How to Eliminate Weeds in Your Garden
Tired of constant weeding? Transform the way you garden and set yourself free from weeds!
How to Eliminate Weeds in Your Garden
Every year about this time, I get desperate messages like the following:
”Help! I planted my garden 3 weeks ago, but now it’s a sea of green and I can’t tell what are weeds and what are plants! What do I do?”
Unfortunately, once the garden gets to this point, it’s really hard to reverse it. I’m sorry to say that there is not much to do other than hand weed relentlessly.
Like many areas in life, PREVENTION is key. A little bit of forethought and effort goes a loooooong way. Think of it as investing in your future self!
Eliminating weeds in your garden requires a new way of thinking that may seem foreign to you at first.
Here is the main idea I want you to remember:
BARE SOIL IS AN INVITATION FOR WEEDS
Yup, any time you leave soil bare, you are rolling out the welcome mat for weeds to invade and take over.
Let’s take a look at nature and the purpose of weeds.
Soil erosion is bad. We all know this. So does nature. To prevent soil erosion, nature came up a brilliant defense: Weeds.
Weeds are designed to grow quickly and completely cover areas to prevent soil erosion. They do their job incredibly well and honestly they deserve a standing ovation. Weeds DO have a purpose! And no, it’s not to make your life miserable ;)
Think about it. When was the last time you walked around nature and saw a giant bare spot of soil? Never? Yeah, that’s right. You’ve probably never encountered truly bare soil in nature. It generally doesn’t exist.
Everywhere you look, you’ll see something covering the soil, be it grasses, weeds, dead leaves, pine needles, etc.
Your job as a gardener: Mimic nature and COVER THE SOIL. If you don’t cover it, weeds will come and do the job for you.
COVER THE SOIL.
COVER THE SOIL.
COVER THE SOIL.
Got it? ;)
If you drive around a neighborhood, you’re likely to see houses with beautiful landscaping in the front yards. Do people plant their landscaping plants and leave bare soil exposed around them? NO!!!! They cover the soil with mulch… to prevent weeds.
YOU CAN DO THE SAME THING WITH YOUR GARDEN!
Yes, you should mulch your garden, just like you would mulch your landscaping.
Mulch does 3 things:
1. Prevents weeds. Mulch does the job of covering the soil, so weeds are not needed.
2. Retains moisture. Mulch helps hold in water and keeps the soil from drying out, so you can water less often and conserve resources.
3. Fertilizes the plants and improves soil structure. As the mulch slowly breaks down, it’s adds nutrients and organic matter to the soil. Your soil will get better and better each year!
So, what is “mulch”? Mulch has a very broad definition and basically refers to any organic (nature based) material that is used to cover the soil. Depending on where you live, you could use the following materials for mulch:
Straw
Grass Clippings (if you have a mower with a grass clippings attachment, be sure to collect these and use them. CAUTION: Only use clippings from lawns that are NOT treated with herbicides or other chemicals.)
Pine needles
Dried leaves (especially if you can run them through a shredder first)
Tree trimmings/chips from an arborist/tree trimming company (usually a mixture of chipped branches, limbs and leaves)
Shredded bark mulch from a landscape supply company (do NOT use treated or colored mulch around vegetable plants)
Cardboard or newspaper
Sawdust/wood shavings
Gravel or Pea Stone
Inorganic mulch can also be used. This usually refers to landscape plastics or fabrics that are used to suppress weeds. These are very helpful, but generally do not help to improve soil structure, like organic mulches do.
Inorganic mulch:
Landscape Fabric
Plastic Ground Cover
Tarps (yup, you could lay down a tarp and simply poke holes in it where you want to plant. Works best if you install soaker hoses UNDER the tarp before planting, since you won’t be able to water from above effectively)
On our farm, we use organic mulch and inorganic mulch.
For our flower/non-food crops, we generally use landscape fabric.
For food crops, we use tree trimmings/chips.
