Growing From Seeds Indoors

You will need:

• Seeds
• seed trays or plant pots, or cellular trays
• seed compost
• piece of timber to fit seed tray or pot to level and compress compost
• scrap of paper; old colander or compost sieve
• piece of glass, clear plastic or roll of Cling film
• plant label
• waterproof pen
• small dibber
• cellular tray or small pots
• cold frame or small polytunnel for hardening off seedlings

STEP ONE

Use handfuls of compost to fill your seed tray or pot with compost. Level it off with the piece of wood. Leave a gap of 1cm below the rim. Shake some seeds on to the folded scrap of paper or the palm of your hand. Use your fingers to control the flow of the seeds and scatter them thinly and evenly over the surface of the compost.

STEP TWO

Use a small compost sieve or old colander to shake a covering of compost over the seeds. Make this about the same thickness as your seeds. Use a watering can with a fine rose attached and water the seeds, taking care not to dislodge them. Label your seeds with the name and date of sowing.

STEP THREE

Cover your seed tray with a piece of glass, clear plastic or clingfilm to keep the compost moist and maintain humidity around the seedlings. Keep this clear of the compost surface. Place the seed tray on a windowsill, or in a greenhouse. If it is to sit in direct sunlight, add a piece of fine netting to shade the tray. Take coverings off as soon as your seeds germinate.

STEP FOUR

Once your seedlings begin to grow, they'll need to be transplanted into larger, deeper containers. You do this so that they will not get weak from overcrowding. Use small pots no more than 6cm in diameter, or cellular plastic trays for individual seedlings. Larger pots can be used to grow on several small plants in each.

STEP FIVE

Fill the new growing container with a thicker type of compost, known as loam-based. Your seedlings should have two leaves making them large enough to handle. Gently tap the seed tray or pot on a hard surface to loosen the compost and help you to remove seedlings. Handle your seedlings by their leaves to avoid damaging their root systems. You can use an old knife or a special tool known as a widger to separate them and keep as much compost around their roots as you can.

STEP SIX

Push a small dibber or old biro into a cell of compost to make a small planting hole. Gently transplant each seedling into place. Firm the compost around each with the dibber or your fingers. Water the seedlings using the rose attachment on your can. Special propagators have clear plastic domed lids which help to increase the humidity around your young seedlings. If you have one, place it over the tray, making sure that it does not touch the leaves. Remove after a few days and grow plants on, watering them at intervals to make sure that the compost does not dry out.

STEP SEVEN

You need to introduce your young plants to the conditions they'll find outdoors. They need to be acclimatized gradually. This will harden them and wean them off the heat and protection they've been used to indoors. About 6 weeks before the plants will be planted in their final spots, move them to a cooler protected place. Usually this is a closed cold frame, and ventilation is increased until the lid can be removed completely. Other things that work as well are cloches or small polytunnels. Cloches can be lifted gradually, and the sides of polytunnels can be rolled up. If you have a sheltered spot at the base of a south- or west-facing wall, fence or building, use this.

Protect small plants at night with plastic or fleece held in place over them by temporary wooden or bamboo frameworks. Your young plants should receive maximum light during the day, and be well ventilated in order to thrive and grow. And, you'll have to remember to water them.