WATER SEEDLINGS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

Allow water to come to room temperature before using it on seedlings you start indoors.  Water straight from the tap is usually too cold; it chills the seedling roots, significantly slowing growth.

THERMOS SOAK

Soak seeds in warm water for 24 to 48 hours before planting to soften the seed coat and promote quicker sprouting.  You can do so conveniently by placing the seeds in a wide-mouthed thermos bottle with warm water.  The thermos keeps the water warm, and the wide mouth makes seed removal easy.

STEEP HARD SEEDS

While warm water is good for soaking seeds, many hard seeds benefit from being soaked in strong tea overnight as well.  The tannic acid in the tea works to soften the outer covering of the seeds.

PREVENT DAMPING OFF

If your seedlings look fine one day, but keel over the next, the problem probably is damping-off (caused by a soil-borne fungus).  To prevent damping-off, keep your planting flats clean and always use fresh medium for each batch of seeds; avoid overwatering and be sure the containers are well drained; thin your seedlings so that air can circulate between them; and keep your soil level high.

ROLL YOUR BEETS

If you have trouble getting your beet seeds to germinate, try spreading the seeds on a piece of wax paper and rolling them with a rolling pin to crush the outside husks, giving the seeds a head start.

RECIPE FOR SEED-STARTERS

Seeds don't need rich soil for germination.  What they do need is a loose medium that provides the seedling roots plenty of air spaces.  Your local garden center may sell you a bulk supply of the mix they use in their own seed-staring operations, or you can make your own by mixing 1 part milled sphagnum moss and 2 parts each of vermiculite and perlite.  When the seedlings get their first set of true leaves, pot them up into larger containers filled with regular potting soil.

PAINTBRUSH SOWING

When you use a trowel or your hands to cover small seeds with soil, you sometimes bury them too deep, inhibiting germination.  Try using a paintbrush instead.  It gives you better control over the amount of soil you put on the seeds.

FLUORESCENT TUBES FOR GROW LIGHTS

If you want to start seeds or grow houseplants under fluorescent lights, it isn't necessary to buy grow lights.  Cool white or warm white fluorescent tubes are as effective as grow lights.  They are also less expensive and longer-lasting.

Cool white tubes are rich in light from the blue end of the light spectrum--the light that seedlings need for best growth.  The red light given off by warm white tubes encourages flowering and bright colors. Use one tube of each to grow the widest range of plants.

CITRUS PLANTERS

After you've eaten or juiced half an organic orange or grapefruit, use the skin as a "pot" for germinating seedlings.  Scoop out the remaining pulp, poke a few holes in the bottom, and fill the half with soil, then plant your seeds.  When you'e ready to put them in the ground, plant them citrus half, and all.  The citrus will slowly decay, adding nutrients to the soil.

WE HOPE THESE TIPS HAVE BEEN HELPFUL AND WILL MAKE YOUR SEED STARTING EASIER -- HAPPY GARDENING!