Our vegetable garden is comprised of several raised beds that are never roto-tilled. Instead, we simply add more mulch each year as needed.
After 8 years of gardening this way, our soil has become rich, productive and nearly weed-free. When we plant tomatoes, we generally throw a scoop a composted goat/chicken manure in the hole. This year, my husband and I realized that our existing garden soil is even better than the compost!
Because we have built up such rich soil and cover it with a thick layer of mulch, we generally only water the vegetable garden at planting time, then maybe once a month during the summer, only if there is drought. Generally, rain fall is sufficient. Even if we haven’t had rain in 2-3 weeks, the soil is still damp under the layer of mulch.
We keep a giant pile of tree trimmings/chips on the farm at all time, so we always have material on hand to cover the soil. You can sign up for Chip Drop online, or just do what we do… run out into the street and wave down any tree trimming trucks that drive by house. Ha! ;)
Here is our chip pile/heap, affectionately called “Mount Chipmore”.
In our flower garden, we mostly use landscape fabric with holes burned into it for proper plant spacing. The fabric is called DeWitt Sunbelt Ground Cover/Weed Barrier and it comes in several different sizes.
My husband bought pieces of sheet steel and made templates with different plant spacing:
6” x 4” (single stem sunflowers, cress, flax, stock, etc.)
9” x 9” (pretty much everything else…)
12” x 12” (cosmos, amaranth, etc.)
18” x 18” (branching sunflowers, dahlias, etc.)
We lay down the sections of fabric in our raised beds, pin them in place with landscape staples, then plant the seedlings/direct sow into the holes.
While we still have to do some weeding in the holes when the plants are tiny, eventually the flowers get so big they take over and weeds become a non-issue.
Below is a photo of what the flower garden looks like in the spring as we are preparing, amending the soil and covering beds with fabric….
… and here is what it looks like 2-3 months later. Lots of flowers with very few weeds.
So there you have it! Yes, eliminating weeds from your garden requires some up front work and dedication… but the results are worth it! Imagine having a garden you ENJOY being in, instead of feeling stressed out and upset every time you look at it.
Repeat after me: BARE SOIL IS AN INVITATION FOR WEEDS.
COVER THE SOIL.
Got it??? Good. Now get out there and cover your soil… and start creating the garden of your dreams!
Cut Flowers to Direct Sow NOW!
Last week was our Average Last Spring Frost Date on our farm - May 15.
On our farm, our last harsh “killing frost” ❄️usually occurs sometime between May 1 and May 31. On May 15, we have a 50% chance of still experiencing frost. It’s a bit of a gamble sometimes planting on May 15, but it works about half of the time!
We use the May 15 date as our signal to begin direct sowing our heat-loving, summer-blooming Annual cut flowers, such as:
Our custom Zinnia mixes for instant, easy Zinnia bouquets.
Succession Planting Annual Cut Flowers for Continuous Blooms
Most people sow their seeds around their Average Last Frost Date… and then think they are done planting for the season.
And this is okay if you don’t mind having a flush of blooms in mid-summer.
But if you want blooms all summer long, I highly encourage you to “Succession Plant” (you can read a comprehensive, in-depth report on how we Succession Plant in THIS BLOG POST).
Succession Planting is a planting method that involves staggering the seed sowing dates. Instead of planting everything all at once (which results in a “feast or famine” situation 😞), the planting season is lengthened… which results in a lengthened harvest season.
As a general rule, I recommend sowing heat-loving, summer-blooming Annuals a MINIMUM of 2-3 times, about 2-3 weeks apart.
Check out the graph below. As you can see, blooming tends to peak and then decline quickly.
By planting 4 successions of Zinnias, instead of just 1, we can ensure we have top-quality blooms to harvest for months, instead of just a few weeks.
How Many Successions Can You Sow?
The number of successions you can sow depends on two factors:
How many months of “frost-free” growing time are available where you live?
How many days does it take for the plant to reach maturity and bloom (Days to Maturity)?
