FIVE Seed Starting Mistakes You Probably Made In This Past Year
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ก.ค. 2024
- Every year I am asked how to prevent these five easy mistakes. In this video, I go into depth on how you can prevent these mistakes and how you can help your plants thrive!
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Not fully video related, but I wanted to share success with my fellow gardeners☺️. I started gardening this year for the first time and I did it with raised beds. So of course I filled them with an assortment of things I could find - I threw in some sticks, coffee grounds, and a bunch of bagged compost. But almost nothing that already had worms and the like.
Today, 8 months later, I decided to transplant some baby spinach in one bed to another with a cold frame. And 9 out of 10 holes I dug exposed a Worm! My garden is Happy! It's getting good Critters😆😍. Horay for growing with Nature and seeing the wonder of it❤️
Congratulations and well done!
I've found that cardboard at the bottom of a raised bed really attracts whatever worms there are in the area.
I am a Master Gardener in Texas. I love growing veggies, especially tomatoes. I agree with you about the size of the cells. I use the 3" ones. However, I don't fill them to the top when I plant the seed. I fill them only half full, plant the seeds, and continue to fill the containers as the tomato grows. I find that the plant is much sturdier and healthier to transplant because they have grown many more roots.
Hi! I’m looking for a Texas gardener. I just moved there from Illinois and it’s like moving to a foreign country! I don’t know how to navigate the seasons. Help!
How do I become a Master Gardener?
@@juliebutler24 The best tips I have for you or anyone new to gardening is to always follow your specific growing zone which can easily be found by searching online with your zip code etc
Either print out all that info or buy a book specific to that and follow all the tips it gives you then search TH-cam for gardening channels, I favor this MIGardener channel which is also easy to find ANYTHING specific that you are looking to grow just by going to the top and searching whatever crop you are growing or whatever info that you want and then after that type in MIGardener and it will bring up his videos for the info you are specifically looking for!!!
Gardening is always about learning and no matter if you’ve been growing for 50 years you will still learn new stuff every single year!!!There is like 20 different ways to anything and everything for example starting seeds there’s 20 different ways to do it and there is no one set way that people must do it, it’s all specific on what you prefer and what’s easiest and has worked out best for YOU!!!
Another thing that you can do is download one of the hundreds of apps in the App Store and check them out and see if any of them are helpful to you?
Start your own gardening book… I got a three ring binder and some dividers and what I’ve been doing is writing down what has and has not worked out best for me so that way I can remember things that worked out the best for each specific crop that I grow. You will learn overtime would you like best and prefer ♥️ The most important thing is don’t overthink things have fun experimenting and trying out different ways to do things and don’t stress about anything at all just have fun with it ♥️♥️♥️
That's a great idea
@@juliebutler24 Scott Head of Black Gumbo southern gardening is in Houston.
The hardest part for me is not starting too early. 😳
Grow lisianthus! It can be started 14 weeks before your last frost!
Me too!
I ease into the season by planting Microgreens and lettuce inside under lights. Otherwise I'd probably start seedlings too early too.
I do this too. It's so, so hard to resist starting early, but both times I've done it (which is both years I've gardened, lol) my plants have gotten way too big and started kinda languishing without enough sunlight while it's still too cold to go out.
@@dalegaa4094 This is a good idea! I wonder what else I can grow inside under my growlights while I wait. My lights are kinda wimpy so I'll have to look into what would grow well under limited light.
Hey Luke you are such a valuable member of this homestead/gardening community! I have been watching you for years, and am amazed at how much info and time you give us! Plus your seed store is amazing! Thank you so much! Love u guys and bless your family!
I love lending the seedlings a voice! I appreciate the dedication. Lol😂Thank you.
I unfortunately have to start my beans and peas indoors, thanks to mice, squirrels, birds, and slugs in my area. But the trick that I found is to start them in toilet paper rolls, so I can plant them out the moment they get a leaf, without having to disturb the roots. But don't start them until you're ready to plant right away. Those suckers grow fast.
