Seed Starting Essentials

Yep, it’s that time of the year again – seed starting season! Which means that gardening season is right around the corner, and I am desperately counting down the days until I can enjoy time in the garden again. But before I get ahead of myself, we’ve got to get our seed started first! Let’s chat all things essential when it comes to getting your seedlings growing strong & healthy for the gardening season. Some items on this list are truly essential, and others are things that I personally feel are essential – without further ado, let’s get into it!

Note: I’m not an expert / professional grower or gardener by any means, just a beginner, home gardener who has seed started before & this is what I found to be successful in my journey!

When you’re starting your seeds for the year, there’s some non-negotiable must-have items that no matter what kind of seeds you have, are integral to growing a successful crop. Let’s talk about the items that you should most definitely have on hand:

GROW LIGHTS

If you don’t have a window, or a few windows that will give your plants 12+ hours of sun, grow lights are a necessity. For best results, your grow lights should be adjustable to sit just above your seedlings to avoid growing leggy, weak seedlings.

SEED TRAY & HUMIDITY DOME

Whether you’re choosing to soil block (more information on that below!), or start in a traditional cell tray, you need some trays for your seedlings to grow in before they make their way into your garden. Along with the trays themselves, you’ll also need to make sure you have a humidity dome to go over your seedlings while they’re trying to germinate. Many seeds require warmth to germinate, and your humidity dome will help with that. Just make sure you remove your humidity dome once they’ve germinated (you see growth from the soil).

HEAT MATS

Heat mats are also a must-have item if you don’t have anywhere to keep your seeds that would be warm (i.e., on top of your fridge, a greenhouse, etc.). As I mentioned above, many seeds require warmth in the germination process, so having heat mats under your trays will help encourage your seeds to grow. Once they’ve germinated, the heat mats can be removed (along with the humidity dome). Not all seeds require warmth to germinate, so make sure you read your seed packets.

GOOD QUALITY SOIL

One of the most important things that people often forget about when they’re gardening is that good, high-quality soil that is rich in nutrients is vital to growing a successful crop, whether it’s vegetables or flowers. I personally use Pro-Mix Organic Moisture Mix for my gardens, and when seed starting, Pro-Mix Organic Seed Starting Mix.

What is Soil Blocking?

Soil Blocking is exactly what it sounds like – making blocks out of soil! They can be anywhere from .5”, to 2” in size depending on the type of seeds you plan to grow (ex. something very small like lisanthus could be started in .5” soil blocks and when they’ve outgrown that size, “potted up” to 2” blocks before being planted out). I was introduced to the idea of soil blocking by Briana from Blossom & Branch Farm when I came across her Instagram & YouTube channel, and I much prefer this method to seed starting cells.

To create soil blocks, you’ll need a soil blocker, soil, water & a bucket (I prefer an oval shaped, galvanized steel bucket). Mix your soil and some water in the bucket until you get a moist enough mixture that it can hold a shape. A good way to test if it’s moist enough is by grabbing a handful and squeezing – if it crumbles out of your hand, it’s still too dry. If it releases tons of water, it’s too wet. Ideally, it’ll just hold its shape without tons of water pouring out onto your hands.

Once your soil is moist enough, you’ll need to compact your soil into the soil blocker by pushing the soil blocker down into the soil. It might take a few tries to get it completely filled. Scrape the excess off the bottom of the blocker, and push the blocks out into your seed tray. You may need to try a few times before you get the perfect shape. Once you have your blocks, you can put approximately 2 seeds per block, lightly cover with soil and/or vermiculite, put your humidity dome on top and place them under your grow lights!

Soil Blocking vs. Seed Starting Cells

I personally prefer to soil block instead of starting in seed cells for a couple of reasons:

Watering them is much easier. Since the blocks are open on all but one side (the side facing down), you can bottom water your seedlings and whatever they don’t soak up after a few minutes can be removed.
There’s more opportunity to remove plastic from this process. Though I don’t have fibreglass trays yet (they’re quite the investment), it’s much easier to replace your seed tray with a fibreglass option since you don’t need it to be pliable to remove the seedling later in the season for planting out.

The only downside of soil blocking in my personal experience is that there’s more opportunity for algae to grow on the soil. Don’t freak out though – it’s normal! When you have water and heat under a humidity dome, that’s an environment that algae thrives in. Whenever you notice algae, just sprinkle some cinnamon on top & this should keep the growth at bay. Just be sure to catch it before it takes over the entire block, which is when it can cause issues for your seedlings.

WATERING CAN

When you’re seed starting, it’s ideal to select a watering can that has one spout so you can have more control over where the water is going to land amongst your seedlings. If you’re going to be top-watering in a traditional seed cell type tray, I’d recommend a seed sprayer instead of a watering can.

COMPOST & SOIL SCOOP

To create your soil blocks, you’re going to need a decent amount of soil – having a scoop that allows you to have control over not spilling, and measuring out your soil is ideal, though I wouldn’t say “necessary”. You can always just pour your soil into the bucket, but if you’d like to avoid a mess, having this scoop is a good tool for your kit.

COMPOSTABLE POTS

Whether you’re soil blocking, or using a seed cell tray, you’re probably going to need to pot up your seedlings at some point to allow them to continue to grow. I highly suggest purchasing compostable pots to reduce the use of plastic in the garden, however plastic containers are also do-able. I would recommend using compostable instead of plastic for food given that we don’t want additional microplastics leeching into the soil that our food is growing in!

The remainder of the items on this list are a bit more along my personal preference of “essentials”, including things like overalls and rubber boots. Having a dedicated gardening outfit, or something you don’t mind getting dirty, and can hold your tools & phone while you’re elbow-deep in soil is essential to me! Same goes with having a pair of shoes that are easy to rinse off and clean after you’ve been stomping around in the soil. These things may seem obvious, but sometimes it’s a great reminder.

There you have it! My entire list of essentials for your seed starting adventure. If you’re new to seed starting, I hope this list helps you gather your supplies for a process that I’m sure you’re going to fall in love with, and if you’re a seasoned gardener & seed starter, let me know in the comments below what your must-have items are, and if you think I missed anything important on this list.

* Note: Links and linked products featured in this blog post are commissionable links. Should you purchase a product with these links, I will make a small commission at no additional cost to you.

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