18 Handy Tips On How To Start Seeds

Read on below for the handy tips on growing flowers and vegetables from seed and ways to avoid problems and ensure success.

Cheat sheet: If you?re only going to do one thing on the list to improve your seed-starting results, focus on the light. Too little light is the most common reason for seed-sowing failure by home gardeners, making tip Number 12 probably the key advice of all.
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18 tips for starting seeds

1. Don?t be in a rush. Get your timing right for each crop (this free, printable Seed Starting Calculator is one way to pinpoint dates).
2. Don?t be cheap; buy fresh seed if there?s any doubt. Check on average viability (in years) of a given type of leftover seed, but also ask yourself how well you really cared for it. Seed is alive (but not if you left it in the hot, humid garage all summer).
3. Don?t use just any old potting soil; some brands may be too coarse, especially for smaller seeds. A fresh bag of sterile medium labeled ?germination mix? or ?seed-starting mix? is a safer bet.
4. Cleanliness counts. When re-using flats, trays, cells, and pots, wash with a dilute bleach solution (1:10 bleach:water) or at least hot, soapy water, if you wish to skip the bleach.

5. Do pre-moisten the mix before putting in flats or cells, so it?s barely moist and no longer powdery dust. As I said: barely moist, just to take the edge off; not sodden! Trick: If working indoors, I just run water from the kitchen-sink sprayer into the plastic soil bag ahead of time; massage and turn the bag to distribute; then repeat a few times.

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