I learned pretty quickly that it was a lot less expensive to start my flowers from seed. Besides, I was looking for cut flowers and most of the flowers I could buy over at Freddy’s or Bi-Mart were bedding plants and wouldn’t grow to be tall enough for making bouquets.

So I got into seed starting. There are a lot of different methods out there for starting seeds. I’m just going to show you what I do, and given that I have limited seed starting space, this has worked really well for me. Would I love a greenhouse and more space? YES! But I’m stuck with a shelving unit, so I’m working with what I’ve got.

There are some key things you need: good soil, heat mats, and light. With some flowers - the cool season ones like snapdragons, statice, dianthus, black-eyed susan, etc. - just use the heat mat until the seeds germinate. Then take them off because it just gets too warm for the little guys. For warm season flowers, like zinnias, gomphrena, celosia, cosmos, summer veggies etc., keep them on the heat mat the whole time. They need the warmth.

You can use cell trays like you see with young plants at the store. But what I do is use a soil blocker and hamburger trays. I can fit 120 seedlings on a tray, and you can see how that can be a huge space saver! Just place one or two seeds per square, and you’re good to go! For the really tiny seeds, I use a toothpick that I moisten to help pick them up.

If you’re planting seeds that are bigger, either get a big 2-inch soil blocker, or just use cell trays. The 3/4” soil blocker that I use just isn’t big enough for big seeds.

A couple more key points: 1) Make sure you have good soil. There are a lot of places online where you can find recipes to mix your own, but with a soil blocker, you need soil that will pack together well. I use ProMix, personally. If you’re not using a soil blocker, you have more flexibility and can use bags of soil from the store. 2) The soil needs to be packed down to remove air pockets. 3) The soil needs to be moist before you plant the seeds. Trying to water and moisten the soil afterward can cause your little seeds to float away. 4) Watering from the bottom is ideal. It’s easy to do with the soil blocks and trays - I just carefully pour water in around the edges and let if flow around all the blocks. Once the soil is saturated, I pour the extra water off.

Have questions? I’d be happy to help! You can find me on Facebook at Third Gen Petal Farm and send me a message. Or you can email me at cassie@thirdgenpetalfarm.com

Want to start your own flowers from seed?

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