I Am Sowing Seeds Indoors Today

 My 20-qt bag of Potting Soil was delivered yesterday.  I just love home delivery.  With that here I needed to get some seeds sown indoors.  These are ones that need starting before last frost so that they can grow inside and then when big enough, get transplanted outdoors.

Armed with a few essentials, I went to work.  I had Latex gloves on hand for working with the soil.  I had clippers to notch the bottoms off soil cups.  I had a spritzer bottle for wetting the tops.  Along with some Solo drink cups and a couple of leftover plastic short cups from KFC deliveries (by my son) I was ready.

I chose to buy my potting mix from Gardeners Supply online.  I have had good dealings with them in the past and they are prompt with deliveries.  I did not need very much.  Any leftover this year I can add to my raised garden bed later.

 I usually start my seeds with sterile planting mix but space is limited in my tiny apartment so I went to step 2 with Potting Soil Mix.  I have to transplant into larger pots when the new seedlings are still small which would go into potting mix at that time, but no room to stretch around here.  So into Potting Mix they went.

I had two of these trays on my windowsills for decorations and statuary so brought them into use for my seed starting.

I lined them with aluminum foil to keep them in good shape and also to make a shallow space under my pots for escaping moisture and excess watering.

Whatever you use for your seeds, be sure to cut holes in the bottoms around the base so the water can escape.  You do not want to drown your seedlings by allowing water to accumulate in the soil.

I also had a spritzer bottle on hand so that will work fine for watering my new seedlings gently.

With newspaper layered on my dining table, I went to work.

First I filled my cup near to the top with potting mix and wet it down.  The soil will drop down with the wetting so you just add a little more on the top and wet it again.  Seeds need the moisture so this first wetting is important.  I sowed a few seeds across the tops and sprinkled a bit more soil on top of them and spritzed the soil.  The soil needs to adhere to the seeds to get them to germinate.

The taller Solo cups have Bush Pickle Cucumber seeds, Mini Red Bell Peppers, and then 2 cups with Tom Thumb Lettuce seeds.  The short cole slaw containers from KFC have Stevia seed in one and Summer Thyme in the other.  I placed them on the trays in the window where they will get the warmth of the Southeastern sun all morning and most of the afternoon.  

When the sun disappears or it gets cooler on the windowsill, I can transfer the containers to my table set-up.  Also if its a cloudy or rainy day, they need the light so the tabletop will suffice.

I have two table lamps with which I can direct the lighting to help grow the seedlings which I will place in a plastic container that I had spare.  As usual my plant starts will get 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness in the evenings.  If I think they need more light, I will just keep them under lights longer.

I hope they will thrive with this plan.  I cannot be sure since I have never started mine with potting mix nor have I put them on windowsills.  I had track lighting in the basement of my home.  I will hope for the best.  Maybe, if I am lucky, I will have some transplants for my raised garden bed when its ready and its past our last frost date.  That for us is usually around Memorial Day and sometimes not until June 10th.  I have my fingers crossed.

Enjoy your day.