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8 Seed Starting Mistakes To Avoid
In Vegetable Gardening

8 Seed Starting Mistakes To Avoid



Seed Starting Doesn’t Have To Be Hard! The path to seed starting success is with eliminating the most common mistakes growers make. Today, I have 8 big ones. Take out these blunders and you’ll be a seed starting master!

As mentioned in the video, here’s are a few products that have worked well for me for starting your own seeds indoors:

LED Grow Lights:

SpiderFarmer SF1000: https://amzn.to/40RMVxi
SpiderFarmer SF2000: https://amzn.to/4jRpL2w
Mars Hydro TS600: https://amzn.to/4guoxaF
Mars Hydro FC1500: https://amzn.to/42RU17H

Seed Starter Trays:

Gardzen 5-Tray Kit: https://amzn.to/4hN9utP
72-cell seedling trays: https://amzn.to/3CJQ4Ho
2010 Seedling tray bottoms: https://amzn.to/4137M1U

Heat Mats:

Vivosum 2-pack: https://amzn.to/4gvISws
Vivosum Heat Mat with Thermostat: https://amzn.to/416t4vG

For those who are interested, I have created a template of my Garden Journal that I use for all my plant record-keeping. Its a free PDF that you can save, print, and share as much as you like for NO COST! Modify it, add to it, or simply just use it as a starting point to begin journaling your growing success! https://courses.theripetomatofarms.ca/collections

If you’re growing for the first time and don’t know where to start, I have a free class designed just for you! I call it the 5 Keys To A Successful Vegetable Garden and its completely free. Check it out here: https://courses.theripetomatofarms.ca/courses/5Keys

I also have my main course still taking enrollments, Vegetable Gardening Basics. If you ever wanted to fast-track your mastery of gardening for food, this is the course for you. Check it out here!: https://courses.theripetomatofarms.ca/courses/vegetable-gardening-basics

Also, the website is now featuring in-depth articles, covering all your favorite gardening topics that we talk about here on the YouTube channel. To stay up to date, check it out at the link here: https://theripetomatofarms.ca/

2025 is the year we take our gardening to the next level! Time to eliminate the mistakes, cultivate more, and grow better. We deserve it after the last little while, and growing our own food and self sufficiency is just the reward we need!

For more information on all your gardening questions, check out my other videos!:

Grow Bigger Peppers!: https://youtu.be/romzsRwGQSs?si=OZ5sbzA2ue0XYkjA
11 September Gardening Tasks: https://youtu.be/ugqaMwM2Cfc?si=PelfddTlaJJtiAhL
Strawberry Runners The Definitive Guide!: https://youtu.be/TewWAJz_KkA
DIY Safe and Natural Aphid Spray: https://youtu.be/LJTK8jk7g1k
How To Grow Strawberries!: https://youtu.be/T6-s7NomNTY
Fertilizing Strawberries: https://youtu.be/vZdsdcWCdOw
How To Grow Garlic: https://youtu.be/UgbWxSqpqws
Baking Soda Aphid and Insect Spray: https://youtu.be/320D-41xt-M
6 Benefits Of Hydrogen Peroxide!: https://youtu.be/jU4N5PLKX7M
Pruning Pepper Plants Experiment!: https://youtu.be/s6jh_tcMfVw
Direct Seeding vs Starter Plant: https://youtu.be/TQWWtQu-r9U
100% Germination?: https://youtu.be/FqZ8tFrhWv0
Seed Starting Soil: https://youtu.be/OlLHCtHI6JY
Seed Starting 101, The Basics!: https://youtu.be/bRWac1OpxPY
Starting Tomato Seeds: https://youtu.be/qlEp0iDfB-k
Starting Pepper Seeds: https://youtu.be/mNqS1FpPWW8
Starting Cucumber Seeds: https://youtu.be/7aWeBavfubE
Starting Zucchini Seeds: https://youtu.be/LgHKLftASTQ
DIY Ultimate Potting Mix: https://youtu.be/cP-7_7YT9jk

#seedstarting #seed #seeds

32 Comments

  1. @sandyhayden-bristow1382

    Short, sweet and to the point….a great road map to successful seeding. Timing, like this video, is everything. I so want to start my seeds but with a last frost date in spring being May, patience gets tested. 😉

  7. @amymadden4631

    Thanks so much for all of this information! I realize I have made so many of these mistakes ! I have not had a lot of luck with growing carrots ever. Is there any point in starting them inside? What is a good soil to use for them? Is it possible to grow them in grow bags? Will look to see if you have other videos on this too! Thanks again.

