With today’s uncertain economy, the home garden is quickly coming back into popularity. With the ever-increasing cost of food, it’s no wonder!
One of the biggest spring expenses is often the plants you purchase to put into your garden. You can reduce this cost considerably by starting your plants from seed. By growing your own seedling indoors ahead of time, not only can you save money, but you can also get varieties that are not commonly found in your local garden center.
Growing plants from seed can be as easy and cheap as some recycled containers filled with soil and a few seed packets or you can spend as much or more than you would to just buy the plants. It’s all in the choices you make.
You will need:
- Containers that hold soil
- Seed starter mix or potting mix
- Seeds
- Gloves (optional – if you’re shy about getting your hands a little dirty!)
Let’s start with containers. Foam coffee cups, saved restaurant soda cups, yogurt cups, etc. will all work for starting plants. Whatever you use, be sure to poke a few holes in the bottom for excess water to drain out and fill the container all the way to the top with soil. Set these pots into another tray to catch the water than drains out. I use old restaurant bus tubs, but for just a few plants, a saved deli or meat tray will work just fine.
The larger the container you start with, the less likely you are to have to transplant your seedlings into something bigger before they can be planted outside in the garden – and this is better for the plants too. I’ll explain that more later.
Vegetable plants need a good 8 hours of bright light every day, so keep this in mind when deciding where to place the containers. If you are going to be setting them in a sunny window, remember that you will need to rotate the little plants every day (sometimes twice a day) to keep them growing straight and strong. Chose a convenient spot you can reach easily.
You want to start your plants 6-8 weeks before the last expected frost date for where you live. Here in Michigan it’s usually around Mother’s Day or a little later.
Visit a garden center or any place that sells seeds – this time of year you can find displays of seed packets in nearly any store, including drugstores. Choose vegetables that your family normally eats: tomatoes, peppers, onions and more. Read the back of the packet for instructions on when you need to start them indoors and how deep to plant the seeds (most packets have a spot that says “depth”). The back will also have a date stamped on it showing what year they are intended for and sometimes the sell by date. If you are new to gardening, I would suggest using seed packets dated for this year, although I often use seeds that are 7 or more years old. One last tip: don’t waste time or money on starting green beans, carrots or radishes indoors – these plants grow so fast that there’s no need to start them ahead of time.
Starting Out with Seeds
Tomatoes are easy to grow and very tasty! Once you taste a homegrown tomato, you won’t ever want a store-bought one again. So let’s use tomatoes as our example.
- To start from seed, simply fill your pots with soil.
- Moisten the soil with ordinary tap water. You want it moist, but not dripping, soaking wet.
- Most tomato seeds call for a planting depth of 1/4 inch, which is not deep at all. Lay 3-4 seeds on top of the soil and carefully poke them down a little bit. Brush soil over the top and lightly pat down.
- Repeat with your remaining pots. If using another plant type, just follow the instructions on the packet. It’s fine to have some seeds left over – you don’t need to use the entire packet at once.
To give your plants a jump start, you can put the whole tray of pots into a clear plastic bag and seal it. Place it in a warm (but not hot) spot and check on it every day until you see a little green poking through the soil’s surface. Then remove the tray from the plastic bag and give it a home in a nice sunny window or under some lights.
I use plain old shop lights that I’ve purchased at garage sales over the years. If you can’t find them used, they sell for around $9.00 each at home improvement stores. IF you are going to use lights, you must be able to adjust the lights so that they are never more than 3 inches above the plants and NOT touching the leaves. I recycled some 2×4’s and made a basic square frame, and hung them using more recycled lengths of light weight chain. I find that using lights creates a larger area for starting plants (I normally start 75-100 plants every year) and results in stronger plants, since I often forget to rotate them sitting in a window.
If your plants have outgrown their starter pots or if roots are hanging out the bottom, you’ll need to carefully transplant your seedlings into a larger container. Try to disturb the roots as little as possible and avoid breaking or damaging the stems of the plants. Plants will go into “transplant shock” if this is not done with extreme care. This problem can be avoided entirely by using large enough pots to begin.
You’re supposed to thin the plants to one per pot, but I dislike throwing away a perfectly good plant. When I plant them in the garden, I very gently pull apart any that aren’t too tangled together and plant them that way. If they are too tightly tangled, then I just leave them that way and plant the whole bunch.
Moving Indoor Plants Outside
Once the plants are 6-8 inches tall and you’ve noticed several nights without frost, your little seedlings are ready for life on the outside. However, you can’t simply put them out in the garden – you have to do what’s called “hardening off” to avoid them getting shocked. This simply means getting the little plants used to being outside. To do this, simply set them outside in a warm area sheltered from direct breezes and rain. Start with 30-60 minutes and increase the time every two days until you can leave them out all day. (Some recommend this treatment every day, but I’ve had better luck with every two days).
