All the supplies you need to grow seeds
Whether you are starting your own little garden from seeds or teaching your children how to grow plants, if you want to grow a plant from seeds but are wondering what equipment you need, you have come to the right place. Here is a list of things you need for a seed starter kit.
Propagation tray
Propagation trays are split into 0-40 little square sections and are used to hold the seeds and soil in. This will be the first thing you need as it is the holder and base of what your plants will grow in. In stores, these trays sell for $7-$20, depending on how many sections you want. However, there are many household items that can be recycled and used for free as a propagation tray. These include:
Ice cream cones – growing your seeds in little ice cream cones is easy and cheap. At countdown you can get 24 ice-cream cones for $2.50. On top of this, when your little seedings are ready to be planted in the garden, the cones can go straight into the ground or pot as the cones are biodegradable and it’s a quick progress because you don’t have to remove the plant out of its small container.
Cardboard Egg cartons – We all buy eggs and have an old cardboard egg carton lying around the house. Why not recycle the carton by using it as seed starter trays. These are great, as they have separate sections for each seed and its soil, as well as, being biodegradable.
Newspaper – Some households don’t receive newspapers anymore, but if you know someone who still reads the newspaper and recycles their paper, you could ask them for the newspaper when they have finished reading it. Newspaper is great for making little paper pots for your seedlings and it is also biodegradable, so you can plant it start into the ground with your seedlings.
Other household items that can be used for seedlings are glass jars, plastic bottles and strawberry containers.
Soil
The next item you will need is soil. You will need enough soil to full up the little section for the seed. You will also need to buy new soil, do not use soil from the garden. Using new, potting mix means that the seed can grow in healthy, disease-free soil. You can buy soil for around $6-15 dollars from Mitre 10.
Seeds
When it comes to picking what seeds you want to grow, you will want to pick one that when it sprouts, the weather will be in the right season for the plant to continue growing. Most seeds have information on the back of the package about seasons and planting preferences. Seed packages can range from $3-5 dollars depending on the type of plant you are growing.
Water
You will need access to water to feed your seedlings every day. For your seeds to grow, the soil needs to be kept damp. So, watering your seeds a little bit everyday may be needed.
Once you have all the supplies, you can move on to planting your seeds.
Come back on Thursday for our next blog on how to plant your seedlings.
If you need any gardening services, don’t hesitate to email us on info@williamspropertyservices.co.nz for a quote. We supply tree pruning services, stump grinding, mowing services and a wide range of other services.