Same here. I can't direct sow things outside because there's extreme pest pressure around here. I use toilet paper rolls, soap boxes, egg cartons, and rolled tubes made from whatever thin cardboard I can get my hands on. I've done this with carrots and other root crops, and the cardboard breaks down pretty fast under the right conditions.
I start my peas in a length of gutter with duct tape for end caps. When sprouted, just open up one end and slide them all out into a shallow trench in the garden.
Fresh bean and pea sprouts are a favorite of the bunnies around here, so I just have to tent off the whole area where I plant them with netting. Once they grow through the net they're okay, at least until the Japanese beetles show up in mid-summer.
I have pocket gophers, ground squirrels and the birds from hades. thanks for the tips. also, i am making pvc frames which will serve as support for nets, covers and are easily assembled/disassembled and can be raised easily over the growing season.
and lest I forget, ,mice.
Thank you for getting us through these hard winter months. As others have said, it is hard not to wait to start seeds. Your recent vlogs have been timely!
Thank you Luke!
I'm really glad for your instruction now more than ever. With what we've seen at the grocery store last year, I hope even more people will be growing their own. When they taste the difference in what grew in their own yard (or in pots), you'll have gardeners forever. 🙂
Blessings always!💚
Been planting my garden from seeds for a few years now, but every year I love your seed starting mistakes video. Always great reminders! Another mistake … don’t plant seed too deep! Not as big of an issue, but certainly worth paying attention to. Thanks Luke!
Been gardening for 50 plus years stuff you present are second nature with me but need to be reminded that I can still learn something! still enjoy your presentations
Perfect timing for a refresher. Thank you.
I was watching a different video of yours today, but I wanted to comment that I haven't watched your videos in what might be a year and I didn't know you had launched your seed shop. I just bought 98 bucks worth of seeds. Some were already sold out so I'll have to check later. It was so nice to read and buy almost everything I wanted for my new garden this year for less than 100 bucks.
Thank you for being so kind and helpful. I get to binge watch your channel now for the next few weeks to catch up.
I'm biting at the bit to start my garden! SPRING FEVER!!
Thank you Luke for good information to help us all.
I've got an order coming from MiGardener soon. Super excited.
Thanks, Luke! I’m a newbie, so I hadn’t even considered that some seeds PREFER to be direct down outside. I’d seen that you could direct sow some, but I didn’t understand that you should. You just saved me some seed disasters!
I really like the hex trays. Also, I normally bottom water when they are in the 1 inch hex trays. For onions, I plant 72 cell hex tray. Pour almost two waterbottles of water in the bottom. Direct growlight as close as possible for 12-14 hours. Then I won’t touch them for 10 to 14 days unless I see a problem.
Just watched Jess at Roots and Refuge's seed haul video and let me tell you, it totally made my day that you guys know and like each other. My faves are friends!
Thank you so much for sharing all of your knowledge with us. I ordered Migardener seeds for the first time and I am looking forward to growing them this year.
All great points Luke. Thank you. Took me two years to get it through my thick skull that watering from below is really important especially when you have seedling already established but you are unsure of whether or not you are watering it starts too much.
Thank you Luke - this is SUPER helpful. I've tried starting indoors before and I think I managed to hit all of these mistakes. Needless to say, it didn't go well and I gave up. This gives me hope to try again.
Watering starts from the bottom was a game changer for me last year! I grew all of my plants from seed last year with the exception of bell peppers which experienced a complete failure. Since getting started at the right time can be problematic for me, I developed a garden calendar. Also, mapped out my garden beds. I get to made new maps this year due to road work adjacent to my front yard and having to move things. Looking forward to another great growing year!
I need to do a map but keep struggling with it.
Love this series
I too, just ordered MI Gardener seeds for the first time. I look forward to some good veg this year.
👍
I just direct sow my seeds into my outdoor raise bed and hope for the best. It’s been working fairly well. Appreciate all the helpful advice and videos though!
All of your videos are amazing and so full of great information! Thank you !