Now they are ready to plant in the ground!
For tomatoes, dig a hole nearly as deep as the plant is tall. You’ll bury all but the top few inches of the plant in soil. This buried stem will sprout more roots and give you a stronger plant that will provide a higher harvest.
Listen carefully to weather forecasts – if they warn of frost or freezing temperatures, you will need to cover your plants with old sheets or light blankets (being careful not to crush the tiny plants). I put tomato cages around my plants the day I plant them, so if they need to be covered this early, the cage will keep the covering from damaging the tender plants. Promptly uncover as soon as the frost clears in the morning.
Keep your plants watered (if there is not enough rain) to keep them happy and they will reward you with the best tomatoes you’ve ever tasted!
Good luck – and good growing! If you’d like more information, please feel free to ask in the comments – I’d love to help.
ABOUT the AUTHOR
Lee is a Michigan native who loves to garden and save money. She’s been starting plants from seed for several years and has experience in container gardening in a limited space as well as raised bed gardening. Lee is a firm believer that it’s important to know where your food comes from and what does (and doesn’t) go into it.
Margaret says
Hi. I’m wondering about starting the plants inside. We have a fairly small yard, I’m wondering if it’s still possible for me to be able to grow a few tomato plants? Is it possible to grow them in a bigger planter like you would use to put decorative plants in? I’d really like to try and grow some of my own veggies this year!! Thanks for the write up on it!!
sarah says
I am sooo incredibly grateful for this info!!! We moved from out of state and have been trying to figure out the best way to go about starting a garden in the Michigan climate. Thank you for sharing your expertise!
Lisa says
disclaimer- I have never had a garden but would really like to this year- that being said, I have seen “organic” seeds online, wondering if you think it’s worth the extra cost of purchasing organic seeds vs non?
Stephanie says
Another way to cut costs is to split the veg packets. IE: I buy the 4 or 6 count veg plants & split them with my dad. Realistically, I don’t need 6 cucumber or squash plants, but 2-3 works for me. So if you don’t want to start things from seed, find someone to split the plant packets with.
Lee says
Wow,thanks for the comments!
Margaret,yes you can!
I container gardened for a few years before we finally moved to where I can have more growing space.
If you’re going to be using a large pot,use one that is at least as big around as a five gallon bucket,and as deep as possible,actually a 5 gallon bucket with a few drainage holes drilled in the bottom would work great!Fill it with 1/2 top soil,and 1/2 composted manure(total cost for one bag of each will be less than $3.00 at Home Depot)….plant your tomato plant very deep in the pot so that only the top few inches show,water well,and keep the soil moist but not soggy.They will need more watering than plants grown in the ground.
Lee says
Lisa,if you are planning to garden organically then I would spring for the organic seeds,but I do not spend the extra amount on them unless that company has a seed type that I can not find elsewhere cheaper,such as some still rare heirloom types.
Stephanie,that’s a great idea,sharing seeds with someone else.I have not done that,but I have shared plants when I started too many.
You can store left over seeds in the packets,in a cool dark,dry place,some people go an extra step and put a dryer packet in with them(ask your pharmacists to save them for you),and store them in a ziploc bag.A good book on seed saving is titled Seed to Seed. Some seeds will remain viable for several years,while others,such as onion and radish seeds may need to be replaced yearly.
Jill says
A great place is to start is with the free seeds included with the Danonino yogurts that VG’s and Kroger have been paying us to take out of the store! They did letter magnets before, but this year they have included different types of seeds. I have been holding on to them, although until you posted, I had not actually committed to planting them…I think I shall though, and get even more out of that free yogurt;)
Wendy says
Hi, I know that tomato plants and cucumbers take certain types of nutrients from the soil. What are a few vegetables that I can plant next to them that won’t take these same type of nutrients that I can plant next to them?
Lee says
Wendy,you don’t really have to worry about the soil being drained of nutrients in one growing season.Just be aware that cucumbers like to wander,so train the vines away from your tomatoes,other wise they will grow up onto them.Better yet trellis those cucumbers to free up space to grow other plants.
At the end of the season,and before the ground freezes,till in or hand dig in as much organic material as you can,such as composted manure,purchased compost, finely shredded leaves(not oak or hickory though,they take too long to break down).
Now is also a very good time to start a home compost pile if you do not already have one.I can post instructions on how to start one and what to put in it if needed,as I am in the process of building one right now.I do not use any commercial fertilizers or chemicals in my gardens.
As long as you are tilling or digging in lots of organic materials at the end of every growing season you shouldn’t need to think about nutrient drainage from your soil,in fact it will improve as you continue to garden.
M says
I didn’t realize that I was so far behind schedule.
Too late to start indoors?
Should I look for plants now, instead of starting seeds?