On our farm, we have about 5 months of “frost-free” growing - May 15 through Oct 15. That’s roughly 150 days to grow heat-loving, summer-blooming Annual flowers (it’s a little depressing to calculate that only 40% of our days in Michigan don’t have snow or freezing weather! 🥶).
Many cut flower varieties take about 65-100 days to bloom.
To determine how many successions I can plant, I count BACKWARD from my Average First Fall Frost Date (October 15).
Ex. Zinnias take 65-90 days from germination to bloom. I can plant them anytime from May 15 through about June 30. If I plant them later than June 30, it’s likely they will NOT mature/bloom before frost arrives on Oct 15.
NOTE: Plants grow/mature FASTER when the weather is warm and when day length is longest around the Summer Solstice on June 20. They grow SLOWER when the weather is cool and as days shorten heading into the Autumn Equinox on Sept 22. Take this into consideration when sowing seeds!
List of Cut Flowers to Direct Sow RIGHT NOW!
Here’s a list of great candidates for Direct Sowing AFTER your Average Last Spring Frost Date:
These are heat-loving flowers, so I recommend waiting until your soil is warm before direct sowing.
There’s no advantage to sowing them earlier when the soil is cold. In fact, trying to sow them too early could delay or even prevent germination!
These seeds require consistent temperatures of 70°F or warmer to germinate properly.
Even though May 15 is technically “safe” for sowing these seeds most years, I find the seeds I sow in June (when it’s warmer and the days are longer) grow much FASTER and more vigorously than the seeds sown on my Average Last Spring Frost Date.
The Zinnias in the photo below 👇were direct sown on June 30… and they started blooming by August 15! Because they were planted around the Summer Solstice and experienced peak light levels, they only took about 45 days to mature. It was a great discovery and taught me that I can plant heat-loving, summer-blooming Annuals much later in the season than I expected!
These plants bloomed like crazy until they were killed by frost on October 17.
Featured flowers: “Rainbow Mix” Zinnias, “Salmon Pastel” Globe Amaranth, “Fercita” Amaranth
Tips for Direct Sowing Success
Here are a few tips for Direct Sowing:
After sowing the seeds, gently water the planting area. Watering “activates” the seeds and signals them to begin the germination process. Be sure to water GENTLY so you don’t wash away the seeds.
Make sure the soil stays moist the entire time while awaiting germination. If the soil dries out, the seeds might not germinate. You can keep the soil moist by:
Watering 1-3 times per day or as needed, depending on your weather conditions
Covering the sowing area to prevent the soil from drying out. I’ve used various materials with success, including burlap bags, feed sacks, frost cloth, pieces of 2x6 lumber, a light layer of straw, etc. The goal is to keep the soil from drying out. Check daily for germination. Once the seeds are germinated, you can remove the covering.
If squirrels, birds, or other critters eating your seeds is a problem, consider covering the planting area with frost cloth or old bedsheets until the seeds have germinated.
Mark where you planted the seeds. Your flower seeds will germinate… and so will weed seeds. It’s helpful to indicate where you planted the seeds so you can determine which seedlings are your flowers and which ones are weeds!
So what are you waiting for?
Now’s the time to direct sow your heat-loving, summer-blooming Annuals. And don’t forget to Succession Plant them so you can experience beautiful blooms for MONTHS, instead of just weeks!
Succession Planting: The Secret to Beautiful Blooms All Season Long
How to have blooms for MONTHS instead of WEEKS!
Succession Planting: The Secret to Beautiful Blooms All Season Long
Today I want to teach you a planting technique that will COMPLETELY change the way you grow cut flowers.
If you want to have beautiful blooms all season long, you’ve GOT to learn the skill of “Succession Planting”.
Don’t worry. It’s not hard.
But it DOES require some forethought and planning ahead.
Once you master Succession Planting, you can look forward to MONTHS of blooms, instead of just a few weeks.