Thank you for the tips! I grew potted plants last year for the first time and started some indoors. They turned out alright but I’ll definitely do some things different this upcoming season 😊
I bought my first "greenhouse" and the drainage tray didn't have any holes so a lot of my vetetables didn't grow in my garden, now I know why. Thank you for the tips!!
Thank you for this great info!
Thank you! Very helpful!
Good tips... you just saved me from certain disaster! Thanks
Thank you for all the advice on plant startup and tips and tricks.
I've just subscribed to your channel. Looking forward to more guidance from you during the growing season!
Cheers!
Good info sir. Glad I watched this while planning this year's garden and seed starting plan
Thanks Luke!
Great video!
Thank you guys, just received both of my orders today. I love the packaging and the great informational advice 😊
I’ve made ALL of those mistakes thanks Luke Happy new year 🎉
This will be my 4th winter growing veggies and I 100% agree with this advice. I use the rule of thumb that if the seed if bigger than pepper seeds I start it outdoors directly in the soil and if its a root veggie it starts in the soil too. I started beets in trays one year and that didn't do too bad, I felt like I could space them out better but you have to plant them at jsut the right time, they can't get too big and the whole plug goes in the ground. I would avoid tray starting carrots, radishes, and parsnips and just sprinkle them outdoors.
Adding vermiculate to the top of every cell was a game changer for me, combined with bottom watering.
Especially for small seeds like thyme and snapdragons
I thought perlite is better than vermiculite.
I laughed so much at the 'failure' part! I showed it to my family and they thought it was very funny too!
These were all tips I have heard on many other channels/books/etc, but this is the first video I've seen where all those tips were put together. Very informative and not full of unnecessary fluff (but still humorous, I laughed at your pea story). Thank you!
Normally you don't change camera angles except maybe to turn it around to show us something. I liked the different views! It kept it visually interesting and the angle changes were nice and creative! The info was good to but I've been watching your videos for years and I always appreciate the content!
Very helpfully information.
Thanks for your video! Great stuff, really helped! Also, love your new intro!
Hello this is Nicole from where I live in South Carolina now from Massachusetts and say that video I did that I water the seed from on top and it did just that the Saul came out and so yes I’m going to do the seeds with the containers with no holes great idea thank you so much
👍👍
I can add a couple extra topics like
*soil blocks(mix, size, spacing)
*indoor lighting (time, intensity and type)
*Airflow (mold prevention and stem strength)
*Thinning&prunning (what plants, when/where/how/why)
You rock Luke. Thank you ver much for all your videos you share. I have learned so much from your videos and this is a great reminder for me! I enjoy your company at my house when I watch your videos! Thank you for selling seeds too!
I have always wondered about the size of the seed starter cartons. Just because many things do not like the intrusion of being transplanted.
Thanks for sharing your experience and observations with us. Have a great spring. Jesus bless.
Thank you!!!!!
Loved it. Great video.👍👏👏
Hi Luke! Can you publish a list of seeds that must be sown outside? Love to the family!
Glad to see this as I am awaiting a shipment of seeds from your store 😊
Thank you for this video. I tried the germination, then seed starting indoors and transplanted into my container garden last year. My peas and bush beans yielded a small harvest as well as my squash and bell peppers. Most of my herbs were direct sow and grew fairly well. I am trying winter sowing using milk jugs. I am using the veggies and herbs that handle the cold weather. This will be year three and want to do some raised garden beds for those veggies that need more space to grow in.
I agree that some plants do not like being transplanted and can’t handle the shock.
My biggest problem is trying to keep the squirrels and rabbits away from my garden. When should I start getting a raised garden bed ready for planting???
Great tips Luke!
I’m so glad I watched this video very informative
Just got my seed order from you guys! Thanks!
Bottom watering!!! 🤯 That makes so much more sense!
The second point is valid, my only caveat is that whatever the size of the container you start off in make sure that either the whole tray is one thing (not many home gardeners want 6 to 48 of one plant in one go?) or make sure the cells or small strips can be removed. This is important in terms of lighting - if you have one which has germinated / much bigger than the other growing in the same tray what distance do you set the lights at etc?
