Growing Seedlings Indoors

Spring is the time to plant your garden, whether it be a vegetable garden or a flower garden. But in some regions, this season is too brief, due to the late arrival of the last frost. In such cases, growing seedlings indoors can be beneficial, as you will be ready with young plants as the growing season begins. If you go for sowing seeds as the growing season begins, slow growing plants may suffer, as they may not bloom or produce fruits and flowers before the first frost. Growing seeds indoors is beneficial for plants like tomatoes and peppers, which require a long and warm growing period, for giving good yield. You may start growing seedlings indoors with the onset of spring and be ready with plants to be planted in the garden, when it warms up outdoors in late spring.

How to Grow Seeds Indoors

First of all, you have to plan your garden layout, which all plants you want to grow, etc. Once, you are ready with the plant, start collecting the materials required for the task. The most important raw material is the seeds, which have to be sown. Other things include containers for growing seeds indoors, which can be anything, like paper cups, yogurt containers, egg shells, etc., provided, they have good drainage. You can use more sophisticated and specially designed germination trays too. You need some sterile seed starting mix too.

• While some seeds require more time to germinate, others take very little time. So, plan accordingly. Some of the seeds have to be sown at least 12 weeks before the last frost date of the region. Others can be started before two weeks.
• Now, take the containers for growing seedlings inside. If there is no drainage facility, then punch holes in the containers. Before adding seed starting mix, you have to sterilize the containers by washing them in warm water. Now, add sterile seed starting mix, which is considered best for growing seedlings indoors. It contains no soil and so, you can prevent diseases in the baby plants. You may also use a mixture of perlite, vermiculite and peat for growing seedlings from seeds. But, it is better not to use ordinary garden soil, so as to avoid soil-borne diseases.
• Once the container is ready with proper drainage and is filled with seed starting mixture, you can start sowing seeds. You must follow the instructions given in the seed package, as the depth of planting seeds may vary from one type to another. In general, it is said that bigger seeds have to be planted deeper than the smaller ones and very small seeds, have to be scattered on the surface of the starting mixture. In case of very small seeds, you don't have to cover the seeds, as it may prevent the germination process.
• Once, you are done with sowing seeds, water the containers gently. Don't soak the mixture in water. You can either keep the containers in a tray filled with water or sprinkle small amounts of water at regular intervals.
• Check for the temperature requirements of the seeds in the seed packet. Some may need warm temperatures, while some other seeds require cool settings. Place the containers in places, which provide the perfect temperature settings for seed germination.
• You may also place the containers in closed plastic bags, in order to conserve moisture. In such cases, water droplets may appear inside the bag. You have to open the bag for some time. Check the containers regularly and once the seeds germinate, remove the containers from plastic bags and place them in windowsills or other indoor locations, where there is bright light.
• You may also place the growing seedlings under lights, and the seedlings should get at least fourteen to sixteen hours of light exposure per day. Lighting systems, specially made for this purpose, can also be used.

Now, you know how to start and grow plants from seed and growing seedlings indoors. Make sure that there is no danger of frost to the baby plants, as you prepare for planting them in the garden. Wait for transplanting, till the weather outdoors reaches about 50 degree range at night. Before transplanting, water the seedlings as well as the locations, where you plan to plant the seedlings. It is better to transplant them in the evening, when there is no direct sunlight. Water the baby plants, as soon as you transplant them and continue watering them everyday for one week. You can reduce the frequency of watering, once the plants get adjusted to the outdoor atmosphere.