1. First, I’m going to teach you the WHAT, WHY, WHEN and HOW of Succession Planting.
2. Next, I’ll share some suggestions of plants that are good candidates for Succession Planting.
3. Last of all, I’m going to show you what Succession Planting looks like on OUR farm, so you can see the progression from May - September. Be sure to check it out!
WHAT:
“Succession Planting” is a method of planting (either direct sowing or transplanting) flowers or vegetables multiple times over the growing season. Instead of “putting in the garden” on one day, the garden is planted in waves (successions) over the course of weeks.
WHY:
Succession planting has the following benefits:
Increases the amount of weeks that flowers are in bloom. Instead of just 4-6 weeks of blooms, you can get 12+ weeks of beautiful blooms.
Staggers the blooming time of plants to prevent “feast or famine” in the garden (everything blooming all at once… and then weeks with no blooms). Ex. If you plant 100 Sunflower seeds on the same day, they will all bloom within 1 week… and then you’ll have no Sunflowers for the rest of the season.
Removes the pressure to plant the entire garden all at once.
Alleviates space restrictions for seed starting. You don’t have to start all the seedlings at the same time. Instead, it can be done in waves, which frees up space for more seedlings.
If one succession gets destroyed by frost, heat, critters or disease, you have a back up plan!
WHEN:
For simplicity’s sake, let’s focus on Annual flowers that are planted out after the threat of frost is over. These flowers may be planted on or after your Average Last Spring Frost Date.
First, you need to know your “Frost Free Growing Period”, which is the space between your:
Average Last Spring Frost: This is “go time”, when it’s finally safe to plant out Annuals!
Average First Fall Frost: This is “killing frost” time, when the frost kills the Annuals and your season is over.
On our farm, these 2 dates are:
May 15 - Average Last Spring Frost
October 15- Average First Fall Frost
Remember, these are AVERAGE dates, so it’s possible that the frost could happen 2 weeks earlier or later than the average. It’s always a gamble!
On the seed pack, it will say how long it takes from “seed to bloom”. Once you know your Average First Fall Frost Date, you can work backward from that date to determine how late into the summer you can plant.
Ex. Zinnias take about 90 days to bloom. My First Average Fall Frost Date is Oct 15. If I want the Zinnias to bloom before frost, I need to count back about 100 days (always give them a week or two buffer time). The latest I can plant Zinnias and still expect them to bloom in time is around July 1.
I can start planting Zinnias around May 15 (Average Last Spring Frost Day). If I plant Zinnias about every 2-3 weeks, I could plant about 3-4 Successions of Zinnias to ensure that I have a constant supply of blooms.
Here’s a sample of how Succession Planting works on our farm:
1st Succession: May 15
2nd Succession: June 1
3rd Succession: June 15
*Make sure to read this entire post to see the photos at the end
HOW:
Getting a handle on Succession Planting can be a little tricky at first. So many of us have been trained to plant the garden all at once, so the idea of reserving areas to be planted in the future is a new concept.
I recommend dividing your planting areas into 2-3 different sections and then planting each section about 2-3 weeks apart.
Here’s how we do it on our farm:
I created 3 separate “planting blocks” that are planted at 3 different times over the season. Each block is a complete cutting garden, filled with the “ingredients” I need to create beautiful bouquets.
Once I had the plan made, I simply replicated the same basic plan in each block (I did change what colors I planted - brighter colors for earlier successions that would bloom in mid summer and more muted colors for successions that would bloom in late summer/early fall).
Basically, I planted the same cutting garden 3 times over the course of the season.
I found this was SO helpful for reducing overwhelm and confusion. I had clearly defined blocks, planted at clearly defined intervals, which helped me figure out when to start the seedlings.
You could easily take this same concept and use it in your garden.
Let’s say you have 6 raised beds or rows to plant in.
Plant the first 2 beds around your Average Last Spring Frost
Plant the next 2 beds about 2-3 weeks later.
Plant the last 2 beds 2-3 weeks after that.
Voila. You have a simple, effective succession plan for your garden to ensure you have beautiful blooms all season long.
