What seeds should not be started indoors
There are some plants that you don’t need to start inside. Some plants don’t do well after their roots established themselves. We should start this outside in the garden and not in the house. It doesn’t mean you can’t.
He starts everything he grows in his grow shed. He lives in southern California, so he has a much different gardening technique than I can use here in Minnesota. But he has excellent information about gardening and is entertaining to watch. Kevin is also connected to many gardeners in his area and has special videos with guests that show unique things. He had a guest that was an expert on propagation. I learned a lot about how to get more plants from plants I already have. It’s easier than you may think.
Most root vegetables are not recommended to start inside. Carrots, potatoes, beets, garlic, onion, peas, and radishes do best directly planted in the ground.
A side note about potatoes from Kevin at Epic gardening: most people tell you to plant potatoes and hill them up as they grow. Or to plant them in grow bags and add dirt as the plants grow. The hilling and adding dirt to the bags is also a pain. Kevin planted potatoes in bags. Fill the bag about one-fourth full of soil and plant the seed potatoes. Then fill them to the top with soil. It takes longer to get to the surface, but they have no problem getting there. He planted his potatoes under a foot of dirt, and they did great. I just saw that this summer. I will do it next year.
Potatoes grow the tubers from the plant and up. If you plant them this way, they will grow out and up and fill the bag with potatoes. Much easier and more productive.
Some other vegetables you want to start in their final growing place are cucumbers, carrots, squash, zucchini, beets, bush beans, lettuce, and spinach.
I started cucumbers inside this year just to experiment. They had some stress when I planted them outside, but they did great and are overtaking the entire fence of my garden. This is the back side of my garden fence. They are going strong, and I have already picked at least one hundred cucumbers from them.
It will tell you on the seed packets when to plant them inside if you need to. Sunflowers are another plant you don’t need to start inside. I did those as well; they transplanted fine and are doing well.
Some plants do not do well if you disturb their roots. You can still do it with most plants, but it is unnecessary with the ones you should not start inside.
Soil requirements
This is one of the most important parts of gardening. The soil and water are going to determine how well your plants are going to do. You can make your mixture, or you can buy commercially available soil. Making your own is work; it’s messy, and you need to ensure you have all the high-quality ingredients.
There is excellent quality soil you can buy. I buy mine because it is easier, and you know you have the right mixture. For starting seeds, you want to get a seed-starting mixture. The seed starter mix is a fine particle that won’t hinder the seed growth. It also has some fertilizer that will help the plants grow once they germinate.
Regular potting soil has bigger chunks of compost in it. It can have pieces of sticks and other things that can impede the tender seed sprouts and make them not start correctly.
You can use regular potting soil when the plants are big enough and transplant them into bigger pots.
Use raised bed soil when you plant your plants outside, in pots, or on raised beds. This is a unique blend that will not compact like regular soil. Plants grow much better in soil that is not compressed. The roots need oxygen and are much freer to grow when not in compacted soil. If you use raised beds, never walk on the ground in the beds. It will stay looser and better for the plants.
Watering
When you start seeds, you need to have a sprayer. Some people use a spray bottle. I use a garden sprayer that is well worth the money. It holds a lot more water, and it is easy to spray.
Having a sprayer is critical when you are starting seeds. You don’t want to flood the seedling and wash them away. Once the seedlings germinate and are growing, you want to bottom water the plants. We will get into how that works later.
Some say if you use tap water, let it sit for a day to let the chlorine dissipate into the air. I have never done that, and many top gardeners use tap water. I have had no issues with the plants reacting adversely to the tap water.
For water in the garden, I like these soaker hoses for ease of watering. I have six of these in my garden beds. The soakers are hooked to two splitters that I have. I have a splitter on the outside faucet with two hoses. I have two expandable 75-foot hoses. I run out to the other splitters in the garden and water the beds at the ground level to get the plants deep-watered.
Containers
For starting flowers and smaller veggies, I like these starter trays. The reasons I prefer these starter trays are that they are not that expensive, and they have bigger holes in the bottom. The bigger holes make pushing the root and plant out of the starter tray much more manageable. Also, the trays are clear plastic, so you can see how the seeds are growing and if it is getting root bound, so you need to repot the plants. They are also easy to clean and reusable many times.
These four-inch pots I use for peppers and tomatoes to start. You can also use solo cups which work ok, but you need to have holes in the bottom for drainage, and you need to have five holes to work the best. I like these four-inch pots because they are inexpensive and have good drainage.
These 6-inch pots I used to repot the tomatoes. The peppers can stay in the four-inch pots until they are ready to go outside. Also, they are very inexpensive.
If you have the space, you can start the tomatoes in the six-inch pots. The main reason for starting seeds in smaller containers is space. You can use starter trays with more cells if you are starting many tomatoes.
If you get a ten-pack of these trays, you can put a lot of four-inch pots in these trays to make them easier to move and work with. You can also get these with holes in them so you can use them as an under tray and use the ones with holes to grow plants inside. I grow spinach and lettuce in the house year-round in these pans.
I use the bigger seed starter trays for flowers, mostly. I then up plant the flower into bigger pots like these. We can use this outside when they are ready to be moved outside. Start in the forty cell trays and then up the pot to the final planters.
Grow bags are a great addition for gardeners. They are better for plants than plastic because the plants won’t get root bound. The roots grow out to the fabric and don’t turn because they can still get oxygen and they stop growing there. They start new roots instead. The grow bags are also reusable and come in many sizes.
These are the ones that I use. I have them in every size they make, and I use them for many types of plants.
Almost anything will work as a container for planting. Not all planters are good, but with proper care, they will work. These are the ones that I have found the most useful.