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My husband has been bitten by the gardening bug. A few days ago, he arrived home with a bag full of seed packets and a few of these seed starter kits. Remember that we are now in a much smaller house, and no longer have a sunroom, so I wasn’t sure where he planned to set up his little production. To my surprise, he planted the seeds right at the kitchen table. He set up the trays near the sunny window and left them for a few days. We were greeted with these beauties just a couple of days later!
So these seed starter kits really work? I suppose they do, with the right sort of methods. Other than the basics — you’ll need plenty of light in a controlled temperature environment. In addition to that, here’s what Mr. Savingsinseconds did to earn such success.
- Use a soil mix that’s formulated for seed starting. Some kits come with them; if not, you have it delivered straight to your door from Amazon.
- He put 3 – 5 seeds in each container. Once the seeds start to grow, you’ll need to thin them to avoid overcrowding. It always breaks my heart to thin them; however, it allows the stronger plant to develop a better root system.
3. The plants can develop mold — this is called “damping off.” I’ve read that you can use a weak hydrogen peroxide solution to kill the mold without harming the seedling. I usually just scrape it off and scale back on the watering.
4. When the seedlings are getting tall like these, it’s time to repot. You can put them in a larger pot, or move them into the ground. I’m planning to try these coconut fiber seed pots, since I’ve had good success with coconut fiber in the past. These are convenient, too, because they can be planted directly into the ground once the soil warms up.
5. If you don’t have enough room for an in-ground garden, why not try containers? Some, like the Earthbox, allow your plants to develop a root system that obtains water as needed. I love them! They can also be moved under cover when the weather decides to backlash mid-spring. Here’s what my plants look like after nestling into their Earthboxes.
If you’ve been wondering about starting a garden this year, it’s time to give it a go! A seed starter kit might just be your ticket! You might be able to grow food for your table, with the satisfaction of knowing that you grew it from start to finish.
Wow. That’s amazing. Thanks for showing proof that it works. I really want a seed starter kit now.
My apartment doesn’t have a place to plant things. Love to grow some like this.
I always wondered if they did or not. Really good to know!
Can’t wait to garden
Me and my sister just got my niece flowers and seeds to plant. My niece is 4, she enjoys being out and watering plants, so now she’ll have her own garden to water ?
I’ve never used a starter kit but I did about the same thing. I just planted seeds in some seed starting potting soil in miniature 1 inch pots last year and we grew a full garden. Some transplanted better than others. I think I’m going to try bigger pots and see if that will help them transplant when they are bigger and stronger. Your garden looked great!
I really like this idea and I really don’t have much space but I love gardening in my home, I have a small space in my kitchen put aside for this,
@tisonlyme143
I keep thinking it’s Spring and here we have snow coming this weekend.
I am an avid gardener but dont get to start many seeds. I have 5 cats who see dirt and sprouts and eat them! I am wanting one of the click and grow systems and those might work.
I love seed starter kits and use them every year to get my garden started.
I so want to do this! With 2 dogs and a cat, who all own the house, I can’t seem to find a place (maybe a closet??? lol).
Thanks for this review. I’ve always wanted to try them, now I think I will.
I haven’t used these before. They look awesome though. I’ll have to try them now! 🙂
Wish I had a garden to plant these in.
I would like to try starting an herb garden from a seed starter kit.
I will be playing with these in early spring next year. Even though we had a decent summer, we need that extra month to grow better, so this will come in handy.
I start seeds every year for my garden. It’s so fun to watch them grow!
I love this idea. I don’t know why I never thought of this before. We have a big bright sunny window we can use for this.
Yes seed starters gives your plants a head start of growing. Not a lot of work to them either.
Dont need a lot of space to start them either
How great that these can be started inside.
I have never used a seed starter kit but this is going to be the year I try it! I loved your photos!
Thanks for sharing so useful information.
I just start growing my own herbs and veggies so learning as much as possible.
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