TIPS:
Most Tender Annuals can be succession planted 2-3x over the season. Of course, there are ALWAY exceptions to this rule, but it’s a good starting point.
Fast growing plants, like Sunflowers that go from seed to bloom in 55 days, can have MULTIPLE successions over the season (up to 7-8 successions!). We sow Sunflowers every 10-14 days starting at our Average Last Spring Frost Date all the way until the end of August.
If you’re not sure how many successions you can plant, refer to the seed pack to learn how many days it takes from seed to bloom. Count backward from your Average First Fall Frost and calculate if there is enough time for the plant to bloom. Please note that plants grow faster around the Summer Solstice on June 21 (when there are the most daylight hours) and gradually grow slower as we head into autumn (when daylight hours are reduced). If you’re planting later in the season and it says 70-90 days to bloom, assume that it will take 90 days.
After the 1st succession starts getting tired (ragged looking, going to seed, etc), you have a few options: You could pull out the plants and put in a succession of fast growing Sunflowers OR you could cut back the plants HARD, to about 6” tall and see what happens. The plants might regrow and give you a 4th succession of blooms that comes on just as the 3rd succession is starting to wane!
GOOD CANDIDATES FOR SUCCESSION PLANTING
While some Annuals need to be started indoors and transplanted, others can be direct sown as seeds right into the garden (like Amaranth, Cosmos, Sunflowers and Zinnias), making them great candidates for easy Succession Planting.
Ammi (False Queen Anne’s Lace)
Cress
Dara
Dill
Ornamental Annual grasses (click here to purchase my favorite types)
Phlox (annual type) (click here to purchase my favorite types)
Our Succession Planting Strategy
Let me show you what our Succession Planting Blocks looked like over the season. It’s really exciting to see the progression of the blocks!
Remember, we planted 3 successions on roughly:
1st Succession: May 15
2nd Succession: June 1
3rd Succession: June 15
May 17, 2022 - Seedlings planted into 1st Succession Planting Block
June 7, 2022 - 1st Succession Planting Block about 3 weeks after being planted/direct sown
June 20, 2022 - View of 1st Succession Planting Block (foreground) and 2nd Succession Planting Block (background)
July 3, 2022 - View of 3rd Succession Planting Block (foreground), 2nd Succession Planting Block (middle ground), and 1st Succession Planting Block (background)
July 5, 2022 - 1st Succession Planting Block beginning to bloom, 8 weeks after being planted
July 14, 2022 - 1st Succession Planting Block in full bloom 9 weeks after planting
August 10, 2022 - 2nd Succession Planting Block in bloom 10 weeks after planting
August 10, 2022 - 1st Succession Planting Block starting to fade and get tired about 12 weeks after planting. We cut back all the plants in mid August… and they rebloomed again in late September!
August 13, 2022 - View of 3rd Succession Planting Block starting to blooms (foreground), 2nd Succession Planting Block in full bloom (middle ground) and 1st Succession Planting Block starting to fade (background)
August 20, 2022 - 2nd Succession Block in full bloom 11 weeks after planting
August 24 - 3rd Succession Planting Block starting to bloom 10 weeks after planting
September 20, 2022 - 1st Succession Planting Block reblooming after being cut back in August… which means we actually got 4 Successions!
July 7, 2023 - Sunflowers are grown in their own Succession Planting Block. We prepare the entire block at the beginning of the season and cover the waiting beds with tarps (to prevent weeds from growing) until we’re ready to plant that bed. We direct sow 8 successions of Sunflowers over the season, starting in mid May and ending in early August. This gives us a steady supply of Sunflowers from July - Oct.
I hope this Blog Post encourages and inspires YOU to try Succession Planting too.
Happy planting!
Ready for more?
If you’re serious about growing the garden of your dreams this year, register for my online course, “Backyard Cutting Garden 101”. You’ll find everything you need to plan, grow, harvest and arrange your stunning blooms. I can’t WAIT to help you grow! Click on the button below for all the details.
