Starting Seeds Inside

It has been a couple of years since I have grown my starters. I am so excited to try it again.

I love planting in our backyard garden. Growing seeds is one of the first steps in making a home garden. Did you know you can start seeds in egg cartons and empty toilet paper rolls?

I have saved paper towels and toilet paper rolls for starting seeds throughout the year. So far they have worked great but I love my soil blocker method more. This is also the first year trying a soil blocker.

Click the video below that I shared on Instagram about starting seeds.

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A post shared by Kristin McConnell (@livesimplywithkristin)

🌱 Put soil into a bowl add water and let the soil soak in the water.
🌱 Cut the paper towel roll into small pieces
🌱 Fill cut paper towel roll halfway with soil
🌱 Place 1-2 seeds into the soil
🌱 Top with more soul making sure not to overfill
🌱 Mist with water

Find a good seed starter soil. I am trying this Whitney Farms Organic Potting Soil from Walmart.

Pro Tip Open the seed bags from the bottom so you don’t rip off any critical information.

I have also bought a Soil Blocker. I love it! This is the soil blocker one I got.

Watch my Reel below showing you how to use the soil blockers!

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A post shared by Kristin McConnell (@livesimplywithkristin)

How to make soil blocks!

Have you tried them before?

🌱 Soil should be saturated when forming molds
🌱 In a flat bottom, moisten your potting mix with warm water. A squeeze of a handful of the mix should drip a little. 🌱Pro-tip: Use warm water to moisten your potting mix, making soil blocking more enjoyable!
🌱 Fill your soil blocker by pressing it into the potting mix, pushing down several times and twisting a bit, rocking from side to side. Your goal is to have solid blocks of soil. I often hand-pack the soil into each block to be sure there are no remaining air pockets. (This is especially important if your large soil blocker.
🌱Once you’re confident your blocks are packed tight, scrape any excess soil on the bottom off with your hand, creating a flat base for your soil blocks.
🌱 Use your fingers to pack your potting mix deep into the soil blocker before the blocker is mostly full.
🌱If your block crumbles, even a little bit, just try again!

🌱 Soil blocking saves on single-use compostable pots. It also eliminates plastic pots/cells.

How to Start Seeds Inside

Soak the seeds in water overnight

For most seeds, soaking them overnight in water will help their germination.

Place them on a wet paper towel and into a zip log bag. Let them sit for 1 to 2 days or until your seeds have started sprouting.

Make sure your paper towel stays wet.

Plant sprouted seeds

Carefully transfer sprouted seeds into the paper towel or the soil block. Make sure to label what you plated! Otherwise, you will forget!

Water Daily until well established

While the seedlings are still under the soil, simply spray some water on the soil.

Once the seedling has popped out of the soil, water it every couple of days. This helps promote root growth because the soil won’t be moist all the time so the plant’s roots will have to grow down to get moisture.

Gradually introduce them to the outside

Seedlings that have been growing inside have the optimal climate. Placing them outside right away can seriously shock the plant and kill it.

Once your plants have a good amount of growth, take them outside for a few hours a day. Every day, keep them out a little bit longer until they are fully acclimated to your climate.

Plants go into shock if they do not have time to adapt and adjust to the different conditions outdoors. It is important to harden off your young seedlings before planting them outside. Check weather conditions and your zone to determine when to plant seedlings outside. I’m in Zone 5b our last frost is usually in early May.

If it’s an especially windy day, bring small delicate plants back inside or they could get damaged and die.

Beginning a week before planting, put seedlings outside in a protected and shady location. Start with an hour or two, gradually working up to several hours. Towards the end of the week, allow them to be in the sun for at least part of the day. Bring them back indoors each night. Protect from birds with netting if necessary. 

Keep seedlings watered during this process. 

For spring planting, plant transplants in the morning so they have the entire day to adjust before the cooler temperatures at night. 

What questions do you have? Did I leave anything out? Leave a comment below and let me know!