Seed Starting Guide: All About Starting Plants From Seeds

This seed starting guide will help you to figure out everything about starting your own seeds - why to do it, where to find the seed varieties, step-by-step tutorials, and more.

Winter is a great time to start thinking about the garden. Not only is it a great way to combat the winter blues, but you can use the outdoor garden down-time to plan and dream. And then - start some seeds indoors!

Starting my own seeds opened a whole new gardening world for me, so I've written quite a bit about it through the years hoping to open that same world for you.

To make it easy for you to find all the tutorials and articles I'm bringing them all together in one place as an ultimate seed starting guide to give you all the "why, where, and how" of seed starting.

In this guide, you'll find all the things you'll need to begin growing plants from seeds as well as tips to help you grow strong seedlings.

With lots of detailed information and ways to simplify the process, this guide is perfect for growing vegetables from seed for both beginners, as well as more experienced gardeners.

What's the big deal with seeds?

It wasn't until I started growing my own vegetables and flowers from seed that I truly felt like a "gardener."

To be able to choose and plant what we want, when we want to, means we have control over the types of plants we grow as well as when to plant them for our specific timing.

Plus, there's something a little magical about planting a tiny seed, seeing it spring to life, growing it, and then eating or enjoying the fruits and flowers.

It's a beautiful thing.

Through trial and error in growing my own plants from seeds, I found some methods that consistently produce viable starts that then grew to produce lots of flowers and fruit.

Above all, I found it was easier than I thought.

And saved so much money. Why pay $2-$3 for a tomato start when I could pay that for a packet of seeds that would last 2-3 years?

That's why I encourage every gardener to try growing some seeds indoors before the gardening season, as well as outdoors directly in the ground.

I'm pretty sure that once you do, you will be a 'seed gardener' for life!

Seed Starting Guide

Why Start Plants From Seeds?

If you aren't sold on starting your own seeds yet, here are the top four reasons it's a good idea to start your vegetables - and flowers - from seed.

Well, at least some of your plants.

You don't have to start all your garden from seed if it doesn't work for you. I don't pressure myself to start every last thing from seed - especially when I want only one plant (an example from my garden is tomatillos).

But it's wonderful having broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower (or your favorite strain of marigolds) ready to go out in the garden when you're ready to plant and not just when the stores start carrying them.

Plus, you can grow exotic flowers and the newest vegetables from seed that you won't find in the nurseries.

Starting Seeds for a Fall Garden

Need another reason to start your plants from seed? It makes having a fall vegetable garden easy!

You can have the varieties and number of plants you want all ready to go when you need to plant.

Garden centers and nurseries may have nothing for the fall or if they do, it's even more limited than spring planting.

Where to Buy Seeds

If you have a reputable store that sells good quality seeds, you can buy them there, but buying seed packets from catalogs will give you the most variety.

There are a couple other great reasons to get on a nursery's mailing list:

• Reading the catalogs is also a good way to learn about gardening.
• You can get TONS of information about different varieties, growing conditions, and harvesting tips.
• You have more choices about organic and treated seeds.
• You can compare prices and sizes of seed packets.

When you only buy from a store, you are really limited to a few varieties for each type of vegetable or flower. It's simply a matter of space for the store.

There are no limits like that for catalogs, so you are free to read about and try new varieties, or stick with your tried-and-true favorites.

If you have a seed company that is close to your area and also has a catalog you are doubly blessed, because then you know the growing information will be spot-on for your garden, too.

Here are some of my favorite catalogs:

• Pinetree Garden Seeds (my number 1 for cost and selection)
• Territorial Seed Company (local for me)
• Nichol's Garden Nursery (also considered local for me)
• Johnny's Selected Seeds (great organic option, though prices are higher)

You can read more about these companies in this article about my favorite gardening catalogs.

I encourage you to go to their websites and fill out the form for a catalog to be sent to you.

While I always place my order online, there's something wonderful about slowly reading through a garden catalog, marking the seeds you're interested in, with a cup of tea in the winter.

Once you have your seeds, you might wonder where to keep them from year to year.

Here's my simple system to organize and buy seeds each year (and it's space-saving and cheaper than many you see online!).

How to Start Vegetable Seeds Indoors (& Flowers, too)

How to Start Plants From Seeds

If you're sold on growing some of your plants indoors and you've bought your seeds, then you'll want to read through this simple step-by-step tutorial using only basic (i.e., not expensive) equipment.

Each step is pictured of how to start seedlings at home to take any mystery out of it, as well as the equipment you need to have.

How to Care For Seedlings

I always thought seed starting tutorials left me hanging after the seeds sprouted. So I created three more how-to articles to show you how to treat your baby seedlings at every stage of indoor growth through planting as part of the Vegetable Gardening 101 series:

• Caring For Seedlings at One Week
• Caring For Seedlings at Six Weeks  Including the dreaded (at least for me!) "hardening them off" stage to prepare them for outdoor life.
• How to Plant Seedlings in the Garden See when to transplant seedlings from seed tray, complete with lots of pictures of how I prepare my beds and plant the different types of vegetables.

And if you'd like a good laugh, here is what might happen to your seeds if you have a dog that goes crazy one night. (Spoiler: everything was okay!)

Seed Varieties to Try:

• Seeds: New Vegetable Varieties + Tried & True Favorites
• Why I Love Emerite Pole Beans (& Why Pole Green Beans Are Better Than Bush)

More Seed Starting Tips

Finally, here are some other places to find tips for starting plants from seed:

• 10 Seed Starting Tips from Fine Gardening.
• Best Seed Starting Tips from Mother Earth News.
• Starting Plants from Seeds by the University of Minnesota Extension.