This Technique of Starting Seeds Will Change Your Life

what's going on growers it's James  Prigioni coming to you live from jersey   i have been growing my own plants  from seed for over 10 years now   and throughout that time i've been  continually refining my process   to make it more simple more effective and also  more convenient so today i want to share with   you the technique for starting scenes that  could change your life it did for me let's go let's just jump right into the seed starting  process and i'm going to highlight some important   aspects as we progress along so first off i'm  going to show you the growing medium and the whole   procedure and then i'm going to talk a little  bit more about the timing after we get everything   kind of planted so right here is a potting mix  i'm going to start with in the past i've used a   happy frog potting mix but that can be a little  expensive and it's not as readily accessible   so for this we're just going to get a good  organic potting mix that anyone can really get   and i just got this at the big  box store let's get this cut open   and here's the potting mix here pretty decent  stuff but one thing that i found with this and   some other mixes too is that they'll have  a good amount of large sticks in it so   i don't want these large sticks getting in the  way of when i'm seeding because it can restrict   from seeds from coming up and it also just makes  it a lot harder to put the soil into the trays   when you're getting it started so what i like  to do is use this little tool that i created i   made a video about it before this is just quarter  inch hardware cloth and then i just got it screwed   to the bottom to this little frame so what i  can do is i take this soil here and just sift it now this may be an added step but you can see  look at all the sticks and everything that i'm   pulling out of here so this is stuff that's  gonna you know obstruct some my seed starting   and i'm not gonna be wasting this  what i'm gonna do is just take this   and i'm just gonna dump it into  a bucket and then use this to use this to mulch around some of my perennials  and stuff so this isn't going to be wasted this is   going to just be used as wood chips if you don't  want to deal with any of this you could go with a   seed starting mix but sometimes it's hard to find  organic seed starting mix and sometimes they're a   little more expensive so let me bring you into  what this looks like now after we've refined it   and this is what we're going to be starting  our seeds with i sifted all the soil refined it   got a beautiful potting mix right here and at  this point the structure of the growing medium   is more important than the nutrition because  when the seeds are young they contain within   them enough nutrition and energy to pop that seed  open and to sprout it and to have it grow until it   has about two true leaves so at this point your  growing medium could even be a nerd you could   start it with peat moss or even like vermiculite  the important thing is the structure because   the seeds need an adequate level of moisture  and they actually need air in order to sprout   and grow healthy and the right temperatures too  because with the right level of moisture the right   level of air and the right temperature the seeds  essentially as bill molson likes to call they   explode into growth so that's what we're trying  to get these seeds to pop and explode into growth   so to start that in a medium with a good structure  is a good place next what we would be doing is   wetting the soil down to make sure it's got a good  level of moisture but this is already relatively   wet so when it comes to moisture content  with your soil what you want to make sure   is that it's evenly moist throughout it but you  do not want it to be swampy and over water locked   because like i mentioned before the seeds not only  need water but they also need oxygen so if it's   over waterlogged and super swampy then you're  going to lack that oxygen it's just going to   create the environment for fungal diseases with  the lack of oxygen that's that's not what we want   so instead we want to make sure the soil is again  moist but not water logged a good way to test this   is what they call the squeeze test so you take  a lump of soil like this just squeeze it don't   don't go crazy squeezing it super hard but give  it a nice squeeze and if no water comes out that's   a good sign and if it also holds its shape that's  a good sign but it should easily break apart just   like that that's exactly what we want so let's  start getting this soil into into these trees   and we're just going to use these simple  plastic trees this with the six uh cells   in each little tray and then we'll just  get the soil in here start filling it up   so let's get this soil and we'll start dropping it  in and this is where not having the big sticks is   such an advantage if you've done this before  with the big sticks they really get annoying   trying to push it into these little cells  like this if you're planting into bigger cells   with some bigger plant stuff then it's  not as big of a deal but it could get uh   annoying and i you really want to make sure  you wet the