Seed Starting Tips that Work

Three changes to up your seed-starting game plus March to-dos for northern gardeners.

Advice on how to start seeds indoors is rampant this time of year — and much of it is very good, including a post I wrote a year ago.

But, if you are a new or semi-new seed starter, three changes in your routine will make a ton of difference in how well your seedlings grow and how many of them make it into the garden strong, healthy and ready to burst into their flower and vegetable glory.

Have you got your seeds yet? You still have time since most seeds do not need to be started until April in northern climates.

Set up a fan nearby

Outdoors the wind blows and that movement makes plant stems stronger. Your seedlings need to be accustomed to a breeze to move seamlessly into the garden, You can replicate it indoors by adding a small fan near your seed-starting set-up. I put mine on a stool about 3 feet from the main seed-starting shelf. I also put it on a timer, synced with the seed-starting lights. The seedlings get 16 hours a day of gentle breezes. Adding a fan also helps prevent damping off, a seed-starting tragedy, which involves seedlings suddenly flopping over dead. It’s caused by a fungi and mold and occurs in areas that are damp, over-crowded, cold and lack air circulation.

Water from below

Imagine how a little seedling feels when huge drops of water fall on its delicate stem and tiny leaves. Not fun. Instead of watering from above, put your seed-starting cells into a water-proof tray and water the tray. The water will be absorbed from below through the holes in your seed starting cells and help the plan grow strong roots. One caveat: Do not let the water sit in the tray too long. Let the plants soak up the water, and if there is any left, empty it from the tray until the next time you water. Eventually, you’ll figure out how much is enough and you won’t have to putz around emptying the trays too much.

Seed starting equipment may not be an elegant addition to living room decor, but if you put seedlings where you will see them, you’ll probably take better care of them.

Start seeds where you will see them

For years, I started seeds in the front window of our house, right smack dab in the middle of our living room. The window faced south and had good light that supplemented the artificial lights over the seedlings. While the light was great, the best part of that location was that I passed by it many times a day. I could see if some plants seemed dry or if others looked yellow in the leaves. I could run my hands over their little leaves — plants like that! —and move them around to make sure they all got the light they needed. Did my family sometimes inquire about when the seedlings would be gone and the living room would be back to normal? Yes. It was never more than about eight weeks and everyone survived — especially the seedlings! In our current home, my seed-starting station is right next to my desk. It’s convenient to our back patio, so I can start hardening off the seedlings easily when the time comes.

March Tasks

With its warm then cool weather and occasionally a bulb poking up, March is when northern gardeners start to get excited about the upcoming season. It’s still too early for many garden tasks, but here are some enjoyable things to do when they days are warm and you feel inspired.

• If you have not already, prune hydrangeas and fruit trees while they are still dormant. Do NOT prune any spring flowering shrubs, such as lilacs or rhododendrons, until after they have bloomed.

• Make sure all your tools are clean and ready for the season.

• Take the mower in for a tune-up to beat the spring rush.

• Build a raised bed or garden box for more growing space.

• Later in month, start seeds for cold season crops (lettuce, broccoli) as well as for those that take a long time to size up, such as peppers, parsley or impatiens.

• Turn your compost.

• Stay off the grass as much as possible.