How to Grow Plants from Seeds

Choose seeds. Garden stores can recommend seeds that are easy to grow in your climate at the right time of year. Vegetables that are great for the beginner gardener are: green beans, lettuce, and basil. Sunflowers, daisies, and poppies are the easiest flowers to grow from seeds. ^{[1] [2]}

• New seeds are more likely to germinate than old seeds.
• Collecting seeds from your own trees or fruits is risky but also very enjoyable. Due to cross pollination or grafting (grafting from one tree to another), the seedlings may not be the same as the parent plant.

Determine when to plant. In most cases, you need to start sowing the seeds indoors. However, this depends on the type of tree. For example, lettuce and green beans will grow better when planted directly in the ground outdoors. In this case you can plant before the spring frosts are over. Good cold-tolerant plants can be planted outdoors in late winter or early spring. Plants that do well in warm weather need a later sowing time (mid-spring or late spring) so that by the time it gets warmer the plants are ready to go outdoors.

• It usually takes three to six weeks for a seed to germinate, grow into a healthy plant and be ready to go outdoors, but it can take up to 15 weeks for some plants. ^[3]

Choose a seed pot. Seeds sown outdoors are often vulnerable to pests and bad weather. The survival rate will be higher if you take care of the seedlings indoors. Seeding trays sold at gardening stores are of course convenient, but you can also use small pots with drainage holes.

• Before reusing the old potted plant, you need to wash it thoroughly with soap and water. Dip the basin in a solution of one part household bleach and nine parts hot water, then let it dry. This step will kill microorganisms that may be harmful to the seeds. ^[4]
• Some plants, such as lettuce, cucumbers, watermelons and sunflowers, can be damaged when they are taken out to grow if their roots are severed. Instead, you can seed these plants outdoors after the last frost of spring, or plant each seed in a separate cell in a perforated seeding tray and lay the whole block down as you plant. ^[5]

Mix seeding soil. Mixing the soil yourself is quite simple and much less expensive than buying soil at the store. You just need to mix perlite, vermiculite and coir (or peat moss) in equal proportions. This mixture is porous and drains quickly, which helps prevent root rot and allows the shoots to rise above the ground. ^[6] Moisten the seeding soil and pour it into the tray until it is about 0.6 cm from the top of the tray. Use a clean object to compact the soil firmly and evenly. Let excess water drain before continuing to the next step. ^[7]

• If using store-bought soil, you should check to see if it contains compost. If so, you don’t need to fertilize the seedlings. (Don’t try to add compost to your home mix the first time you plant a tree – this will cause more trouble than good.)
• If using peat moss instead of coir, you should add a little hot water to make it easier to mix. ^[8] Since peat moss is acidic, you can add lime (calcium carbonate) to your garden to balance it out. Try making ¼ teaspoon of lime for every 4 quarts of the potting mix. ^[9]

Drills. If the seeding soil is dry, you need to water it to keep it moist before sowing. Read the instructions on the seed packet for exact spacing and depth of sowing, or follow these instructions: ^[10]

• Common tray, single seed: Spread seeds loosely and evenly throughout the tray.
• General tray, a variety of seeds: Use a clean ruler to draw shallow rows, 2.5–5cm apart. Drop the seeds of each type into separate rows. Label each row.
• Separate pots or seeding trays with holes: Sow one large seed (such as cucumber or watermelon seeds) or two small seeds (such as most sunflower seeds) into each pot.

Fill with soil according to the size of the seed. The rule to follow is to bury the seed at a depth twice the seed diameter. Most tiny seeds need light to germinate, including plants like petunia, lettuce, and wolfberry. You just need to sprinkle the seeds on the surface of the soil.

• Dry vermiculite or crushed sphagnum moss (not peat moss) is ideal for mulching, but you can use a seeding mix instead. ^[11]
• Lightly cover the seeds with a layer of soil. If you compress too tightly, it may be difficult for the shoots to penetrate the compacted soil.

Lock in moisture with plastic wrap. Seeds are very susceptible to damage because of too high or too low humidity. A layer of plastic wrap or a plastic bag will help keep moisture in the soil until the seeds germinate. ^[12]

• Most seeding trays purchased at the garden center come with a cover film to keep moisture inside. If not, you can make a miniature greenhouse to replace or grow seedlings in an old aquarium and cover.

Place the seed tray in a warm place with indirect sunlight. If there are no specific temperature instructions on the nut package, you should maintain a daytime temperature of about 18–24ºC, and a night temperature no lower than 13ºC. ^[13] Place a heating pad under the seeding tray if the room temperature is below this. Most nuts grow well in bright light, but you should avoid direct sunlight if the tray is covered with plastic.

• Some seeds germinate well in complete darkness, including tomato seeds, calendula, calendula, and coriander. Block out light with black plastic wrap or cardboard. ^[14]
• If you want to maximize your chances of success, you can find out the specific temperature of the variety you want to grow. However, usually you will lose some seeds because of the improper temperature, or the seeds take longer to germinate.

Check the humidity every day or every other day. If the soil mixture looks dry, place the seeding tray in another tray of water. The soil will absorb water from the bottom of the seeding tray. ^[15] This is less risky than watering from above, because then the seeds can be washed away or too much water.

• As noted above, plastic wrap is sufficient to retain moisture during seed germination. This step is for assistance only.