How to Raise Seedlings and Save

How To Raise Seedlings and Save

Basil seedlings Raised & reared underneath a Tomato!

How to raise seedlings and save money is a question that is asked by many a gardener.   Who among us who get our fingers down in the dirt doesn’t want to reduce costs?    Half the fun of gardening is saving money, don’t you think?

There are many ways we can save money in the garden. We can do it by recycling. We can do it by creating our own fertilizers instead of buying them. Also, we can collect seeds from our own plants and then raise even more plants.    And we can do this last for only a few cents!

If you don’t have any plants as of yet to collect seed from, then you will need purchase some.   Or you can buy seedlings from your local nursery or garden centre.

The Benefit of Raising Seedlings at Home!

How To Get Started With Salad Seedlings!

How to Store and Raise Tomatoes from Seed

A Tip For Raising Early Seedlings!

Providing an Early Start for Your Seedlings.

Providing a head start in early spring for your seedlings is advisable. It means you have fresh produce, either plants or flowers, that produce much quicker.

One way to do this is to place your seed trays on top of your water heater before they sprout. Yep, kick the cat off, and place your seed tray there. At this stage those seeds don’t need light, and the water heater works exactly the same a heat –mat. Saves you money!

Raise your seedling in a plastic bag mini greenhouse. Place your seed tray, after planting and watering, in a clear plastic bag and tie it off. This creates humidity and warmth. It’ll give your beloved seedlings a great start. If you want to grow them in the bag mini greenhouse, then bend some wire so it is shaped like an igloo or small tent. You can keep them in there until they reach the top. But you must prick some holes in the bag to let air circulate.

Create a mini greenhouse from a plastic bottle or yogurt container. This system works great. But please remember to prick holes in the container for drainage. Also, once the plant has sprouted, open the top to let air circulate.

Money Saving Tips

The mission here is how to raise seedlings and save, so I have provided some money saving tips below as well as advice on how to give your seedlings a great head start.

Share seeds amongst friends and communities to create a Seed Saving Bank. Always collect seed from your best producers, that are your most productive plants.
Raise your seedling in recycled containers such as ice-cream, butter, margarine, milk containers, second hand pots etc. Just make sure you place adequate drainage holes in them.
Look for second hand pots at the junkyard, industrial tip, or when there’s a council throw out. You be surprised how many are tossed out. But always wash and sterilize before using old containers.
Keep an eye out for containers that can be used from second hand stores. Seedlings can be sprouted in anything as long as it has drainage.

Sustainability Links For Raising Seedlings at Home

I must admit I am a huge fan of Willem Van Cotthem and all the material he produces. I have provided a link here to his Blog Desertification. Provided in the content is a great resource on recyclable containers and mini greenhouses. Check it out here! Plenty of great ideas too! mini-greenhouses-first-step-to-combat-desertification

Raising seedlings and save? - Where do we start?

Mini Watermelon seedling (grow them vertical)

First we need to purchase seeds from a reliable source.   I recommend that you buy organic seeds whenever possible. Organic seeds are not only healthier for you but are more productive also. Steer away from genetically modified seeds. Natural, organic seeds are full of Life-force.   There’s nothing artificial or man-made about them.    They truly are ‘Nature’s Own.’   And, yes, they are the best.   Nature didn’t make any mistakes here.

Organic seeds which have been produced in fertile soils have a larger range of nutrients stored in them. A seed of this type helps get plants away to a healthy and happy start.

What Do Seeds Need To Sprout Seeds?

Seeds only need two things to sprout – water and warmth.

The seed only needs a warm and moisture as it gets ready to grow.   We add earth or Potting mix, as the case may be. Then we add the fertilizers, et cetera, later.

Below I have provided a step-by-step How to Raise Seedlings and Save formula for growing great seedlings. Please follow these steps to enjoy fresh, healthy, lovely seedlings.

1.       Purchase seed of choice and check the ‘Use By’ dates. Buy only fresh seed under a year old.

2.       Purchase a bag of premium seed-raising mix; avoid cheap ones, unless they are good quality ones   ‘on special.’

3.       Get together your containers. You will need to decide whether you will raise the seedlings in small seed raising trays or sow directly. (Today we are discussing raising seedlings in containers. We will cover direct sowing in future issues)

4.       Place your seed- raising mix into containers and keep it light and fluffy; do not pack down and compact the medium.

5.       Soak your containers in water until they’re moist right through. You can do this by placing water trays beneath them and let the water soak up from underneath. This will avoid dry spots in the mix.

6.       Sow the seed into the medium at the same depth as the seed’s length when planted upright.

Example: if the seed is only 1mm high then sow it 1mm beneath the soil. Also, check the label for how wide apart to plant each seed.

7.       Place the seedling trays in a warm place and keep moist until they sprout. Avoid using cold water from the tap as this can shock small seedlings. If you live in a cool area and are starting your seedlings early, then water at room temperature.

How to raise seedlings and save!

How to Raise Seedlings and Save Article Resource Links

If you want to know more information regarding raising seedlings and saving money at the same time please follow the links provided below, I hope the tips can help you with your business.