soil down like this before you uh   before you put them in the trees a good  level of moisture will go a long way   but again not over watering so i'm going to get  this filled up and then we'll start getting it   prepped for seeds and what we we don't want to  make we want to make sure we're not compacting the   soil down like this because if we're compacting  the soil like this what this is going to create is   just lack of oxygen again that's not what we want  we can just gently push it in very gently just   just to hold its shape but we're not gonna we're  not gonna really compact it in we don't want it   floating like this too light but we wanna just you  know gently push it in like that so that's perfect   so we're gonna go around and do that for the tray  then we're going to start getting the seeds in there we go all prepped ready to plant now we'll  just start making our little holes and start   getting some seeds now when it comes to seeds we  want to make sure we're getting good seeds from   a good reputable company and we want to make sure  we're focused on variety too so a good reputable   company is going to make sure that you get a good  germination rate and we're not just wasting our   time putting the seeds into the ground with a  poor germination rate also we want to make sure   if we're growing things like cabbage where that  we're growing multiple varieties for example if   we grow a cabbage and we want to grow like the  calabash cabbage in the spring that takes 105 days   from seed to maturity so that's uh takes a long  time if we're going to grow that we want to make   sure we're also growing some quick crop varieties  of cabbage something like the red express cabbage   that only takes about 65 days from seed  to maturity so we want to make sure we're   doing some quick cropping ones mixed in with the  long ones just because if the summer comes early   and we have some issues with bugs or anything  we want to make sure we get some of those quick   crop ones definitely also when it comes to  tomatoes we want to make sure we're growing   some that are hybrid because in my opinion the  hybrid ones always do well later in the season   when some of the late blight and stuff comes in so  it's good to add different varieties of different   plants focus not only just on the ones that maybe  are your favorite ones but also ones that will   crop quickly and also be disease resistant so  picking the right seed the right varieties will   make a huge difference when it comes to your  overall harvests so we have all this ready we   have our seeds chosen let's start getting them  into the growing medium and when it comes to   planting seed the size of the seed is going to  dictate how deep you plant it into the ground   for instance something like a brassica which  i'll show you the seed are tiny they're not gonna   they're gonna go in the ground just very slightly  where something like a pea would go in very deeply   so let me open these uh brassicas up show you  the seed and start getting some of them into here   so let's get some of these brassica seeds and i  just want to show you the depth of how deep i'll   play and i might use just the back of this i just  make a little depression not deep and i usually   throw about two seeds in and then thin around it  so i'll throw them out at that depth make sure   they're covered just like that and that's it  simple as that for doing the brassicas now i'm   going to show you how i do some of my tomatoes  right here so i'm not planting brassicas today   because i've already transplanted my brassicas  into the ground today i'm planting my tomatoes   and i'll explain again more about the timing  of why i seem to be planting them later than   i used to so tomato seeds are a little bit bigger  but they're not going to go much deeper so we'll   say about that depth right there take the tomato  we'll just drop it right in and then just lightly   cover it like that so when it comes to starting  your own seed i mentioned earlier in the video   that what you really need is you need the right  moisture content you need air and you need that   third thing you need the temperature to  be correct in order to unlock that seed   and make it explode essentially so when it  comes down to things like different kinds of   plants like peppers and tomatoes and brassicas  the different kinds of seeds have different   temperature requirements in order to pop so for  instance the peppers are going to need at least 55   degrees in order to pop if the soil temperature is  lower than that they're not even going to open up   and then if the temperature is about 75 or higher  then it's going to increase the the speed of the   germination and those peppers will only take about  seven days to pop up if the temperature is lower   in like the 60s it might take like two weeks  so with lower temperatures like that and the   seeds sitting in the trees for long periods of  time that opens up more opportunity for fungal   disease and for the seeds to rot so knowing the  requirements for each kind of plant when it comes   to germination and stuff is important because  it's definitely going to make it so you're more   successful and avoid any kinds of diseases and  stuff