HI Luke, I have spring fever already!🌻
Luke 🤗 I’m so exited!! I just placed 2 orders from your store for all my seed for my garden!! Is the 1st time I’m going to plant on raised beds, I’m 62 & is harder to keep weed under control 🥵🥵 hopefully in raised bed I will be able to handle them better. I live in Ky. I want to grow artichokes bc I love them & they are pricey.. I bought 2 small green houses!! Any advise you can give me? I’m planning them in 5 gallon pots!! If anybody grow them in zone 6 & give me advise please do!! Good luck to everybody in your gardens this year!! PS I went overboard ordering tomatoes seeds 😂 I’m amazed on all the varieties you offer!! I have learned so much from you!! 🙌🏻🦋🙌🏻
Just want to say gd luck with next season I'm new to gardening myself but enjoy it so much hope u have the most bountiful artichoke harvest 🍊🍈🍏🍐🥑🥦🍆🍒🥝🌽🍎🌶🍇
@@Harry-gf6dx Harry thank you so much for your nice reply 🤗🦋 I wish you the best & huge success in your new adventure of gardening!! Check out the store from Luke!! I was extremely impressed & excited!! I know his seeds will have a huge germination success & they were only $2 dollars per package!!! 🤗💕🦋❤️🎊 Yay!!!
Thanks I needed to hear this
Luke, in my area...open field, zone 8b, seeding peas outside without erecting a board cover or barrier will be opening up a breakfast bar for the robins. I just fill a seed tray with starting mix and grow the seedlings to 4” then separate out and plant in a trench and pop cheap recycled 4” pots with bottoms cut out over top to foil the birds. The peas can grow thru the pots or I can pull them off to recycle to protect the beans which they will also pull out...or will fall prey to sow bug or slug damage to the stems.
Right on time, starting seeds soon!
Same. I've got my cold tolerant plant seeds soaking at this moment. Putting in dirt tomorrow on grow shelves in the living room..
"Boom what just happened? Failure that's what happened." 😂 We have all experienced that failure lol Gardening comes with a lot of it.
I have found my best success with seed starting in soil blocks. It went great last year. Also some shop lights.
I wish You and Your loved ones a happy new year. I experienced that okra hates transplanting altough! Tried several years to pregrow them indoors and every time they died after transplanting. Last year I seeded them directly into the container and they did pretty well!🤗
I've never had mine die, but they didn't do all that well either. I'm in the Idaho mountains, so I HAVE to grow mine in a greenhouse. Unfortunately, I can't start most plants outside, due to pests that eat seedlings. But I just LOVE okra, so I'll have to figure something out.
@@sage0925 Wow, challenging environment.
Hi Luke, thank you for sharing this information it made me realize that I need to do it right. I do have question when putting the soil into the trades should the soil be wet or dry and follow your steps. Sorry for the silly question.
I struggled all summer with growing Rosemary from seed. I finally got a few of my last seeds left to sprout using paper towels in a wet magazine, I carefully removed them with tweezers and added them to a medium sized pot thinking I'd better not even attempt a transplant for a long time because this process was so hard. Now after watching this video I immediately grabbed my seedlings and stuck them in a sunnier location to dry out the thin compost layer on top that I guess I shouldn't have added so early. Hopefully they survive but at least I have more context on why they might not.
I've started pansy seeds three years in a row. Each time I learn something new. Damping off or overwatering can occur when moving seedlings from a regular size 6 cell pack to bigger pots too. I'm not going to solely use potting mix when up potting my pansies anymore.
I've had blooming pansies keel over at the stem because potting soil stayed too wet.
The next time I up-pot my pansy seedlings, I'm using a 1/2 seed starting mix & 1/2 potting mix.
I'm learning the hard way pansies are difficult to grow. But I'm not quitting!😁
3 inch container has 27 times the soil as inch container (3x3x3=27)
That is exactly what went through my head when he said 3x.