Planning Your Garden (for beginners)
Stop putting off your garden plans and get growing already!
Planning Your Garden (for beginners)
“This is the year”, you tell yourself. “I’m finally going to plant that garden I’ve always dreamed of.”
But the same thing happens every year. The more you think about putting in a garden… the more overwhelmed you become.
“How big does it need to be?”
Where should I put the garden?”
“What if I do something wrong?”
“Where do I even start?”
And just like that, your dream of a garden… it’s pushed to the back burner. Again.
But not this year. ;)
Over the past 18 years, I’ve created dozens of new gardening/growing areas and I have a few tips and pointers that can save you time, and reduce the confusion and overwhelm.
Let’s get you started so you can make that garden dream come true!
Location, location, location
The first thing to consider is location. This can make or break your gardening success. When surveying your site, here are some things to look for:
Full Sun: most veggies and cut flowers need 8+ hours of sun.
Access to water: you’ll likely need to water at least once a week, so make sure it’s easy and convenient to get water to the garden.
Good soil: avoid heavy clay or dry sand if possible.
Not all hope is lost if these things are unavailable to you.
Perhaps you have a neighbor or relative who would allow you to use part of their land.
Maybe you could rent a plot at a community garden (and make some new friends!).
If your soil is terrible, you could always build raised beds and bring in new soil.
Mapping your space
Once you’ve chosen a good location, measure your space and start mapping it out on paper. Start small, especially if you are a beginner.
It’s better to start small and learn as you go, instead of biting off way more than you can chew and getting discouraged.
I started my gardening journey 15 years ago with a 10’x10’ garden and so can you!
Personally, I’m a fan of 3’ wide raised bed gardens with 3’ pathways/aisles between beds.
You can get as nerdy as you want here. Some people are happy with simple sketches, others prefer to bust out the graph paper and the ruler. Ultra nerdy folk (like myself! Ha!) may even use software or spreadsheets to create a map. Do what makes sense for your brain and personality.
Below, I created an example of a cutting garden made up of three 3’x12’ raised bed gardens. This size garden is manageable, yet productive.
Deciding what to grow
I understand, friend. When you look through the seed catalogs, you want to grow ALL THE THINGS.
But again, I will suggest you start small. Learn to limit yourself.
CONSTRAINT IS THE SECRET TO SUCCESS!
Every single plant (veggie, flower and fruit) has slightly different growing requirements and it can be tricky to master them all at once. Many people try to do too many things at once, get overwhelmed and frustrated… then quit.
Constrain yourself and commit to 5-10 new plant species each season. Within 5 years, you’ll have mastered 25-50 different plant species! Your skill level will grow each season as you increase your confidence.
Here are a few cut flowers that are beginner-friendly:
For more ideas, read “5 Easy to Grow Cut Flowers for Beginners” and “My Top 10 Favorite Cut Flowers”.
Even better, enroll in “Cut Flower Confidence”, my mini-course designed to help you decide WHAT to grow in just 1 afternoon! It’s jam-packed with printable guides and spreadsheets to help you make a rock-solid plan that works for YOU.
Putting it all together
Once you have your garden map drawn out and have decided what to grow, it’s time to figure out how many seedlings/plants you can fit in your garden.
You can find the plant spacing information either on the seed pack or the plant label for any potted plants you may purchase.
Hint: If you’re planting cut flowers, you can take the spacing requirements as suggestions. I normally plant cut flowers closer together than advised, since tight planting encourages the flowers to grow longer stems.
Once you have your plan, it’s time to start turning your dream into reality.
There are several different ways to physically create your garden. In this blog post, “How to Create a New Growing Area”, I show my favorite method for creating new gardens. We’ve used this method multiple times and it works great.
Need more help? Check out the “How to Grow” series on the Three Acre Farm blog page to learn more about growing specific cut flower varieties.
Happy planning (and planting), friend! I can’t wait to see what you grow this year.