so when it comes to things like tomatoes and   peppers i get those up in about seven days because  i set it up just like this my uh my setup i've got   my tomatoes and my peppers planted and then what  i do is i take a heat mat one like this you know   a cheap little heat mat and then i just lay this  on top like this and then i set it in my house   where the temperature is about 70 degrees and  then i'll take a little plastic cover like this   so we're creating a very humid environment with  a high level of heat that's coming from down here   because the heat's going to radiate up and then  every day or so i'll come through and i'll just   take this plastic cap off because i want to make  sure we're getting a good amount of airflow when   i take that cap off i can monitor the moisture  content within the within this a good way to do   that is by the weight so i'll check this is pretty  heavy right now if i see that it's getting lighter   i'll water this what's important though and the  reason this is this design works well is because   you don't want to water your seedlings like this  over the top especially when they haven't popped   yet because that can wash away the seed especially  if it's smaller seed things like lettuce and stuff   so what you want to do is actually water from  the bottom so i'll take one of these trays out   and then i'll just take my uh my watering can  whatever water at the bottom and then let that   water wick up into the plants and if there's  some that needs to be uh you know if there's   excess water i can just dump it right out so what  that's going to do is allow the plants to kind of   naturally wick that water up and the  roots can go searching for the water   as opposed to just watering the top layer that's  what's going to open up the opportunity for   fungal diseases like dampening off and stuff  those are going to kill your young seedlings   so proper watering is really important in  this aspect too after you finish planting   and a few days have gone by and your seed starts  sprouting next what you want to do is take your   trees when the things first start popping up and  get them to a section where they're going to get   intense light and also drop the temperatures  down a little bit that's what i like to do   right here i want to give you example of what can  happen for instance right here these brassicas   when they first sprouted they sprouted earlier  than the others i didn't notice it i didn't get   intense light on them and i didn't get them into  an area where the temperatures were relatively low   as a result of that not having light they started  to go searching for the light that's why they got   tall and spindly like that also the temperature  was too high so they grew a little too quick   causing them to get spindly and weak just like  that now let me show you a tray where i got them   in intense light and lower the temperatures right  after they popped up you could see these brassicas   this is how we want them to look we want them to  be short and stocky and strong after they start   developing a couple true leaves then we can raise  the temperature a little bit because they'll start   to grow as opposed to just search for the light  and then start growing so once we get them to   this size we can get them in a little more higher  temperatures and really get to that growth stage   the same thing goes for tomatoes like i said the  tomatoes a good sprouting temperature is about 70   75 degrees but once they come out of the ground  i like to bring that temperature down to about 55   degrees or so and then give them an intense amount  of light to keep them short stocky and strong i   want to take you over to a section now where i  planted some brassicas out a couple weeks ago   before i do that though i want to talk about these  brassicas again when it comes to brassicas or   any kind of seed that i've started after they pop  up if it's nice enough outside i love taking them   outside and leaving them out there as long  as i can as long as it's weather permitting   because they're going to be outside so as long if  they can get used to that temperature sooner then   that's a lot better and when it comes to tomatoes  or any of that other stuff make sure make sure   you're always hardening your stuff off before you  plant it in the ground do not waste all that time   you put into growing those tomatoes and then don't  harden your plants off stick them in the ground   and and they could die so please make sure you're  hardening your stuff off before you put it in   it'll really save you so right here we've got some  brassicas and some lettuces that i put in in this   nice steel this is the birdie steel raised bed so  we've got nice lettuces that i put in a you know   a couple weeks ago a few different varieties  and also some brassicas so these brassicas   are looking excellent they're much larger than  the ones that i left in trays because i don't   have enough space because i've already got a lot  of my brassicas in the ground so this is what   we want to do we want them growing really well  and continually growing so i like transplanting   everything when it's got the first two true leaves  if i can because i like the plants to go