Only they are really 1 x1 x 3. LOL, we were thinking alike!
Please make a video where you can give us advise in how to grow in raised beds & buckets!! Thank you so much from Kentucky 🙌🏻🦋🙌🏻
look at his channel. tons of videos. he grows in raised beds.
@@resarm5007 I will thank you so much!! Best wishes for your garden this year!! 🙌🏻🦋🙌🏻
Hey Luke, thanks for the great videos! How about one on growing Black sesame seeds. Thanks again for everything
I actually prefer starting tomato small cells to up pot and plant stem deep and create more roots. Sometimes starting bigger is not better especially when you get adventitious roots.
One item you may want to go over is timing. You should never ever start all plants 6 to 8 weeks early! Some need more Some need less, timing is key.
Examples super hot peppers may take upward 30 days to germinate so you might want to start 10 weeks early. Lisianthus can need 4 months and still look tiny but when transplanted take off. Then cucumbers don't need over 4 weeks to transplant, they grow like weeds. I rarely see channels go over proper timing for plant types. That would be helpful @MiGardener 🙂
Heh...and Mike Bloomberg says all you have to do is dump a seed in the dirt and water it. Moron. It's taken me 6 years of trial and error on timing just to get as far as I've gotten, and I'm STILL learning what works and what doesn't here every year. Gardening has a learning curve. A lot of people don't realize that. You can't just bury a seed and call it good.
I start my tomatoes in larger cells, but only fill them about half way . Once the plant has established a few sets of leaves, I will fill the rest of the way to allow the plant to establish more roots.
Wow, number 4 especially with radishes I've started them in seed trays so many times and had very mixed results.
I guess if you don't move them outside in time, they are already on the back foot.
, 360dpi really luke! hehe.oh just ordered some seeds from you guys. also loved little gem lettuce seeds they are growing really well ordered those in 2022
Good to know about watering from the tray. I always just used a spray bottle on mist. Now my hands won't cramp while watering.
Hello! I moved to the Keweenaw peninsula and the property comes with a fully enclosed greenhouse and a semi open greenhouse. Do you have any resources on when I should start germinating plants in the Green house? And what plants can I just keep in the green house all summer? Iv had small gardens in the past and always bought my plants. Now that I have 2 massive greenhouses Id like to start growing the plants myself.
I love your videos.
One problem I have had in the past with starting mix is the need to pre-wet it before I fill the trays. If I didn't do this then I would have a hard time watering my seeds and have poor germination rates.
Great point! Dry mix will be hydrophobic. I often add a bit of castile soap to the soak--helps make water "wetter".
1x1x1=1 cubic inch.
3x3x3=9 cubic inch, 9 times the volume
In regards to the seeds that do get started indoors, what is your - and anyone reading that would like to chime in - opinion on putting seeds on paper towel in a plastic bag to germinate before putting them in soil? I've started perennial flowers that way, this year, for the first time, and so far so good. I imagine it's the same with fruits and veggies?
I almost always pre-sprout seeds. If carefully handled when potting (or placing in ground), you can plant only the strongest. I don't plant a lot (containers and tiny raised beds) so this works well for me. It's good for older seeds that may have questionable germination.
Thank you@@lauriedavis4045!
I always presprout beans. It's the best way in a cool damp climate to get them up out the ground before the seed rots (PNW). I still do it even though I've moved. It really helps them get going
My lettuce sprouted in just 2 days under the led grow lights! Can't wait for fresh greens 😋.
That's great! I'm planting some greens indoors tomorrow to see how they do. I've started loads of seeds indoors over the years but never greens
I start cucurbits in the bigger cells. I try to get them planted before they grow their 2nd true leaf. I have to do this because slugs always get my tiny sprouted seedlings. They get the transplants too, but now I sprinkle sluggo just until the plants get slightly big enough that it doesn't affect then much.
I made the mistake of watering from above when I started my tomato seeds a few days ago. I think they'll be okay, because I used the sink sprayer on an extremely low setting. I do plan to start some extras though just in case the others don't germinate.
