Go to WHEN TO SOW for help with timing your seed planting.

When you plant tiny seeds (such as basil), generally use a 4" pot to start. Fill it with good potting soil, water it with warm water, rough up the soil surface a bit, then sprinkle the seeds over the entire surface.

(Don't cover small seeds with soil.)

Press the soil surface down slightly to set the seeds and then add a thin layer of perlite on top (shown in images). The perlite drains very well and dries quickly, thus keeping fungus from forming at the soil surface.

Label the containers with plant variety and date. Don't assume that you will remember.

Very soon after the seeds sprout above the surface, prick them out with a fork and plant the very tiny plants using bent-end tweezers into their own cells or pots.

Larger seeds (and tomato seeds) I usually planted separately in their own small "cell" in a flat, a 4" pot, or a small paper cup (6 to 10 oz. size, with drainage holes punched out of the sides and bottom) to begin with. They are planted at a depth that is about three times their largest dimension.

Plant 2 seeds to a cell or cup. When they sprout, cut off the weaker one with sharp scissors. (Don't pull it out, or you will damage the roots of the stronger seedling in the process.)

Plant bean and pea seeds with the "eye" down, because that is where the root emerges.

Plant cucumber, melon and tomato seeds so that the thinnest part is on top and bottom and the flattest part of the seed is on either side. That is so when the seed sprouts, it can easily push up through the soil and still have plenty of energy reserves to keep growing. (Think of a table knife--It is much easier to cut through something sideways than to lay the knife flat and try to push through.)

Larger seeds with heavy seed coats - always put in a small bowl, pour warm water over them, then let them soak overnight before planting.

Place presprout seeds (even tiny ones, like basil) between the folds of a damp (not wet) paper towel, then place in a zip lock plastic bag. Keep the seeds in the kitchen and check them daily (or more often); as soon as you see a root sprouting, plant them in potting mix mulched with perlite.

(If you've not checked soon enough and the seed is rooting into the paper towel, carefully tear around the root and plant it, moist paper towel and all) It's amazing how long a seedling can survive in the plastic bag "greenhouse" growing in its damp paper towel "soil"! 

Bent nose tweezers really help when planting sprouted seeds or seedlings too tiny for your fingers. (Handle seedlings by their leaves to avoid damaging the stem.)

For planting, you can use different sizes of cells in a flat, chosen to allow enough initial root space for a seedling.

With experience, you will know which seeds require more room as they begin to grow.

By using a slightly larger cell for planting, means that the seedling can grow longer without the root becoming disturbed when involved in transplanting.

Another container you can use for planting is paper cups. Punch holes in the bottom AND sides (see images) for drainage and to get air to the roots.

Tomatoes, cucumbers and squashes can usually be planted in 10 to 12 oz. cups. They seem to need the extra room for their rapid growth.

It is important to keep your plants growing. Not potting them up to a larger container (or outdoors) soon enough will slow their growth, they will become rootbound, and they will lose momentum.

Don't mix different size cups in one flat water tray, as that makes it difficult to keep the fluorescent light at the right level for all of the plants. Put just one size cup.

You can also use plastic deli type container with lids for planting seeds. Just open the lid when the seeds have sprouted.

Strawberry containers already have drainage holes built in. You may have to make drainage holes in other containers.

The fully planted, perlite-mulched and watered flat water tray is then covered with a plastic dome made for that purpose.

(Yo can also use a plastic bag instead of a dome lid. Just be sure to prop it up in some way --with bent wire or sticks-- to keep the plastic from touching the soil surface or the sprouting plants.)

The flat water tray is placed on a wire frame suspended over a heat mat specially made for starting seeds. Notice how humid it is inside the dome. A dry soil surface would be too hard for the seeds to sprout through.

Fluorescent lights are above the flats, positioned just above the dome.

As soon as the first seeds sprout, remove the cover entirely. At this point, keep the fluorescent lights suspended just a couple of inches above the seedlings at all times, adjusting them as the plants grow. The lights are on a timer set to keep them on 18 hours a day.

Also set a small fan nearby to ensure good air circulation. This is in addition to the larger greenhouse fan that is always running. A little "wind" helps plants to grow sturdy and stocky stems, not weak and elongated. Additionally, whenever it comes to mind, brush your hand over the little plants' leaves. This is also supposed to encourage stocky growth.

The heat mat has no thermostat, so sometimes the soil gets pretty hot. 21 - 29 degrees C. is a good temperature to aim for.

Wire hooks and chains are used to adjust the lights so that they are always close to the top of the plants. 

Packing List:

1x Heat Mat 

1x Flat Water Tray 

1x Cloning Cell Tray 50 Cell

1x Clear Dome 7”