Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors: II. Materials Wesley Crump, Taun Beddes, Michael Caron, and Milena Oliveira
Introduction This second of four fact sheets in this series explores materials needed to start seeds indoors—specifically, seeds, containers, soilless mix (potting soil), lights, water, fertilizer, a heat source, fans, labels, and a general growing space. Our focus is mainly starting vegetables. However, the principles discussed apply to starting herbs and other ornamental annuals and perennials. Online propagation protocols, books on plant propagation, and other Utah State University (USU) Extension resources discuss how to start other unique and less common plants.
Seeds Seeds can be obtained from many sources, including last year’s crops, a neighbor, a seed swap, your local big box store, or seed companies and providers. Any of these sources can be good, but as you invest time and money, the more you know about the seeds, the better. Some things to be aware of include: • • • •
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Are the seeds from disease-free plants? How old are the seeds? What is the storage history of the seeds? Are the seeds viable (able to germinate)? If so, what is the germination rate? If seeds are purchased commercially, the seller must perform various seed quality tests and have them listed on the seed package or at least available. When in doubt, a simple seed germination test can be performed as described in “Are My Seeds Still Good? Testing Seed Germination” by the University of Illinois Extension. Are they hybrid seeds? Were seeds collected from hybrid plants? If so, the seeds will not grow back true to type. 1