Your favorite “fire in the hole” hot sauce recipe calls for pepper varieties your local nursery has never heard of. Or maybe you’ve been wanting to try growing those heirloom tomatoes that taste so good. Starting your seeds from scratch is a great way to know exactly what you’re growing, with the added benefit of controlling the medium in which they’re grown, ensuring the only additives are those you want. For best results, choose a seed starting kit that lets you manage temperature, humidity, and light.
All seeds have a temperature range within which the highest percentage will germinate. Seed temperature germination charts are available online or the seed packets, with optimum temperatures for some higher than room temperature. For best results, use a heating pad when starting seeds requiring higher germination temps.
Regulating the amount of water and resultant humidity is another important factor. Too much water and the seeds will rot or the seedlings will damp off. Too little and the seeds won’t germinate, or the seedlings will die.
While light is not needed for seed germination, it is required for seedlings to grow. Fluorescent grow lighting or LED grow lights are preferred, but regular fluorescent lights or even natural light will do if there is enough of it. The key is to keep the seedlings from getting leggy.