Question, when you plant tomatoes in a 3" pot, are you using seed starting mix or a mix of both seed starter and organic soil? Will you up pot the plant before planting outside?
Hey Luke can you speak to how to grow plants indoors and hydroponically? I’m in an apartment and we are 35 stories in the sky so I definitely don’t have nor would I want a balcony and in fact we only have fresh air coming in via the air conditioning/heating unit. I’ve grown everything from broccoli(one plant at a time) to spaghetti squash, to carrots and all kinds of lettuce and herbs, sweet peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers indoors. With a lot of these larger plants the key to growing them successfully is heavy pruning and using nutrient rich water. I’ve purchased cucumber seeds this time that are called beit alpha and don’t require pollinating which will be nice but I still hand pollinate each sweet pepper flower and tomato flower and hope that I’m doing it correctly. Just curious if you’ve ever tried growing in water and had success with it and do you begin your seedlings in soil before transitioning to a water only? That’s typically what I do and I make certain to wash all the soil off to help prevent root rot etc. but it is also possible to cut away any root rot and if it does happen and then to sterilize with hydrogen peroxide which plants absolutely love. Anyway just was curious if you have any hydroponics channels that you could recommend or if you may begin some experiments with it? 🥰❤️🇨🇦🙏🏻
New, new wanna be gardener. I wondered why my seeds sprouted then got leggy and died. I still had them on heat mat 🙄 Michigander living in zone 8a 😍 thank u
Hey what are
Your
Thoughts
On soil blockers?
I sift compost and add perlite for seed starting mix
I'm in heavy clay country. Wood chips, perlite, manure, and vermiculite are a must!
I didn't use to buy special seed-starting mix thinking it wasn't worth spending the money. But eventually I realized the germination rate wasn't great and one time even found tiny worms eating the seeds in the soil! That was a shock. I now spend the $$ and my seeds do much better.
Have you done any vids on starting seeds in a hoop house ?
So many mistakes I have made so thank You so much for explaining my stupidity to me.
I started my sugar snap peas in February indoors in zone 5b and transplanting them, wasn't a problem at all. I used small individual lattice purchased from the dollar store (in 2 packs). I got a ridiculously abundant harvest. If you prepare correctly it can be done.
The 5th part is the way u preference :) u can also water from the top if u do it just a little bit carefully. I just prefere it that way cause I have much more control how much water a single cell gets :) I’m doing it for the past 10 years so… the true con to that is if u start indoors u just truly open up the doors to fungus gnats 😅
What about soil blockers? Have you tried those?
Luke I agree never water from the top and direct sow your root crops outside
what is a good seed staring mix you recommend?
When should i start my plants indoors in Michigan
Question: when starting tomatoes in the 3” pots, do you pot up at all? I’ve always started smaller and potted up later. That takes a lot of time. If I could skip that step it would be a huge times saver.
I find using a spray bottle to water seedlings works out really well for the first little while. Dampens the soil enough to get them going without over watering :) but awesome tips for other things. I didn't know you could start lettuce indoors! I always thought it disliked being transplanted.
I started my fall lettuce indoors because it was too hot outside and they transplanted great.
How long do you leave the tray in the water. Some websites say 15-20 mins and some say more or less time. What do you guys recommend? (2nd year gardening and made so many mistakes last year)
One mistake I keep making is trying to germinate seeds at the wrong temperature. I don't have heat mats, so when I've sown seeds and just left them on the grow shelf, they ended up taking several weeks to sprout. I do however have a gas oven and stove, where the pilot light keeps the environment warm, and the wet paper towel method works pretty well for seeds that require higher temperatures. It works for angled luffa and other Asian squash, and this year I'm going to try the same method with pepper seeds.
I have had good success setting my seed tray on my counter over top of our dishwasher, the warmth from the cycle heats the soil. We are a large family and usually run our dishwasher 2 times a day.
Where do you find the square 3x3 pots?
How long do leave the water in the tray before dumping the excess? How can you tell when you need to water? TIA!