How to Grow Seedlings: Personal Experience + Instruction

Seedlings — a scary word for all beginner gardeners. Blogger Annie Selke knows this from experience — she herself went through all stages and came up with a simple method that even the most uncertain beginner can manage. The girl shared this in her blog, and we decided to share it with you.

With the help of this instruction, you can easily grow plants right at home and then transplant them into the ground in the garden. Since the newspaper we use for pots easily decomposes, it can be placed in the soil along with the seedlings.

Step 1

Take a small pot or jar, and also a piece of newspaper — it needs to be cut into strips. They should be about twice the height of the jar and around 40–50 cm long.

Step 2

Place the jar on the newspaper, as in the photo, and wrap it up. Make sure the paper fits tightly against the surface. Don't forget to secure the edges of the newspaper with tape so that your improvised pot doesn't fall apart.

Step 3

Roll the remaining paper to form a bottom for the pot. If you sprinkle a few drops of water on the newspaper, it will become soft and pliable, making it easier to work with.

Step 4

Then turn the jar upside down and carefully remove it from the paper. Repeat these steps as many times as needed.

Step 5

Place the resulting pots on a shallow tray or baking sheet and fill them with soil (but not to the top — leave some space at the top).

Step 6

Sow the seeds according to the instructions on the package. You can plant from three to four seeds per pot. The more seeds you plant, the deeper they should be placed in the soil.

Also don't forget to label the pots so you don't get confused later.

Step 7

Water the soil from a container with a narrow neck — you can use a bottle from a dish soap dispenser. The soil should be evenly moist but not overly wet.

Step 8

Place the tray in a well-lit area but away from direct sunlight. Water the pots regularly and check the soil daily to ensure it isn't too dry.

When shoots appear, move the tray closer to a window and sunlight. If there isn't much light in your apartment, you can buy special grow lights for plants.

Step 9

After a couple of weeks, you can take the tray with seedlings outside to acclimate them to harsher conditions. Bring them back inside at night if the temperature drops.

After that, you can transplant the seedlings into the garden soil following the instructions on the seed packets.

Photo source: blog.annieselke.com