Indoor Seed Starting Part II: Going Deeper into the Process

Part II: Going Deeper into the Process

If everything is set up correctly, meaning that your humidity, temperature, and light are on point, microgreens should sprout within a day or two. If your growing space isn’t balanced, those seeds could take much longer. The good news with that is you’ll get a lot of good feedback from just observing what happens. You can then adjust and keep adjusting until you’ve got it dialed in.

I have switched to using as many plastic-free products as possible, which isn’t easy since much of gardening involves plastic. The scary reality is that plastics produce PFAS which is a forever chemical. It is no Bueno for the environment. However, plastic is so persistent that it’s really hard to avoid so don’t beat yourself up and be a perfectionist like me you’ll have some plastic be OK with that Just reduce plastic where you can. One way that I cut plastic out of gardening was by switching to fiber pots made of wool or wood fiber. I prefer to use 4 x 6 pots that are about 2.5 inches deep because they are perfect for micro greens. Anything smaller dries out too quickly, and anything bigger provides too much micro greens for individual meals.

I really mean it, there is no policing in gardening; you are free to do what you want. However, the methods I use, which is the result of a decade of research and experimenting. I consider my knowledge to be the highest quality and of expert level. Of course, you don’t have to follow my methods; you can simply do as you please and see what happens—that is perfectly legitimate. I don’t want to discourage anyone from gardening in a simpler way, but I also want to teach those ready for more advanced methods.

The first thing I do is avoid using regular potting soil for seeds, as it may not yield good results and could introduce pests or diseases. This year, I started using Black Gold seedling mix by Sungro, which I have been impressed but I wish it came in a plastic free bag. I was using Maine Coast for many years, but it seemed to stop performing as well over the last few years. So, I decided to switch and try a different brand. When choosing soil, it is best to your research for yourself and choose a brand that makes you feel confident you are using the safest materials. If you have any further questions, book a virtual consultation, and I will go through all of the options out there with you.Once you realize dirt is not just “dirt” it will be hard to justify using anything but high quality organic soil. If you want a deeper dive into soil, please consider booking a consultation with me. I could literally write a book on the subject and love nerding out to soil! I’ll probably end up doing just that— but for now let’s get back to starting seeds.

My method for using seedling mix is to put dry soil into the pot, then water it heavily so that the water runs out the bottom but do not compress the soil. If you’re soil came pre-moistened, all is chill. Just don’t add any additional water in that case. Next sprinkle a lot of seeds to cover the soil, but don’t have any seeds overlapping. When you’re growing microgreens, you don’t want to skimp. Make sure to get seeds into all of the corners and around the borders.. Go heavier than you think you should with the seeds the first time. This way you can see what happens and then you can back off a bit next time if you indeed were too heavy handed. The seeds should be very close together—shoulder to shoulder. I use 2 tablespoon per the pot size I described, and this seems to work out really well. I don’t actually measure them but if you are unsure what a tablespoon of seeds looks like there is no harm in measuring either.

Once I’ve scattered the seeds on top of the moisten soil, I put 1/4 of an inch of soil on top of the seeds. Then gently water using the sprayer on my kitchen faucet set to the lowest setting. The trick is not to disturb the soil because then the seeds will get moved around and you don’t want them in one big clump together. There are other ways to do this—for example, some directions suggest you don’t need to cover the seeds at all—but I have better luck with my method. Some seeds need light deprivation, some need darkness.When the seeds are covered by a quarter inch of soil, they have to work to get through that to sprout, which makes them stronger as they have to push up through the soil. Remember to not press the soil down too hard; you don’t want it so compact that the seeds are trapped.

After covering my seeds with 1/4 of soil, I place a paper bag over the pots for 24 hours to deprive them of light, regardless as to whether they are light or dark sprouters. Of course isn’t “necessary” for some seeds, but I start all of mine in dark for 24 hours is because I like to give them a chance to soak in the soil and loosen the seed coat in case the light dries out the soil too quickly, which can happen very rapidly, especially if you just got turned on your light for a first time in a long while. At first, you’ll need to check your plants often to see if the water is drying out faster than intended. So, set a reminder in your phone to check a few times a day. Most times there won’t be anything you need to do. However, occasionally you’ll check on them and realize the soil is completely dry so you’ll need to adjust your temperature or humidity so that doesn’t happen too quickly.

I also use heating mats because my seedlings do much better with them, though they’re not strictly necessary if you aren’t looking for perfection. But yes, if you want the highest quality level of plant growth, they are needed. After 24 hours, the paper bag is removed for all seeds that do not need darkenss to sprout. The cue I am watching for is when the soil looks fluffy, indicating they are about to sprout and will soon need watering. Be very gentle the first few times you water because the seedlings are delicate, and you don’t want to disturb the soil too much. Then, let them dry out between waterings. If this happens too quickly, your lights might be too hot, or you may need to turn on a fan, which can also affect room temperature and humidity. Plants are super fragile but also resilient. The more you can keep them happy, the better off they will be down the road.

Getting the right balance between light, fan, and humidity takes finesse, learning, and sometimes failing. If you’re going to be an expert gardener, you need to be prepared to fail because that’s the only way to truly learn and grow. Once the seedlings have sprouted and grown into the delicious greens in the perfect size, it’s time to harvest them. I cut them with scissors to avoid soil getting on them and then give the roots and leftover soil to my chickens. You could reuse the soil, but by that time it will need amendment, and for me, it’s just not worth reworking seedling starter . I prefer to use new seedling mix each time I start seeds. It’s easier that way, though more expensive, but you have to decide where you want to invest your money, and for me, that is where I choose to put mine.