Starting seeds indoors can be daunting. There are mistakes that could cost you your seedlings. But if you know the most common mistakes ahead of time, you can be successful with starting seeds indoors.
MENTIONED VIDEO
Prevent & Control Fungus Gnats: https://youtu.be/LtqoAr2hX3Y?si=mh-rppeN7OpId-1G
MENTIONED PRODUCTS
Heat Mat (Small): https://amzn.to/3vzTybu
Heat Mat (Large): https://amzn.to/3O0y1iB
Moisture Controlled Seed Tray: https://bit.ly/47CdQhI
Professional Grow Light: https://amzn.to/3vfNJev
Table of Contents
00:32 – When to Start Seeds Indoors
01:36 – To Cold to Start Seeds
03:04 – Lighting for Starting Seeds
05:53 – Don’t Be too Nice to Your Seedlings
07:04 – Should I Water Seedlings from Above or Below?
08:50 – Bonus! Simple Way to Harden Off Your Seedlings
——————————-
Hey Guys, I’m Brian from Next Level Gardening
Welcome to our online community! A place to be educated, inspired and hopefully entertained at the same time! A place where you can learn to grow your own food and become a better organic gardener. At the same time, a place to grow the beauty around you and stretch that imagination (that sometimes lies dormant, deep inside) through gardening.
I’m so glad you’re here!
(Some of the links here are affiliate links. If you purchase through our links we’ll receive a small commission that helps support our channel, but the price remains the same, or better for you!)
PRODUCTS I USE AND LOVE: https://www.nextlevelgardening.tv/products-i-love
WHERE TO FIND ME
– Our Website: https://www.nextlevelgardening.tv
– Our Second Channel, NEXT LEVEL HOMESTEAD: https://www.youtube.com/nextlevelhomestead
– The School of Traditional Skills: https://bit.ly/3zoFWy1
– Instagram: www.instagram.com/nextlevelgardening
– Our Facebook Garden Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nextlevelgardeners
39 Comments
I heard people use one tray for different type of seeds that may require different germination conditions, heat vs no heat as an example. Also, labelling them can save a lot of headaches at a later.
Something I learned again just today, check your sowed seeds daily. Yesterday their was not one shishito pepper up in the tray I planted them in, this morning dozens of plants were up, bam I removed the cover and got them under the lights. Even a day or two you can get leggy plants without proper lighting.
I just learned that I am a lazy hardener-off. I have been taking starts out to a dappled light area of a morning & bringing them in as the sun starts to set. I do check them to be sure they are looking okay throughout the day.
Part of my logic is that we have nice days long before the risk of frost is past. I can use my lights for more starts once I have some using the sun for light.
Brian,
I know exactly how your fan sounds. It sounds like me in the morning! 😉😆
There is a term, Lumens is for Humans.. PAR, or even betterm PUR, is for plants. You can have a million lumen light but if that light is all in the 500nm spectrum nothing will grow. Also Far Red (emerson effect) and UV are very important for plants and missing in 99% of lights, especially LEDs.
Brian,
Fungus gnats–ugh! Drain flies, too! 😝 Been there, done that–thank goodness for BT!
Brian I’ve tried many things thru the years for fungus gnats & my best solution has been to boil water & sterilize my soil like you suggested, but then if I see any I use the sticky traps for the adults & add Gnatrol to my water when watering seedlings & plants(which is expensive but the most effective) I have found it sold in packets which is more affordable. But that has erradicated any problem I’ve had!!
This is perfect timing for me – I have all the seed and seed starting stuff ready to go but haven’t started anything. I am so unsure of the right timing. Brian – you are the best!!
I live in CA. I do not need to use heat mats. I buy mini greenhouse containers(seed trays with a top). If I put these on the window seal or right next to LED grow lights, it gets up to 80 degrees with the house temp being 65 degrees.
My mistake was not tuning into your channel years ago
The game changer for me was babying the seedlings inside until they become plants. If my tomatoes and peppers are 12-16" tall I just stick them straight in the ground with no hardening off.
Also, I think every gardener should have several drosera capensis specimens to take care of fungus gnats, as well as whatever you bring into your kitchen via your store-bought fruit. They're small enough to tuck into several places and as long as you don't water them with tap water, they last forever and continually split off into new plants.
My Bell Pepper is on its 4th year and brought in each fall to spring, and it gets window light and some heat in the Am and Pm. with a 4 led light, that I know its a led strip, nothing more.
