F (18 to 24°C) -it’s cooler in the early morning before the fire is built back up- and I haven’t had any problems getting my seeds to germinate.
Once seeds have sprouted, you want to make sure the overnight lows of the plants don’t get below 50°F (10°C). So if your seedlings are sitting by a windowsill, you’ll want to move them away from the window overnight so they don’t get too cold by the window.
Adequate Water
This is where people often get into trouble. When both germinating seeds and watering your seedlings once they’ve sprouted, you don’t want the soil to be soaking wet, but you also don’t want the soil to get too dry.
Watering for Germination
It’s important to keep the soil consistently damp for the first 10+ days until the seeds have germinated. To keep the soil damp, it’s best to use a container that can create a greenhouse-like environment. This is why I like to use the plastic egg clamshell containers!
Depending on the seed, they typically take between 7-14 days to germinate. The closer you can get to the proper soil temperature and consistent moisture, the faster they’ll germinate.
Watering Seedlings
After your seeds have sprouted, you don’t want the soil to continue to stay damp like you do when seeds are germinating. If you do, your seedlings may rot and you may see some mold.
It’s a good idea to allow the top surface of the soil to dry out a little between waterings because this forces the roots to go down in search of water.
I like to test the soil simply by touching it with my finger or pulling back the top layer of soil to make sure the soil is damp underneath.
Adequate Light
Plants don’t actually need sunlight when they’re germinating, so you don’t need to have a sunny windowsill or grow lights on during the first week or two. However, once they’ve germinated, you have two options for light to grow by:
- Sunny windowsill
- Grow lights
For most people, especially if you live in a northern climate, a sunny windowsill will not provide enough hours of daylight for your plants. You’ll need 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight for plants a day. Plus, seedlings grown in a sunny window may get leggy as they will reach toward the sun. The seedlings farthest from the light will grow long and spindly as they need to reach farther.
Grow lights are more reliable and controllable, however there are a few important things to remember. First off, when using artificial light, you want to be sure the lightbulb is full spectrum. And because grow lights are not as strong as the actual sun, you’re going to need to leave the lights on for 16 to 18 hours every day. I turn mine on first thing in the morning when I get up and off when I go to bed. You can also put your lights on a timer to make things easier.
Also, when using artificial light to grow your seedlings, the light needs to be within 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) above the plant. Leggy plants occur when plants aren’t getting enough light, so they’re spending all their energy stretching to reach the light source instead of growing full and bushy.
Most people don’t give their plants enough light because the seed packets tell you the plants need 6-8 hours a day, but that’s referring to full sunlight during the middle of summer, not an artificial light bulb.
How to Start Seeds Indoors
- Once you have all the necessary materials, you’ll want to fill your containers about 2/3 full with potting soil.
- Place 2-3 seeds per pot on top of the soil. A general rule of thumb is to plant twice as deep as the seed is wide. For smaller seeds, I find that when I water, this pushes the seeds under the soil just enough.
- Add a small layer of soil over the seeds if needed to be sure all seeds are covered.
- Mist soil with a spray bottle filled with warm water.
- Cover the container.
- Water 1-2 times daily for 7-10 days, keeping the soil consistently moist until seeds germinate
Caring for Plant Starts Indoors
Continue to give your plants adequate light and water for the duration of their life. Even once transplanted outdoors, you’ll want to be sure they’re planted in a location where they’ll get enough sunlight.
After four weeks of growing indoors, your plants will need additional care such as feedings, toughening up, and eventually hardening off before transplanting outdoors.
Hardening Off Your Plants
In order to transplant your plants into the garden, you need to go through a process called hardening off. If you skip this step, your plants could go into shock and die when they’re planted outside because they’re not ready for the large swings in temperature, the movement of the air, the strength of the sun, or even the feel of rain on their leaves.
This is where I see many people make the biggest mistake with their seedlings. They don’t harden them off properly or for long enough. In order to harden them off, you want to pick a sheltered spot outdoors, somewhere that’s not in direct hot sunlight and isn’t out in the open where they’ll be whipped by the wind and elements. Then, you’ll stick to a schedule to get them ready to be transplanted outdoors.
Seedling Hardening Off Schedule
Begin at least 1 week in advance of planting.
Start in a protected area. Leave the starts outside for 2 hours on the first day.
Increase time outside by 1 to 2 hours each day over 7 to 10 days.
Gradually move them to their final planting spot. By the last 4 days of my hardening off schedule, I’ll place the plants where I’ll be planting them, which is in direct sunlight and without any wind protection.
Once fully hardened off, plant your seedlings in their growing spot. Water well and tend to them throughout the growing season. Then reap the bountiful harvest and enjoy the immense satisfaction that comes from growing your own food from seed to table! That feeling of joy and fulfillment at harvest time is truly unmatched. You’ve transformed seeds into nourishing, delicious food, and every bite of that homegrown goodness is a testament to your dedication and love for gardening.
So, my friends, grab your seeds and get started on this regenerative journey. Starting your own seeds isn’t just about growing plants; it’s about cultivating a deeper connection with the earth, savoring the fruits of your labor, and relishing in the incredible satisfaction that comes from growing your own food from seed to table. Happy gardening!
Melissa K. Norris is a 5th generation homesteader who lives with her husband and two children in the Pacific Northwest in Washington state. They raise over 90% of their own organic, pasture-raised meat and over 60% of their own fruits and vegetables. Her popular website MelissaKNorris.com and Pioneering Today Podcast help thousands of people use simple modern homesteading to live a healthier and self-sufficient life.
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