1st Preparation before starting plants from seed: Measure your garden plot
It doesn’t matter where you live or how much space you have. There are a few preparations before starting plants from seed that can help this process go smoothly. The first step is measuring out the size of your garden plot. This doesn’t have to be a big undertaking. Just take a few quick measurements so you will know how much space you have to work with as you move on to the next step.
2nd Preparation before starting your plants from seed: Choose plant types and varieties
Now that you know how much space you have to work with, the second step is to choose the kind of plants you want. Seed catalogs and online gardening supply companies are great resources. Keep your space limitations in mind as you make your selections. Calculating the recommended space between plants and how far they spread is important. For example, squash and pumpkin plants will have a much larger spread than a pepper plant. This preparation before starting your plants from seed can save you frustration later. It will help you avoid getting to the planting stage and realizing you have way more plants than will fit in your space. Consequently, when this happens, it can be tempting to plant them too close together, in order to use them all. As a result, you may end up with an overcrowded garden that is difficult to manage.
Once you decide what type of plants you want in your garden, you can research the different varieties available. Online seed companies give you a plethora of information on the different varieties they offer and how to care for them.
3rd Preparation before starting your plants from seed: Acquire your seeds
The third step is to acquire or purchase your seed. You might know someone who can give you seed, or you’ve saved a few of your own? Saving them from a pepper or tomato is a good option. I’ve also listed below some places where you can buy garden seeds. We tend to get ours from multiple sources each year. This is my favorite part of the preparation stage. Have fun with it!
Retailers with Garden Centers
Big box stores with Garden Centers offer seeds for sale. What you will find here are one or more varieties of several types of garden vegetables, fruits, and flowers. They won’t offer as many options as specialized seed companies, but you might find they offer all you need.
Each year we grow Roma and Rutger tomatoes. I do a lot of canning, and these two varieties work well for my canning needs. I don’t normally have problems finding either variety at big box retailers. What I do find is that they don’t have as many seeds in the packets as some of the online seed companies. As a result, I need to buy several packets of each. We grow in volume so this is definitely something I notice. This most likely won’t be a problem for someone wanting a few tomato plants in a backyard garden. In fact, it’s probably a plus for many people that don’t want more seeds than they need.
Another advantage to buying seeds at these locations is that you won’t have to pay shipping costs. Overall, they are a great option to find seeds for your garden.
Local nurseries and greenhouses
Your local nurseries may also offer seeds for sale. Stopping by for a visit (if they have Winter hours) can be a fun experience. There is nothing like visiting a greenhouse and seeing all the beautiful green plants when everything outside is dormant. It can be a real mood lifter when the cold winter months are starting to weigh on you.
I don’t think you will be disappointed, even if they don’t sell seed because it’s an excellent place to get ideas for your own garden. For me, they can be a source of inspiration. I get ideas of plants I want to start and go home to search for the seeds online. Starting them myself gives me multiple plants for a fraction of the cost.
Specialty seed companies
If you’ve ever ordered from a seed company then chances are you already get plenty of seed catalogs sent to your home. If not you can research them online. These companies typically give you several options for ordering. For most of them you can order online, by phone, or an order form attached to a catalog that you can fill out and send in via mail. Below are a few of our favorites. We have no affiliation with these companies. We are just customers and have been impressed over the years with their products.
If you are looking for heirloom seeds, here is a link to a company where you can purchase them. They have an amazing story and history!
Final preparation before starting plants from seed: Nutrients, Containers, Light
After purchasing your seeds there will be some additional supplies you will need to acquire. Those items are nutrients to feed your growing plants (i.e. soil/liquid fertilizer), containers, and some way to get light to your plants. There are many cost effective ways to start plants, such as using containers you already have. You could also purchase inexpensive supplies like styrofoam cups and choose a windowsill for your lighting. I would personally recommend artificial lighting. In our experience, seedlings do much better with it than they do in a window because it is a controlled environment.
There are also plant starting supplies you could purchase that might make this process easier, like these from Park Seed.
Don’t sweat it if things don’t go perfectly
To close this post, I would like to reiterate that making a few preparations before starting plants from seed can make the process go smoothly. Each winter we enjoy browsing seed catalogs and making plans for our upcoming gardens. It’s a fun distraction on a cold winter day to plan an outdoor oasis. Plus, it brings us hope that Spring will soon be here.
Don’t get discouraged if you don’t plan everything perfectly because that rarely happens to any of us. If you have too many plants started to fit in your space it is usually easy to find someone that can use them. The most important thing is to enjoy this project and not to stress out over it. Happy planning! Below is a link for a few more tips to help you make your preparations before starting plants from seed.