Great timing as I was sitting here with my calendar & seed packets writing all my start/plant dates 💚 will be starting seeds for the first time (I’m 71 😆)! Usually just buy 6 packs, but they’re so hard to find & $5 for a 3-4” pot is just ridiculous! Plus there’s so much more variety to choose from if you start seeds 👍
Newer windows have a uv coating that doesn't let strong light in. Grow lights r a must in most cases. Another thing is to put seeds requiring the same warmth, same germination days and light requirements in same trays. I don't put peppers and tomatoes in same tray.
How many hours/day does the light stay on?
Another easy way to harden off is to put your seedlings on a table (with a light) in the garage near the door. Simply open and close the door as needed. During this time my car sits in the driveway.
Bravissimo need to be planted outside in zone 6 earlier. Advice for that. Please
My lazy method for hardening off is putting them somewhere that they get morning light but are in partial to full shade for the afternoon. Because we have a good month or more of warm days but cold nights I do the plant hokey pokey for a lot of days before they go in the ground. But letting them stay outside in the sun and wind for the day does make for very strong plants when they get in the ground.
The first mistake you made in this video was your spelling. It's "too early" not "to early".
Brian, I don't know how to find your recommendations like the grow light. Where do I find that? Thanks so much.
The ultimate lazy way to harden before planting…. use a 60% garden shade tarp or an old white sheet as shade with a couple of 6 foot folding tables under them. That way if no shade is in the forecast, you can still be lazy.
Walmart sells a grow light bargain. HyperTough 4ft LED shop light 5500lm X 5000K $19.98
!
No. 2 the temperature. This was a problem until I started to simply put them on the floor, onto our floor heating. 😀
Thank you for all the information you provide
When I harden off I put my plants in an area that only gets about 4-5 hours afternoon sun then I put 40% shade cloth over them for a few days then remove the shade cloth and leave them in the afternoon sun for 3-4 more days then plant.
Thank you for the tips
Hardening Off – Can it also be done by Placing the Plants UNDER some sort of clear covering like an Opaque Plastic Tent
??? How do you handle this situation: say you have a full flat of seeds, with the cover on, and they come up sporadically, two in one pack, three in another, one in another. The ones that came up are getting taller. Do you leave all in the covered flat transplant those that come up ( this is what I’m currently doing) or take cover off and hope rest come up?
Biggest starting mistake, is not labeling the plants , saying "I'll remember, what they are and when you started them. Dates are important for different plants to start/change. Thanks for your knowledge
Good info Brian. I've made most of these mistakes in the past, but I'm to the point where I have a pretty good handle on these things. One thing I have not been able to get a definitive answer on is lighting lumens. I have 6 led shop light tubes on each shelf of my grow rack. Each individual light is 2000 lumen and 6500 kelvin. So do I still have 2000 lumen or does it multiply with the number of lights, producing 12,000 lumen per shelf? They work fine as is, I'm just curious. Thanks from Oregon.
Those Gardener's Supply wicking seed trays are wonderful in hot environments where you would otherwise have to water seedling every day without fail. They give you a longer grace period and have definitely saved my seedling butt from frying the little guys.
place your seeds in a paper bag or cardboard box with a ripe banana for a couple of weeks. i have experimented with this for over 20yrs and it makes your plants far more robust. not sure if i have posted this here before but it works and it is easy to try 🙂
You have to put the seedlings on top of the refrigerator because the top is warm. You didn’t say that Brian I hope people realize you don’t put them in the refrigerator.
Light meter! If you have a light meter, you can quickly measure the light intensity anywhere on your seedlings. I have an app on my phone that measures Lux. 1 lumen will produce 1 lux over one sq meter. You'll be surprised how the intensity drops off as you get away from the source, or off toward the edges. Once you know how many Lux you need, it's easy to adjust the intensity or height to get what you want. If you take the meter out in direct sunlight, you will be amazed how much more intense the sun is.
Great guidelines for sure, Brian as they apply to any plants, any climate. Everyone can use these basics to start a great crop of seedlings!👍🏻
I just started using the Seedtime program and it seems like it will be great for planning the garden and know when to start which seeds. There's a free version that let's you have access to most of the features. Highly recommend checking it out.
Using a backing of aluminum foil to keep the light were you want it (on the plants) and not lighting the room around them. This makes a big difference.
No problem, I winter sowing using plastic milk cartons! 😅😊😂
I feel I always start my peppers too early and end up topping and trimming them indoors to save space