-Lori
READY FOR MORE?
If you’re serious about growing the garden of your dreams this year, register for my online course, “Backyard Cutting Garden 101”.
You’ll find everything you need to plan, grow, harvest and arrange your stunning blooms.
I can’t WAIT to help you grow! Click on the button below for all the details.
How to Start Seeds
Ready to start your own plants from seed? Read on!
How to Start Seeds
Ready to take your gardening to the next level?
Learning how to grow your own plants from seed is fun, rewarding and great therapy during the cold winter/spring months! Green growth is good for soul!
At first, growing your own seedlings may seem intimidating and difficult. Let’s face the harsh reality:
You WILL kill some plants.
Plan on it.
Expect it.
And when it happens… try again!
Don’t feel bad - it happens to everyone.
In this blog post, I’ll help set you up for success. You’ll stumble along the way and make mistakes, but it’s ok. This is how we learn!
We’re going to cover 4 main topics in the blog post:
Supplies You’ll Need (What)
Location Requirements (Where)
Timing of Sowing (When)
Method for Seed Sowing (How)
It never ceases to amaze me that that these tiny seeds turn into….
…. these incredible blooms!
Supplies You’ll need
Seeds: you can find some great cut flower options HERE.
Seed trays or “cell packs”: something to grow the seeds in. You can purchase new trays or reuse “cell packs” from plants you’ve purchased at a nursery.
Tray: to hold the seed trays or cell packs and prevent water spills. “1020” trays work great.
Dome lid: to help retain moisture and aid germination
Seed Starting Mix: “Potting soil” is ok, but try to find something specifically for seed starting. It’s finer and easier to work with. Scroll down to see some suggestions in the photos.
Plant ID marker/stick and Sharpie marker: so you don’t forget what you planted! I use wooden craft sticks and write the name and date with my trusty Sharpie.
Heat mat: to aid germination.
Light: a bright, south-facing window or artificial light, like a shop light with fluorescent or LED bulbs. PLEASE do not overcomplicate this part. People get all in a tizzy about having the “right” lights! If you are growing the plant for its ENTIRE LIFE CYCLE under artificial lights, of course, you’d want to invest in top-quality lights. But your seedling will only spend a few weeks under lights… so just get some lights. It really doesn’t matter what kind!
Location Requirements
It can be tricky to find the right place to start your seeds, but most people are able to find small space that can be used for a couple of weeks.
Please don’t overthink this or feel like it needs to perfect or pretty. Just take a look at my seed starting space! It works, despite crumbling stone walls, stink bugs and spiders. ;) Can you find all 3 of my seed starting buddies in the photo?
We start nearly all our seedlings in our basement under grow lights. When the weather begins to warm up (mid April), we begin transferring the trays to our solarium attached to the south side of our house, where the seedling will live for another month until it’s warm enough to plant outdoors (mid/late May).
Here are some things to look for:
Adequate Light: If you can’t use a south-facing window, or don’t get enough natural light in your climate (a real problem here in cloudy Michigan!), you will need to use artificial lights. Insufficient light will produce leggy, weak plants. The plants need about 16 hours of strong light each day. Again, do not overcomplicate this part. If you are growing the plant for its ENTIRE LIFE CYCLE under artificial lights, of course, you’d want to invest in top-quality lights. But your seedling will only spend a few weeks under lights… so just get some lights. It really doesn’t matter what kind!
Warmth: Many seedlings want to grow in conditions between 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. While the basement may seem like a good space, many basements are too cold and the plants will grow very slowly. This can be overcome by leaving the plants on a heat mat to provide supplemental warmth.
Air Flow: If the space does not have good air flow, a small fan can provide the necessary air movement to prevent disease problems.
Safe from Pets: This can be a real issue! Cats love to lay on heat mats and flatten your tender seedlings (ask me how I know this. Ha!). They might even think your seed trays are litter boxes. Eek! Dogs may like to eat the soil.
