Starting your own seedlings this year? The thought can be intimidating for beginner growers, but there are many benefits: you can buy varieties that you may not find in stores, and you can worry less about bringing diseases from nurseries into your garden.
If you are starting seeds, there are a few things you’ll need:
- Seed starting soil: Not to be confused with potting soil, seed starting soil is lighter, drains well, and has less nutrients. Seedlings are fragile and starting them in a dense, nutrient packed soil can cause nutrient burn early on.
- Containers: get creative with it! You can buy seedling flats at a garden store, or you can use egg cartons, old tupperware containers, or anything that can hold soil! Just make sure your containers have holes in the bottom, so water can drain.
- Light: Make sure your seedlings are getting enough light. If you don’t have a window with adequate light, consider buying supplemental lights.
- And don’t forget the seeds! Follow the instructions on the seed packet for best planting practices.
For a more hands on introduction to starting seeds, join us for our Green Thumb Workshop on Seed Starting! It will be held April 15th at 12:00PM at VINES Urban Farm. Visit this link for more information and to sign up.