Choose food safe seeds.

Buy bulk to save money.

Sow older seeds as micro greens to see if they are viable to plant in the garden.

Sterilize with hot soapy water.

Need suitable drainage holes.

Repurposed containers as mini greenhouses.

Tender micro greens and sprouts need protection; growing outdoors they compete with wildlife.

Be gentle, they require to be handled with care (spray bottle to mist).

Temperature:

Some seeds need cold temperatures to germinate others need warmth. The seed pack should have this information.

Some seeds germinate more quickly.

Follow nature’s rhythms by

timing growth with the moon cycles and gravitational pulls (soil moisture, plant sap flow; use a moon calendar)

New moon for germination

and waning moon for root growth:

Plant your annual flowers and fruit and vegetables bearing crops above ground (such as corn, tomatoes, watermelon, and zucchini) during the waxing of the Moon(from the day the Moon is new to the day it is full). As the moonlight increases night by night. This encourages plants to grow leaves and stems.

Plant flowering bulbs, biennial and perennial flowers, and root vegetables such as onions, carrots, and potatoes during the waning of the Moon (from the day after it is full to the day before it is new again). As the moonlight decreases night by night, plants energy goes to the roots.

Sow in small batches every week.

Use labels to identify and write cold/warm germination and timing on them.

Some grow more quickly than others.

Check twice daily for mold and rot.

Growing times vary: 7-21 days.

Be consistent with watering.

Warmth or cold depending on the seeds.

It needs to be humid, when sprouted they need air flow and space.

Water once or twice daily.

They need sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis (natural or fluorescent lighting).

Provide a fan in hot temperatures.

Make sure seeds have good contact with soil when sowing.

Seedlings need optimum nutrients available during growth and a pathogen-free mix (Make DIY mix: 80% compost, 20% perlite) or paper towels on a small scale at home.

Use soilless raising mixes and growing media (not commercial potting mix).

Add 2-3 cm of soil mix in general and 5 cm for root crops.

Once seedlings (two true leaves so four in all) add liquid seaweed solution for minerals and trace elements to boost growth of roots and shoots.

Mistakes are tools for learning. Evaluate your trials. Making mistakes is a sign you’re trying to do things better. There is usually little penalty for mistakes if you learn from them.” – Toby Hemenway, Author Gaia’s Garden

If fragile, weak or leggy shoots (long and thin with tiny leaves).

Check lighting (add a grow light if too low)

Check moisture (add a wick if too dry or vermiculite).

Check temperatures and air flow(add heating pad, cooler environment or fan).

Check timing (moon calendar, optimal germination times on seed pack).

Check fertilizer (too much before germination or not enough after true leaves).

You can harvest or transplant them to the garden when they are the desired height.

Snip from the tray being careful not to bruise them.

Store in the refrigerator preferably in a glass jar.

They will stay crispy for a few days.

Compost the remains and roots.