{"id":6161,"date":"2017-02-10T14:43:11","date_gmt":"2017-02-10T19:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/homegardenjoy.com\/site\/?p=6161"},"modified":"2024-03-08T15:22:53","modified_gmt":"2024-03-08T20:22:53","slug":"starting-seeds-indoors-equipment-and-supplies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homegardenjoy.com\/site\/2017\/02\/starting-seeds-indoors-equipment-and-supplies.html","title":{"rendered":"Starting Seeds Indoors: Equipment and Supplies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When starting seeds indoors, having the right equipment and supplies is important. Here’s a list of the items you need for successfully starting seeds indoors this spring.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Starting Seeds Indoors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you’re new to backyard gardening, starting seeds<\/a> indoors may seem like a mysterious task. Should you bother to start seed indoors or plant them directly in the ground? Or should you purchase plants at the garden center instead of trying to start vegetables and flowers from seeds?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some plants are best to start from seed directly in the garden soil. Among vegetables, many root crops such as beets, turnips, carrots and similar vegetables prefer that their seeds are sown directly into the garden soil at the right time. The ‘right’ time is stated on the back of your seed package<\/a>. Each seed package comes with detailed instructions, including planting dates and directions on how to plant your garden seeds so that they will germinate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With other plants, you can start seeds indoors <\/a>several weeks before the last anticipated frost date for your region (the so-called ‘frost free’ date you see mentioned a lot on Home Garden Joy and in books and magazines.) If you prefer and if it’s easier, you can also buy the same plants at your local nursery and garden center and transplant them into your garden in the spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it’s easier to buy plants already grown and waiting to be planted in the garden, then why bother starting seeds indoors? It’s simple: variety. When I start my backyard garden seeds indoors, I can choose from among hundreds of varieties of tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and flowers for my garden. I can choose heirloom seeds, or seeds handed down over the generations, or I can choose the latest hybrids. I can grow yellow tomatoes or big crimson ones. It may be hard to find such a great variety at the garden center, where limited space means the retailers have to cater to the masses rather than special tastes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So for those wondering whether starting seeds indoors is worth it, it is if you want to save money or grow special varieties. If you’re unsure you have the time, space, or dedicated to nurturing your seeds through until the spring, wait and buy plants for your backyard garden. It’s better to plant some vegetables than nothing, and it may be easier to wait to choose your plants than to struggle with seed starting if you’re not sure you’ll enjoy it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed Starting Equipment and Supplies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The basic seed starting equipment and supplies that you’ll need include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n