Seed Starting Best Practices

• Clean containers with drainage holes (cell trays, small pots, or recycled yogurt cups)
• A bagged seed-starting mix (lighter and finer than potting soil)
• A tray or saucer to catch water from below
• A humidity dome or clear plastic cover
• A bright south-facing window or a grow light
• Optional: a seedling heat mat for warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant)

1. Count backward from your average last frost date using the seed packet — most vegetables start 4–8 weeks before transplanting outdoors.
2. Moisten the seed-starting mix in a bowl until it feels like a wrung-out sponge, then fill containers and lightly firm.
3. Plant seeds at the depth listed on the packet — a good rule of thumb is 2–3 times the width of the seed. Very fine seeds (like lettuce) can rest right on the surface.
4. Label everything with the variety and date — seedlings look surprisingly alike.
5. Cover with a humidity dome or plastic wrap to hold in moisture, and keep the mix warm (65–75°F for most crops, 75–85°F for peppers and eggplant). A heat mat speeds germination.
6. Check daily. The moment you see green sprouts, remove the cover and move seedlings under bright light — a sunny south window or a shop light 2–4 inches above the leaves for 14–16 hours a day.
7. Water from below by adding water to the tray and letting the mix wick it up. This keeps the surface drier and prevents damping-off.
8. Once seedlings have their first set of true leaves (the second pair, which look like the adult plant), begin feeding weekly with a half-strength liquid fertilizer.
9. About 7–10 days before transplanting, harden off by setting seedlings outside in a sheltered spot for a couple of hours the first day, adding an hour or two each day and gradually exposing them to more sun and wind.

Damping-off is a fungal problem that collapses seedlings overnight at the soil line. Prevent it with clean containers, a sterile seed-starting mix (not garden soil), good airflow, and watering from below instead of overhead.