from a   growing stage into the ground and then continue  in that growing stage i don't like starting plants   going through the growing stage and then having  them sit in the past a long time become root bound   slow down and then plugging them in because it's  like they need to get back into the growing stage   again so i like to continually have things growing  and just in that accelerated stage it looks like   tuck found some kale so we i still have so much of  this russian kale growing from through the winter   a bunch of other winter stuff too  but this russian kale just grows   incredibly and tuck loves to eat the the stems of  it especially now when they're when they're sweet   because it's pretty chilly so he just like  snacking on the stems getting that good   nutrition and the kale like this is great for  salads and great for smoothies and stuff so   we love growing this russian kale things  unstoppable and tuck's got to have his fresh   necks hit that like button and the subscribe  button if you love seeing tuck in the videos   because this guy not only he's the head of  security but he's really the brains behind   the whole operation so little would happen and  even less would grow without this guy at the helm over the years one thing that has changed  considerably is my planting timing   so it's april 17 today and my tomatoes they're  just starting to pop out of the ground years ago   i remember i would start to plant my tomatoes in  like late february i would take like you know some   of february march april and then i won't even plan  out until mid-may so i take about three months   of just taking care of those tomatoes starting  them in one tray and then transplanting to another   one and then making sure the temperatures are all  right and just just babying along these plants   for such a long period of time and i found that  uh you know considerable amount of effort for   little payout so in my opinion plants seem to grow  well at the proper timing and it doesn't just mean   in my opinion that bigger plants and bigger  transplant plants ultimately lead to bigger   harvest later and earlier harvest i haven't found  that really to be true at all so i have tried   tomatoes like that were big that i grew years ago  and i stuck those into the ground uh you know like   mid-may or something and then there would be a  seedling or a tomato that sprouted on its own   right next to it and it seemed like a couple weeks  later that that little seedling would catch up to   my big transplant so it's almost like the plants  just need the proper timing in order to start   accelerating and growth because i would transplant  out tomatoes i try to get them in the ground super   early and then the weather would just not be  permitting and they would just sit in the ground   and do nothing and just basically get more  unhealthy than when i put them in so they didn't   start just blowing up and excelling until the  proper temperatures in the proper weather setting   i have found that to be like late may so now i  don't plant like any of my tomatoes till about   may 15 or something like that and i don't plant  them into the ground until about may 15th because   of that i don't start planting tomatoes in trays  till like you know the first couple weeks of april   i only leave about a month the seeds take about  seven days to get up and then three to four   weeks after that time is when they're ready to go  into the ground for me that just seems to work so   much better it's less work it's convenient and  ultimately i'm getting better growth because   there's less opportunity of those tomatoes  developing diseases while they're just sitting   in the trees for considerable amounts of time  that's today's video growers thanks for watching   i hope you enjoyed it i hope you got something  out of it i hope you feel a little more educated   and empowered to start some of your own seeds  from home there's nothing like it it's simple   it's practical it's a lot of fun and you have to  make sure you're taking advantage of those endless   numbers of varieties that you can grow when you  start your own seeds if you guys enjoyed the video   hit the like button hit the subscribe button share  with your friends don't forget to check out the   merch down below and remember whenever you're  on amazon start your shopping with our amazon   affiliate link and if you guys want to check out  those birdies raised beds i've got a link down in   the description to it you can check them out james  and tuck we'll be back again real soon we out!

Channel: The Gardening Channel With James Prigioni

Views: 1,699,173

Keywords: gardening, how to start seeds, starting seeds, starting seeds in the garden, how to seeds, how to grow seeds, starting tomato seeds, how to start tomato seeds, how to germinate tomatoes, how to start seeds 101, how to, organic gardening, raised bed, raised bed gardening, self sufficient me, epic gardening, James prigioni, Logan paul

Id: StgMJMn80t8

Length: 17min 26sec (1046 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 17 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/katesoundsgood]

Couldnt watch. Probably has amazing info but his energy is the opposite of why I garden. Lol