Starting Seeds Indoors

Learn how to start seeds indoors to grow seedlings and jumpstart your vegetable garden.

This year, I’m starting my very first vegetable garden and I am so excited about it. Well, technically I’ve already started it…indoors! I currently have a whole host of veggie seedlings sitting on some of the sun drenched, deep windowsills of our farmhouse. It’s a pretty dreamy sight!

As I said, this is my first year starting a garden. And let me just say, it can be overwhelming. There is just SO much to learn, so many factors, so much to figure out before you can get to plantin’ (if you really want to set yourself up for success). So I’ve decided to create a whole series on my YouTube channel where I document the process of my first vegetable garden – from planning to planting to tending to harvesting. My first video was all about the very first steps (four to be exact) to actually plan out the garden – from choosing what you will plant, what varieties based on your gardening zone, where you will plant each crop, etc. You can watch that video here!

So once you decide what you’re going to plant & how much, it’s time to start planting some seeds indoors! You don’t necessarily have to start growing all vegetables indoors (some actually do better started from seed in the ground, aka direct sowing) but for most plants there are a couple of really good reasons to start indoors.

• You can get a jumpstart on your garden! You will be able to extend your growing season by starting the process of growing your vegetable plants indoors, well before (4-6 weeks on average) you would be able to successfully plant seeds outdoors. You want to base when you plant indoors around your average last frost date – make sure to look yours up, this is very important!
• But can’t you just buy seedlings and plant those? Yes! But that brings me to my next advantage of starting seeds indoors…you will save so much money! You can buy a whole pack of many seeds for just a few dollars, versus buy one plant seedling or start for a few dollars. Purchasing all plants in their seedling form would end up being a pretty expensive harvest..which defeats one of the purposes of growing your veggies yourself!

SUPPLIES

• Seed starting trays – I used these paired with these (they are reusable and can be used year after year)
• Potting mix – this is the one I used. You need a light, fluffy soil for your seedlings. Soil just outside in your garden will be too compact and possible carry disease that would harm your little seedlings.
• Seeds – there’s tons of reputable websites and even Etsy shops for seeds..I got mine here.

PLANTING

• Fill seed starting tray with soil.
• Fill tray with water and allow soil to become damp before planting.
• Create a small hole in the soil with your finger – not too deep! The seed packets will give you individual instructions but 1/4-1/2 inch down is a good ballpark for your seeds.
• Drop in your seed (or seeds..adding a couple for good measure won’t hurt to better your chances of successful germination)
• Cover seed(s) with soil and gently press down to compact the soil.
• Label them! You can use popsicle sticks or I just taped little pieces of paper to mine.
• Place seed trays in a very sunny spot (or under artificial lighting..more on that later).
• Check on your seeds daily! Ensure they have plenty of water (and soil stays damp) and wait for those babies to sprout right up through the soil..how exciting!

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!

EXTRAS

Okay let’s talk extra stuff you can use to help your seedlings get off to the best start. Seedlings essentially need three things – water, heat, and light to germinate and grow. Obviously you will provide water, but you can also provide additional (artificial) heat and light if you so choose.

• Heat: you can use an additional heat source to help your seeds germinate, like a seedling heat mat. After doing my research I decided these weren’t totally necessary, and my seeds did germinate + sprout just fine.
• Light: while a sunny windowsill totally works to help your seedlings grow, there is one major downside – your plants will naturally stretch toward the sunlight, which means they can become leggy (aka weak and bendy). This is not ideal. Most ideal is your seedlings growing straight upright – which can be achieved with overhead artificial lighting in lieu of a greenhouse. This step seemed a little high maintenance to me to be honest and since I was kind of throwing this project together quickly at the last minute, I decided stick to the old fashioned way. My seedlings are doing pretty well, however some have become leggy! I think next year I will try and get a more official set up going with lights, or maybe even build a small greenhouse. If you want more info on lights, the seed starting video I linked below has some really solid info.

RESOURCES

I wanted to link you for guys some of the resources I found most helpful when it comes to starting a garden + starting seeds indoors.

• Garden Zones map
• Last frost dates by state
• Starting Seeds Indoors video
• Seed starting/garden planting schedule based on garden zones
• Starting seeds indoors blog post

MY GARDEN

I wanted to share with you guys what I actually chose to plant this year! I plan to grow (or at least attempt, lol) 9 different vegetables. I didn’t want to overwhelm myself but at the same time really wanted to give this whole growing my own veggies thing a shot. Here’s my list!

• Tomatoes
• Bell peppers
• Broccoli
• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Cucumbers
• Squash
• Onions
• Spaghetti squash

If you want to learn more about my homestead dreams and plans for more homemade living, check out this post!