Essential Seed Starting Equipment and Supplies
Seed starting is much simpler when you have the right tools. Kevin Espiritu lists his recommended essential seed starting supplies for beginners and why you need them.
Contents
When it comes to starting seeds, it’s not always best to sow them directly into your garden. As it’s harder to control the environment, a sudden cold snap, heat wave, or frost could kill off your seedlings before they really get started.
Luckily, there are ways to ensure the seeds you plant can grow into strong plants. With the right seed-starting supplies and equipment, you’ll get your garden started in no time.
The seed starting supplies listed below give you total control over the environment in which your seeds grow. By controlling the heat, light, and humidity, you ensure they have everything they need to grow into strong, healthy seedlings ready to be transplanted.
Containers
If you talk to gardening enthusiasts, you’ll find that most of them are divided into two camps when it comes to containers. Half of them will say it’s always best to buy seed-starting containers from a gardening store. The other half will insist that you can DIY it.
The truth is, you don’t need a lot of fancy seed-starting containers to grow your seedlings. But they can make your life a whole lot easier.
Any container that can hold up to two inches of soil will do the trick. It’s best not to use a container that will be damaged by water (such as an egg carton), as you will be watering the seeds fairly regularly. That is why plastic containers are the best option for starting seeds, as they aren’t damaged by water.
You also want containers that have holes in the bottom. This will ensure that the water that seeps through the soil has somewhere to escape. The last thing you want is for your plants to rot because the roots have been sitting in stagnant water for too long.
Container Options
We are particularly fond of Epic Seed Starting Trays. These are designed with the professional seed starter in mind, and you can use them for years and years to come. Twelve of them perfectly fit into a 10×20 tray, too.
Epic 6-Cell Seed Starting Trays
Epic 6-Cell Trays are rigid, yet flexible and practically unbreakable to last the rest of your life.
No more using a knife or tool to remove your plants; simply push the seedling out with your finger.
Here are a few other seed-starting container options:
- Peat Pots – For those who want to go all-natural, peat pots are great. Once the seeds are grown into seedlings, you cut an X in the bottom and plant the entire pot into the ground. The peat will help to protect the seedlings from damping off.
- Flats – A “flat” is a large, rectangular-shaped container with lots of space for the soil and seeds. You may find that some of the seedlings’ root systems become intertwined, as there is no divider to separate the plants.
- Soil Block – A soil block is usually compressed into cubes, and you just plant your seeds directly into it. They tend to dry out more quickly than the other options, but they can be planted right into the soil of your garden without needing to remove the plant from a container.
- Individual Containers – Instead of using a huge tray, you can always use individual containers and flower pots for starting your seeds.
- DIY Containers – Plastic egg cartons make an awesome DIY cell pack, but you can use plastic yogurt or pudding cups, paper cups, and even old milk cartons. Cut holes in the bottom to ensure the water has a way to drain out!
In addition to your seed starting containers, you’ll want some kind of lid. This will keep the moisture trapped within the container, encouraging germination. Place a tray beneath the container to catch water, especially if you are growing indoors.
Soil Mixes
You need to make sure the soil you sow in is fertile, contains the right balance of nutrients, and has the proper pH balance. To do that, you have to find the right seed-starting potting mixes.
The good news is that most seeds contain all the nutrients they need to start growing. You won’t need to look for special nutrient-rich seed-starting soil right away (not until you transplant the seedlings). Only once the first leaves begin to grow on the seedlings will you need amendments or fertilizers. For now, stick with a soil that offers:
- Plenty of air space, ensuring the seed and the newly sprouting roots have plenty of oxygen to grow. Air space also ensures proper humidity and water absorption in the soil.
- Proper moisture. Your plants need a lot of water to grow, so find a seed starting potting mix that holds moisture properly.
Also, look for soil free of toxic substances and weed seeds. You probably can’t use the soil from your garden, especially if you have sprayed chemical herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides. The chemicals in the soil will kill the seedlings before they have a chance to grow. There are usually weed seeds in your garden soil, and those weed seeds may steal the moisture and nutrients needed by the seeds, stopping them from growing.
This is why it’s always best to buy a fresh batch of seed starting mix. This way, you can be certain it’s free of weeds and any toxic substances. You can also ensure it is just the right consistency to promote healthy seed growth.
Soil Options
One popular mixture for healthy potting soil contains:
- 1 part compost (great for feeding the seeds after those first true leaves appear)
- 1 part perlite or builder’s sand (the larger particles ensure better airflow and water run-off)
- 1 to 2 parts peat moss or coconut coir
By mixing these ingredients, you’ll make the perfect soil to start your seeds growing.
If you’re going to buy a seed-starting mix from the gardening store, look for soil that is labeled as “seed-starting mix” and not “potting soil”. And, of course, don’t forget the fertilizer for later. Seaweed or fish fertilizer, compost tea, or some other organic seedling fertilizer are good options.
Unless I am making my own mix or have some soil from another gardening project, Espoma Organic Seed Starter is my go-to seed starting mix. It’s organic, has mycorrhizae to promote root growth, and works perfectly for almost any plants you need to start indoors.
Grow Lights
In order for plants to grow, they need four things:
- Light
- Water
- Heat
- Nutrients
Heat lamps provide two of the four crucial ingredients, making them an important part of your seed-starting operation! Full-grown plants don’t need as much light. But without 14 to 16 hours of illumination, seedlings won’t grow healthy and strong.
Starting seeds under lights ensures seedlings get all the light they need to grow. Even if you start your plants on a windowsill, oftentimes they still won’t get enough sunlight. But with heat lamps, you provide both the light and the heat your plants need to grow.
Epic Seed Starting Grow Lights
Grow plants year-round indoors and get strong, healthy seedlings.
Ultra-bright, full-spectrum LEDs are engineered for perfect seedlings every time.
If you’re going to use lights for starting seeds, here’s what you need to know:
- 14 hours a day is the right amount of light. You can go up to 16 hours per day if you want to encourage faster growth, but make sure the light isn’t so hot that you cause the seedlings to wither or dry out the soil.
- Keep the lights clean. The grow-light bulbs (long tubes) tend to get dusty, and that can reduce the quality and amount of light shining on your plants. Clean them regularly!
- Rotate the seedlings. The light bulbs produce the most amount of light at the center of the bulbs and the least at the ends. For this reason, you want to rotate the seedlings. Place the seedlings at the ends of the bulbs into the middle every couple of days, ensuring that the amount of light received by all the plants is equal.
- Reflect the light. To double the effectiveness of the grow-light system, install aluminum foil or mirrors to reflect the light back onto the plants. It will help to increase the amount of light absorbed by the plants and soil, leading to faster growth!
Heat Mats
There are a lot of plants (such as peppers and tomatoes) that grow better in soil that has been warmed (between 70 and 75°F or 21 and 24°C). If you are trying to start these plants from seeds, you may want a heat mat.
A heat mat is placed beneath the seed-starting containers, and the heat is absorbed by the soil. Some warming mats are designed to shut on and off automatically, using a thermostat to ensure the soil temperature remains consistent. Others have to be manually turned on and off, but you can set the precise soil temperature.
Epic Seed Starting Heat Mat
Bottom heat speeds up germination, increases plant growth, and raises the chances of success.
Simply roll the mat out, place your seed trays on top, and plug into a standard outlet.
Remember, not all seeds need heat to grow. In fact, the majority of sprouted seedlings prefer temperatures in the 50 to 60°F range (10-16°C). Once the seeds have sprouted, it’s usually best to remove the heat mats and let the soil cool down.
