Starting Seeds Indoors - Germination Made Simple © 2006

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Starting seeds indoors is an integral part of gardening. Most avid gardeners want to start their own seeds. The reasons for doing so include both economy and variety. It is simply much more economical to grow your own plants from seeds, especially if you have a large vegetable or flower garden and use many flats of seedlings. The variety of seeds available from seed catalogs is nothing short of amazing, and the large majority of the seeds offered are not grown and offered as plants by the major greenhouse growers, and thus not found in garden centers in the spring.

Starting seeds indoors seems like a daunting project to the uninitiated, but is really easy if you have the right tools. Most of us don't have the luxury of having a greenhouse to start our seeds in, or if we do we may not want to start heating it as early as some seeds need to be started.

Seeds come in all sizes and shapes, but all, with some exceptions, need the same basic requirements to germinate properly. Heat, light, and moisture, if supplied in the correct balance, will allow most seeds to start quickly and efficiently.

Perhaps the easiest seed starting tool to use is a seed starting mat for use indoors in a window or on the floor near a patio door. These mats are available from most seed companies, and will supply the necessary gentle bottom heat required for most annual flowers and vegetable plants. Some of these are offered as kits which include a flat, clear plastic dome, and inserts. Some of these seed starting kits may also include labels.

In addition to the kit, you will need a good quality seed starting medium. Soil for starting seeds is usually a bit finer textured than standard soil mix and it must be sterile to avoid damping off and other common seed germination problems. A mister capable of producing a fine mist is also a good item to have to water seedlings. Using a fine mist to water new seedling is important, because many are quite small and may be drowned with too much water.

Starting your own seeds indoors need not seem a daunting task. Seed germination is an integral and exciting part of gardening which is easy with the right tools.

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