SEED STARTING

Starting seeds indoors - quick overview and tips:

1. A divided tray with lots of cells with drainage holes for planting the seeds. It doesn’t have to have cells, but there’s less root damage when you transplant them if they’ve started individually.  Some people plant two seeds per cell.

2. A solid tray/flat without drainage to put under the tray listed above.  Even if your trays drain onto a garage or other floor with a drain, you’ll still need this so you can water seedlings from below.

3. Any good, sterile potting mix. It is not necessary to buy a special seed-starting mix; usually available at your local garden or hardware store.

4. Plastic wrap or dome, useful for keeping seeds moist as they germinate.

5. A seed-starting heat mat for each flat.

6. Fluorescent or LED bulbs in a height-adjustable fixture. It doesn't need to be fancy, can be a shop light (10,000 + lumens).

7. Seedlings should gradually be hardened off over a week to two before transplanting to the garden. Start hardening off by putting seedlings outside for a few hours in shade or dappled sunlight, protected from wind, and bringing them inside before temperatures drop.  Gradually increase the time spent outside.

Refer to https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/starting-seeds-indoors for future information.