Spring is around the corner, which means seeds should get started soon. If you look on the back of your seed packets, most the time they will have a guide for when to plant. Right now its still a little soon but I wanted to get some basil started for the kitchen herb garden this spring. We had our soil from last year, so I will also be going over how to get dry soil ready for planting.
I love old ashtrays for these seedling cups. We got some in a vintage set of plates we bought at an estate sale. They can hold a little bit of water but not to much, which is exactly what you need for getting the plants started. Also they are super cute, so its a win-win.
Use a knife to poke about 5 holes in the bottom of the cup. You want to make it so you an see light through bottom of the cup when you hold it up. Also make when the cup is sitting that water can go through, cut any extra plastic from the holes made with the knife.
Fill the cups half way with the soil. Then use the SUPERthrive we made in "How To Save A Dying Plant", add a little at a time, mixing it in as you pour. You want the soil to be wet to the touch, but not soupy. Once the soil looks good, let it sit for about 20 minutes. You want some of the excess water to drain out, and it lets the soil "settle".
Use the bottom of a butter knife to make a little hole, about 1/2 inch into the soil. Make sure you read the back of your seed packet, it will tell you how deep the hole should be and how many seeds to plant per starter.
Dump the proper amount of seeds into the hole and then cover it up. Make sure you don't push the soil down too hard, just enough to loosely cover. Again, make sure you read the directions! Some seeds don't like to be covered.
Cover the top with plastic wrap, you want to make it tight but it doesn't have to be drum tight. Put a rubber band to seal the plastic wrap and cup. This creates a green house effect in the cup and is handy for knowing when to water because you will see the water dissipate from the top of the cup. I like to cut the plastic wrap to make it look cuter, but its not necessary.
Now you can label your new baby plants! I like to date the cups so I can keep an eye on how they are doing the check for progress. Only water them when you have too, for the first week or maybe more you will probably not have to add any water. If you don't see moisture on top of the plastic, just mist the plants a few times, you don't need to add too much water. If you over water the plants, you might flood the root system and that will kill the plant. Only treat the soil with SUPERthrive if it is dried out. Once the seedlings are ready to transplant you can use the SUPERthrive treatment again, but any time in between that just use regular water.
Once the plant emerges, you can peel the plastic back half way. Once you see the second leaf you can take the plastic all the way off. Usually it takes about 6 weeks till you see the the second leaf. Now you can water as needed, all you have to add is enough to see water come out of the holes in the bottom. At 3 to 4 leaves you can transplant to the garden or to a bigger pot, whatever you desire!
Do you have any gardening tips for seedlings? Share them in the comments section, and thanks for reading!
Do you have any gardening tips for seedlings? Share them in the comments section, and thanks for reading!