I stopped using peat moss discs for seed starting many years ago when I learned that the peat bogs were being decimated by this practice. Instead, I save my eggshells throughout the year and fill them with my own homemade compost. Here's how:
Tip: Some seeds may require bottom heat which can be accomplished with placing the carton on top of your refrigerator, water heater, or a heat mat. You can also make a little greenhouse out of a bakery plastic container, so you will not have to water very much.
By littlegamma from Southern, AL
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To sow all those fly away seeds, simply lay paper towels in your flower beds, wet, and then put seeds directly on the towel. Cover with soil and water as needed. Presto! You will have flowers popping up in no time and the paper will simply rot in the ground!
I always soak my pea and bean seeds 24 hours before planting. I cover them with water in containers and set them on the kitchen counter. They spring up so quickly when planted in this way.
It is "sow" (pardon the pun) hard to sow small seeds into seed planters trying to get a head start on outdoor plants. But I had wooden toothpicks separating the seeds and I just wet the toothpick and a single seed would stick to it and I could then put it where I wanted it.
When starting flowers from seed, I mark each hydrated pod with a push pin to identify which pods contain a particular flower. For example, yellow for marigolds, red for zinnias, blue for petunias, etc.
This is a page about tools to make planting and sowing easier. Having the right tools for the job is always a good idea. This is no less true of gardening.
This is a page about winter sowing seeds. Invite nature into your gardening experience by giving winter sowing a try.
This is a page about direct sowing seeds. Many flowers and vegetables grow quite well by sowing the seeds directly in the ground in your garden.