Proximity to Water Sources: You will need to water your babies frequently, so be sure they are in a location that has easy access to water… or else you’ll get lazy and won’t water them enough (oh, is that just me?).
Timing of Sowing
It’s important to know your Average Last Spring Frost Date. Do a simple web search to find the Average Last Spring Frost Date in your area.
This is the date when it’s safe to plant most flowers, veggies and herbs outdoors. If you plant outdoors before this date, you risk losing your plants to a late spring frost. (There are some plants that are “hardy” or “frost tolerant” that can be planted out before this date. Check the seed packet to be sure.)
While it seems counterintuitive, err on the side of sowing seeds a bit later rather than earlier. Seeds that are sown too early can result in plants that are rootbound and stunted or may try to bloom at 2 inches tall. Eek!
Here are some rough guidelines/suggestions for commonly grown flowers, veggies and herbs. You may need to experiment to find the correct timing for your climate.
8-10 Weeks before Average Last Spring Frost
Carnation
Feverfew
Onion/Leek
Pepper (Hot or sweet)
Sweet William
Yarrow
6-8 Weeks before Last Average Spring Frost
Bells of Ireland
Delphinium
Herbs (perennial types, like chives, oregano, sage, thyme, etc)
Poppy
Sweet Annie
4-6 Weeks before Last Average Frost
Ammi (False Queen Anne’s Lace)
Bachelor’s Button
Basil
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Forget-Me-Not
Kale
Lettuce
Marigold
Morning Glory
Sweet Pea
Tomato
2-4 Weeks before Average Last Spring Frost
Cucumber
Melon
Nasturtium
Pumpkin
Squash
Watermelon
A mid-April view of our solarium attached to the south side of our house. Most seedlings are started in the basement, then transferred here to grow for another month before being transplanted outside in mid/late May.
Method for Seed sowing
Moisten seed starting mix until it’s damp but not soaking wet. I like to pour mine into a big Rubbermaid tote and mix it with water in the tote.
Fill your seed trays or cell packs with the seed starting mix. Tap it gently on the ground a few times to make sure it settles. Add more, if needed.
Carefully sow 1-2 seeds per cell, paying attention to the instructions on the seed pack. As a general rule, most seeds are buried twice as deep as they are in size. So for example, a tiny seed like Snapdragon will be barely covered by a sprinkle of soil, while a larger seed, like a Zinnia will be buried about 1/4 inch deep.
Gently tamp down the soil, to make sure the seeds are in contact with the soil.
Place the seed tray or cell pack in a tray and cover with a dome lid.
Place tray on a heat mat… then wait! Seeds can take 3-28 days to germinate, depending on type. Be sure the soil never dries out by using a spray bottle or “bottom watering”. Here’s how to do it: Fill the tray with water every other day (or as needed) and allow the seed tray/cell pack to wick up water for a few hours, then remove and discard the extra water. Do not leave the seed trays/cell packs in standing water.
When most of the seeds have germinated, move the tray to a warm, brightly lit place (window or artificial light). Seedlings need 16 hours of light to grow properly. If using lights, be sure to lower the light (or raise the tray) so the lights are hovering 2-3 inches above the seedlings. This helps prevent “leggy”, stretching seedlings.
Monitor your seedling every single day. The soil should never dry out completely. You’ll likely need to continue bottom watering until the seedlings are sturdy enough to handle overhead watering from a watering can.
About 2 weeks before planting your babies outdoors, begin “hardening them off”. This is the process of acclimatizing your seedlings to a new environment. On day 1, bring them outside for 1 hour, then bring them back inside. On day 2, bring them outside for 2 hours, then bring them back in. Continue this pattern, increasing the time they spend outdoors each day for about 2 weeks.
Now they are ready to plant! Tuck those babies into the ground, preferably on a cloudy cool day to minimize “transplant shock”. Be sure to water them thoroughly after planting and keep them well watered for the next 2 weeks while they establish a robust root system.
These tiny seedlings transplanted in mid May turn into….
… this in mid July!
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