  8. @georgekaplan5205

    You mentioned that there is a lighting exception for onions. Can you clarify what the exception is and if it applies to large cooking type onions or to also bunching green onions? Thanks

  9. @JimmyParker-y3n

    First batch of seedlings looking great here! First year using a heating mat, and what a difference! Great info as always. ✌️

  11. @dorothyfu7540

    TRT I wonder if you ever tried germinating seeds using the 'coffee filter' method. It's foolproof. Seeds germinate in 3-4 days instead of the usual 7-10 days, or 7-9 days instead of the usual 10-14 days. It's faster. When the cotyledons are out, you plant them in the cell packs. No waste of cell space. Plant the amount of seedlings you neeed plus extras. Very controlled environment. No dampling off worries. For seeds that may need light, place the coffee filters under a light or on windowsills. Example: celery usually take 21 days to germinate. With coffee filter, they germinated in 8 days.

  12. @dontswitchoff607

    Already started peppers here in alberta. I need as big a plant possible to actually get a harvest. Hard to time it right for sure!

  15. @ugib8377

    Man I am excited to get this year going. Last year was my first from seed endeavor. The 8-9 varieties I did start myself went absolutely nuts. Had an absolute jungle out back. This year I counted 28 different varieties, all taken from out back last year. If I can get them all to start, I am going to be quite pleased.

    Thanks for the breakdown. Looked it up and mid march is the time for me to get cracking! I also got an oyster mushroom grow kit for Christmas, which I am itching to get set up.

    I am WAY more experienced with mycology over botany. I plan to take spore prints, and set up a liquid culture from them. So I can propagate and harvest all the mushrooms I'll ever need for my culinary endeavors! Got a whole bale of hay just waiting to flush out some shrooms!

  16. @TheRipeTomatoFarms

    If you're growing vegetables for the first time and don't know where to start, or maybe you've given them and other crops a solid try but had hoped for better results, I have a free class designed just for you! I call it the 5 Keys To A Successful Vegetable Garden and its completely free, check it out here: https://courses.theripetomatofarms.ca/courses/5Keys. Also, for those who are interested, I have created a template of my Garden Journal that I use for all my plant record-keeping. Its a free PDF that you can save, print, and share as much as you like for NO COST! Modify it, add to it, or simply just use it as a starting point to begin journaling your growing success! https://courses.theripetomatofarms.ca/collections

  17. @Maggie-eq4cd

    Hi Jeff I will be watching this many times. Although I take notes from your wonderful videos. It good to have your tutorials. Thank you for great info. Maggie UK

  18. @joemccall8991

    Cutting back this year, just sixteen 50-cell trays of the usual suspects. Always fun to see things germinate and then which seeds need a little encouragement (or re-seeding).

  20. @joemccall8991

    So Jeff, it has to be more than 4-6 weeks before last frost in your area. Are you getting an early start and plan to up-pot all of these lovely seedlings? That's what I do of course but it's work, work, work all day long.

  24. @JUJUBEES2020

    First time gardener and literally nothing I sow in ground pops up. The seedling trays at least give me micro greens and well, micro wins 😅

  29. @Scott-hl7om

    I'm just a hobbyist. I grow six tomato plants a year. I have always started them in clear Solo-like cups in a commercial seed starting mix. After about four weeks or so, the newest, youngest leaf growth begins to "burn". Crisp. It happens on certain tomato varieties, not all, but it has happened every year. My dwarf Rosella Purple variety gets hit the worst.

    Luckily, it happens so late in the seed starting cycle that I have been able to start hardening them off outside sooner than I would otherwise, and the exposure to the outside air for 2-3 weeks before I transplant them seems to help them recover. After a ton of research, I remain unsure what the problem is. I'm leaning toward something called edema, but I'm not certain. My understanding is that greenhouse growers without proper ventilation experience edema more than other growers. But I do not grow in a greenhouse. I grow under lights in my kitchen, but I have no fan. So this year I've purchased a small fan to see if that solves the problem.

    Does it sound to you like my plants may be suffering from edema? Second question. Do you think starting the tomatoes in Solo-like cups is contributing to the issue? It occurs to me the seed starting mix at the bottom of the cup may stay moist while the mix at the top of the cup gets really dry. Maybe that is part of the problem? I have a small six plug tray that I'm thinking about using to get them germinated this year, then transfer to a larger cup in a few weeks.

    Thanks for the great vids and any thoughts you care to share.

  31. @valjalava1951

    Great video,just wondering do you keep the plants on a heat mat till they get there true leaves then take them off the heat

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