Beginner’s Guide to Seed Starting

Florida is unique. While our northern friends are collecting and preserving their summer harvests, cleaning the garden beds and preparing for winter, our most productive growing season is just getting started and with it countless opportunities to cultivate both new skill sets and favorite kitchen ingredients. So let’s dive on in and talk about our first garden topic: seeds. How do I know what to plant and when? What makes a seed grow? And do all seeds work the same way? 

Starting Seeds Indoors vs. Outdoors 

Starting seeds indoors is necessary when you want to get an early start on the season but the weather conditions are not quite right yet for outdoor planting. It might be too hot, too cold, too windy, or just too risky for any number of reasons. To correctly assess the weather there are two main things to understand: Where you are located and what you want to plant. The USDA has categorized America into different gardening zones based on temperature, and Central Florida falls into zones 9b and 10a. Now of course, gardening in zone 9b in Florida will be different then say, zone 9b in California due to other factors outside of just temperature, but it’s a good place to start. 

After you correctly identify your gardening zone, check the IFAS website for the vegetable gardening guide for your region. In it you will find research-based planting descriptions for the most common garden vegetables, including which varieties grow best in your region and how long before the first winter frost each should be planted. 

For starting seeds outdoors, choose a location that will be sheltered from heavy rain, receives filtered sunlight for most of the day (such as under a tree) and will be safe from wildlife. A location with access to lots of morning sunshine is even better because it will dry the dew on the leaves, preventing fungal diseases, and it is often cooler than afternoon sunlight. 

Large seeds can be soaked in water overnight to help them germinate faster. Other seeds may benefit from chilling first or different methods of scarification, which is basically just cutting the seed or scraping it with sandpaper. Some seeds can easily be planted directly in the garden area, while others benefit from being transplanted. Research and note-taking can make a big difference in garden success!

Using Grow Lights

Seedlings need lots of light, roughly 12-16 hours per day. Without enough light, the seedlings will get long and spindly (a.k.a. “leggy”). If you prefer to start seeds indoors, put them near a south-facing window where they will receive the most natural light possible. If that option is not available, you’ll need grow lights. 

The most popular types of grow lights on the market are LEDs, Fluorescent and Incandescent lights. LEDs are widely held to be the best option as they are very energy efficient, have low heat output, and offer a full light spectrum similar to light from the sun. To take a short trip back to high school science, the light spectrum ranges from red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet, and plants will use everything to an extent but the most important lights are the red and blue. To put it simply, red light is needed for photosynthesis and blue light is needed for chlorophyll pigment absorption and they both compliment each other. Most grow lights will either offer full spectrum light (preferred) or they’ll have a combination of red and blue. 

Set up the seed trays with the grow light of your choice and set a timer for about 12-16 hours per day. Keep in mind that some types of seeds germinate better without light, and only need the grow light on after it has sprouted, so check the light requirements on the seed packet beforehand. Use a humidity dome for faster germination and remove once the seed has sprouted. 

Choosing a Growing Medium

Picking out a seed starting mixture is easy. Most big box stores sell seed starting pods or potting mix in 8 quart bags made up of fertilizer, perlite for aeration and a soilless growing medium like peat moss mixed together. You can also make your own mixture with equal parts perlite, peat moss (or coco coir, which is more environmentally friendly) and compost. A handful of worm castings never hurts either! Some people will mix vermiculite and either a soilless medium or compost together 50/50, and have reported great success, so use what you have available in your area. Whichever method you choose, make sure your mixture is damp but not dripping wet, like a wrung out sponge. 

Does Temperature Matter? 

Warm season crops like tomatoes and peppers can benefit from the use of a heat mat or other heat source to help the seeds germinate faster, but cool season crops like broccoli and most leafy greens would grow better without, as that is what they are meant to do. When you go to plan your garden, divide plants into categories like warm and cool, needs water more frequently vs. less frequently, and so on, to make sure each plant is getting the appropriate care. Get to know each plant and its personality, for example, okra loves Florida’s high heat summers and thrives in June/July. Tomatoes will quickly cook in Florida’s summers and should be planted in fall once the temperature at night gets to around 70-75 degrees. Broccoli likes colder temps between 40-70 degrees, and some gardeners insist it tastes better after it’s been through a mild frost.  

When to Transplant? 

The seeds have finally sprouted! The first leaves (called cotyledons) have come and soon after the true leaves of the plant, the ones that actually look like they belong to the plant, have begun to grow. This is also a good time to start fertilizing on a schedule, helping the plant to grow strong, healthy, and more resistant to pests. If your seeds are used to being indoors, you’ll need to harden them off before moving them to their permanent home outside. This just means slowly introducing them to the elements until they get used to the wind, fluctuating temperatures and stronger sunlight. This is easily accomplished by bringing the seedlings out in the morning for two hours in the shade the first day, then 3-4 hours the next, 4-6 the next, adding a few hours until the plants have been outside in the sun all day, making sure to water regularly. Then let them spend the night outside before transplanting them into the garden. 

Final Thoughts

Buying seed packets opens the door to hundreds more varieties of our favorite vegetables than we could ever find at the box stores. Imagine having seven different types of tomatoes growing right in your backyard, all different colors, shapes and tastes! Not to mention that a single packet of seeds averages at about $2 and can contain up to 300 potential plants! This year I found a pepper variety called violet sparkle named after its dark velvety purple color that I am going to try to grow at Basecamp. Gardening can be such a fun way to be creative while learning about nature!