NOAA has removed the specific frost date information from its website (at least as of this writing, and likely due to fairly severe budget cuts). Fortunately there are lots of other places to get that information. Here’s a link to one site ( https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates ) but there are oodles of other sites that offer frost date calculators. Just search for “last frost date.”
Seed-starting basics! See time stamps to skip to specific information:
3:01 Figuring out your last frost date
6:36 Make a seed starting chart
7:02 How to read a seed packet
9:29 Direct sow or start inside
10:45 Supplies
15:05 Planting seeds in cells
17:24 How to make soil blocks
24:27 Bottom heat
26:17 Germination! Now what?
26:45 Grow lights
29:22 Fertilizing
29:54 Hardening off
31:00 How to find more information
Thanks to Jung Seed Co. for partnering with me on this video. https://www.jungseed.com
SEED-STARTING SUPPLIES
Organic seed-starting mix: https://www.jungseed.com/product/J51009/1048
Coco coir: https://www.jungseed.com/product/J52862/1020
Seed tray without holes: https://www.jungseed.com/product/J53208/1060
Web flat: https://www.jungseed.com/product/J59429/1060
Cell insert: https://www.jungseed.com/product/J83656/1060
Humidity dome: https://www.jungseed.com/product/J53203/1060
Germination heat mats: https://www.jungseed.com/category/1047
Easy grow lights: https://www.jungseed.com/category/1032
Soil blocker: https://amzn.to/2vGhw5T
SEEDS IN THIS VIDEO
Everleaf Emerald Towers Basil: https://www.jungseed.com/product/J02367/877
Organic Sunshine Squash: https://www.jungseed.com/product/J04975/1115
SOIL BLOCK RECIPES
My recipe:
2 parts reconstituted coir fiber
2 parts sifted organic seed starting mix
1.5 parts vermiculite
.25 part (or less) bone meal
.25 part green sand
Eliot Coleman recipe (makes 1/2 bushel)
7.5 qt. peat moss
1/8 c. Lime
5 qt. perlite
1/4 c. blood meal
1/4 c. colloidal phosphate
1/4 c. green sand
2.5 qt. compost
5 qt. garden soil
READ MORE ARTICLES ON THE IMPATIENT GARDENER
How to grow in soil blocks: https://www.theimpatientgardener.com/how-to-start-seeds-in-soil-blocks/
Seed basics: https://www.theimpatientgardener.com/seed-basics/
My name is Erin and I love sharing inspiration and information with real-life gardeners. I live and garden in southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5.
#seedstaring #garden #TheImpatientGardener
As an Amazon associate I earn from qualified purchases.
You can see all my favorite products on my Amazon storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/impatientgardener
🌿Blog: https://www.theimpatientgardener.com
🌿Newsletter with exclusive content: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor…
🌿Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impatientgar…
🌿Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impatientga…
📩 erin@theimpatientgardener.com
Mailing address
The Impatient Gardener
125 E. Main St.
Port Washington, WI 53074
29 Comments
Is the worry of spider mites and aphids high when starting seeds inside? Wifey is worried about bugs taking over the house and well so am I haha This is the first year I’m trying this.
Great video, Erin, I learned a lot! Sooo tempting… I am trying to remind myself, I only have a 4×8 veggie bed…and a MAJOR rabbit problem… I like your kitchen, is it brand new or you cleared everything for the video? Love the backsplash! Your kitty is adorable, I just lost my 18y old last weekend.
Thank you for the Frost dates chart ! So helpful !!
Best teaching video on seed starting I ever heard ! Thankyou now it’s my turn to start mine.
Hey Erin~ I love your channel and the seed growing video! Any chance you could be the first to share a video on propagating plants like annuals and perennials from cuttings? It seems that nobody wants to touch that subject but I learned gardening from my Mom years ago. She taught me how to get more for your money that way when you have limited funds for gardening! And then giving some away to neighbors that you can trade with is so fun too! I like starting cuttings of coleus especially, because they grow so fast! Thanks ~ Stephanie from Southern NJ 🌱🦋🙌🏼☀️
Hi Erin, I hope you're doing well. I've asked Laura (Garden Answer) this question too but since you're the Impatient Gardener, as am I, I figure I'd ask you as well. I am planning my garden and unfortunately don't have the money to buy mature trees or even close to mature trees so I will be starting mostly from saplings. I am interested to find out how densely you can plant a garden bed i.e. can I plant a shade loving 1m x 1m shrub hard up against a tree etc. or two shrubs next to each other while factoring in their mature size, can I plant things so that they grow through one another i.e. a rose amongst a sea of agapanthus? People keep telling me to wait until my trees grow but I don't want to wait 3-10 years for saplings to grow before I can plant anything else.
Thanks for your help,
From,
Another impatient gardener.
Have you ever tried winter sowing? – Small greenhouses in milk jugs. Sure helps with long cold winters.
Great content. Perfectly timed for my N. Alabama zone 7b. Thank you 🙏
Very helpful and informative, thanks for sharing.
Love it! Very informative!
This video has made me realize I can start my seeds. When you said you have yours under grow lights in the basement, that was what opened up my eyes. I have a full basement, but I do not have a greenhouse, so this would be the way to start the seeds. I could easily set up grow lights. Thank you for setting this up in steps and demonstrating what to do.
That's a beautiful kitchen. Sorry off topic but your back splash is gorgeous!
Love your cat!
Hi Erin where can I get that green potting tray? Seems like every gardener has this. Amazon doesn’t sell it 😣 Thanks!
Don't tell anyone but, I start mine in my kitchen.
Super helpful video! Thanks for the info
Dang, the NOAA link is broken and for the LIFE of me I could not find how to determine my frost date on that site. 🙁
I tried to go to the frost dates website but the link doesn’t work. I tried googling ‘ncdc frost dates’ but can’t find that page you showed with the percentages and dates.
Thanks Erin….refer to this video many times now! 👍 Great stuff! ~Betsy Schaffitzel
Omg lol funny u mention seed starting being made into something "complicated" …this is so much more complicated than any other seed starting videos I've seen 🤯😅 and I've watched alot.. oh boy lol hmm…cant afford all the fancy gadgets..beginner..feeling overwhelmed by this😂😜
Great vid 😊
so very, very well done.
2 springs in a row last frost date has been absolutely meaningless as we all suffer through prolonged cold and freezes. 🙁
Such valuable information! I saved this video in my Gardening list to review in the Spring before I begin 💜
How is it possible that you have nothing on your counters? Are you a real estate agent, in an open house? I don't know, but everyone I know that starts seeds is a messy mess.
I have a bag of unidentified seeds of all types. I was told there are some "tree" seeds and plant seeds as well as vegetable seeds. Some of the seeds are in zip bags, some are in brown paperbags and some are in paper napkins…any suggestions on starting these seeds? My thoughts are to take of to just take maybe 3-5 seeds from each pack and start them indoors this year and as they grow, I could grow them under a grow light! What are your thoughts? I live in GA
Great tips and advice. Love the practical advice especially
Thank you for the video! I wanted to be sure that I understand that it is OK to use heat mats for germination. When do you remove the humidity dome and the heat mats? Same time after germination? Ty 🙂
Thankyou for all of the great seed information. This video was so helpful. I feel more confident now . Love all your video. Thanks