Two Things to Consider Before Starting Your Seeds Indoors

by Team Triple Wren

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February 23, 2022

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Cut Flower Garden Planning | dahlia cutting garden | Plan for Gardening Success | Plan for Success

Welcome back to our Garden Planning for Success series. Yesterday I was talking about starting seeds, and I want to continue today with a few tips for planning to start seedlings indoors.
Ask yourself these two important questions before you start planting your indoor starts:

1. How many weeks will these babies need to be in trays before I put them out in the garden? It’s easy to start too early, but I caution you to resist the urge: seedlings held too long in trays are likely to be root bound by the time frost-free nights arrive, and won’t grow to their fullest potential.

2. Do I have enough room for the number of trays I want to grow? I remember the very first year we were flower farming. Steve was so patient with me! He wasn’t farming yet and I’m sure he marveled when I took the heating blanket off our bed, covered our dining room table with it, taped black plastic bags all over that, then started 1,000 sunflower seeds on our kitchen table. He didn’t bat an eye, and he has been so supportive the whole way, but I didn’t have enough room for all the things I wanted to grow, and the seedling tray dance cramped our lifestyle a bit! It was okay then, but there have been times when it’s sort of taken over our life. So do the math. Think where you’re going to put your trays before you start them.

I always advise gardeners who are expanding their programs to focus in the first few *years* on gaining experience and growing focals and fillers well.
Here are a few extra tips for this:
First, as you decide what to grow, consider how long it will take you to harvest and process each crop. Ask yourself things like, “Is netting essential for this or will it make harvesting a nightmare?” “Does this strip easily in the field?” (Meaning: “Will I have to remove the stripped foliage so it doesn’t promote fungal disease?” Or “Are these stems fragile when stripped before chilling?, etc.) “How many things am I growing that NEED to be harvested at sun-up?” vs “How many things am I growing that don’t mind a mid-day harvest?” (Stay balanced in time management.)
Truthfully, You won’t even know all the questions to ask if it’s your very first season, but as you try things, keep copious notes to save your future self a lot of grief. Think the long game!