Starting Crops from Seed: A Complete Grower's Guide

In this video we discuss seed starting from a professional perspective.
We cover: How to start seeds from scratch, what to start seeds in, what trays to purchase, how to heat a greenhouse and more.
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[@notillgrowers]

To clarify the heating cable issue. The issue is not the heat distribution. That’s fine (just place row cover overtop until germ). I have no issue using sand it just doesn’t feel necessary and it’s heavy and I’m lazy. Sand can also be a bit sketch depending on its provenance. My issue is the quality of the cable I purchased. I’ll update on that probably towards the end of the season

[@jamestaylor8251]

what about a compost heated seedling starter bed

[@Rymorin4]

The 48' orange jumpstart cables work great. I have two homemade tables with insulated bottom then 4" of dirt with heat cables every 3" across 2" deep. The heated tables, a thick row cover, and inside a simple single layer greenhouse keep comfortable temps for plants during freezing temperatures. Say down to -5. Good low tech solution for the small farm. Allows for late march start in southern BC Canada.

[@wordwalkermomma4]

I’m just an amateur who has immensely enjoyed your work and I want to give kudos for using the word “provenance”. 😀

[@thehazelnutspread]

@@Rymorin4Would you please explain how you use the jumper cables. Sounds interesting

[@Rymorin4]

They are not jumper cables... Jumpstart brand soil heating cables 48" long. Used to heat the surface of the table. @@thehazelnutspread

[@avermontlife]

The rule of thumb I have used on planting seed depth is to look to the size and shape of the seed itself. For example, a thin and tiny lettuce or carrot seed tells me to keep it on the surface, whereas a chunky brassica tells me to plant it a little deeper. This has worked for me, and is intuitive. Now, temperatures are another kettle of fish. Farmer Jesse, you are adorable.

[@BrightestBlessings7899]

Exactly! Well done.

[@timflatus]

I like that, great rule of thumb!

[@ericsuiter7619]

I sincerely love your videos, your channel, and your generous, tasteful application of Dad jokes. Thank you for sharing as you do.

[@RRaucina]

Radiant heat in a slab house here. I just start my seeds on the floor as I heat the house! No lost heat in the greenhouse via cable.

[@zmblion]

I really appreciate your videos dude your one of just a few that I can't wait to upload

[@notillgrowers]

🙌

[@robincoxson7831]

You're part of our Sunday morning coffee time. Thanks for the advice. P.S. your 4 block maker looks just like ours.

[@notillgrowers]

Haha yeah that thing has to be 12 years old or more. Maybe 14? It’s still going strong, though!

[@howmygardengrows3080]

Sunday morning, coffee, and egg white omelet here but, totally samesies!

[@xaviercruz4763]

@@notillgrowerswould you at least share what your perfect plant or seedling tray would be or team up with a material craftperson to build one and extra: what’s your opinion on the root air prunner ones like the rootmakers and do they actually make stronger seedlings in spite of the extra drying unless water bathed?

[@shawnmurphy282]

We use plastic shipping pallets mounted on plastic legs for greenhouse tables. Makes cleaning much easier and the pallets are cheap.

[@creatinghanley]

“Beer pairings” nice, I almost missed that comment, had to rewind vid and listen again. Awesome.

[@markb8954]

I caught that as well.

[@alexfilippidis]

Best content out there. No BS and straightforward.. greets from Greece

[@that_auntceleste5848]

(watches avidly despite the fact that my seed starting area is one shop light in the corner of my home office)

[@ChrisPTruths]

That’s more than me way to be :)

[@Golden_SnowFlake]

Great haircut mate, Thanks for all the tips! They are relevant.

[@ImGlyn]

It's great to see you back! Thanks so much for the video 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@b.rileyjowett6925]

This is my first year starting plants primarily in soil blocks and I am only just getting into the bulk of seed starting season, but I can already say the effort is well worth it. My plants are visibly healthier, I feel like they’re easier to manage, and while I haven’t yet planted anything out this year the few plants I trialed in soil blocks last spring established faster and on average yielded more than their counterparts started in conventional trays.

[@TheEmbrio]

Improvement for your (probably) long to do list : LEVEL watering table. Lol. Thanks so much for the complete video

[@jeremynelson7241]

Glad you’re back! It’s been a long winter without your videos.

[@One29Homestead]

I'm in agreement that soil blocks make a huge difference in the quality and hartiness of the plants when you go to the field. Worth every penny.

[@MyrandaBishop12]

Bury the heating cables in crush n run!! We use a heated gravel bed for starting seeds both ways.. sitting the flats on the gravel and actually starting seeds in the gravel. Making a whole for the soil blocks to sit in😊

[@suave47]

For your heat wire, build a shallow box the size u need to accommodate all the wire u have and then fill it with sand. About an inch or so. Make sure the wire is in the middle of the sand. As the wire heats, it will heat the sand all around it and will evenly distribute throughout all the sand. This will give u a more even heating surface and will heat your trays much better. Watering won't hurt any of it, just are sure u have some sort or drainage. This may give u a better more efficient heat table. Just a thought

[@douggibson9084]

Thanks Jesse, excellent information. Trying to be a better seed starter.😊 Dad jokes extremely dry and cool from the sender 😅

[@nicholasnarcowich9163]

I live in a mobile home, heavy rain right now, not a lot of room to grow, & my wife doesn't like worms or dirt, so, no in home ... except on my printer cover...BTW, I have loved all your videos, you are wonderful :-) Thank you.

[@terryjones8588]

Great information! Your dry sense of humor is wonderful!

[@igneousc]

As a home grower I was tempted to get some winstrips this season for ease of use, but I feel like I'm mostly there with soil blocks and it makes sense to stick with them, your older vids really helped. My home soil block mix last year worked out quite well, I used the Promix Premium Organic Garden Mix 2 cu. ft. Compressed Soil bags from Home depot, and mixed in some of my own homemade compost and some bags of perlite and I had great germination and it mostly was perfect for soil blocks in general. A very cheap way to start soil blocks as a home user imo. Getting the mini blocker last year was HUGE for getting my seeds started without making giant 2" blocks. I start everything in a grow tent with a grow light, so I used bootstraps 10/20 trays, the only thing Im considering doing this year is maybe using mesh trays that fit into those, I just cant decide if I'll get enough value out of that to bother. I think most people would do really well with soil blocks, but they can be kind of frustrating until you get a muscle memory of how they work best for you.

[@summerjennfarmstead]

So glad to see new Farmer Jesse videos. 🎉 You make this farming thing fun!😊

[@jeffhamilton9453]

The living soil handbook, was extremely helpful in the building of my farm. I still use it today as a quick reference.

[@lisafox2730]

Thank you so much! I just ordered your book and excited to read it. Great info as always

[@veggiepatchideas]

Great advice, Its really nice watching a larger scale operation. big thumbs up 👍

[@sweetpeasbackyardgarden1236]

Love the content as usual. I also use the Charles Dowding trays. Very sturdy and versatile for my small backyard garden.

[@budj13]

Another excellent video packed with good information. Thanks!

[@aileensmith3062]

We do all of our seed starting indoors. We will be experimenting on a couple of new ideas in hopes of producing better seedlings. Thus putting out healthier plants in our garden. Always so much to learn and Thank You for sharing your knowledge!

[@riqpate7122]

Like the frank and clear advice

[@eliinthewolverinestate6729]

We have kale, onions, carrots, and garlic growing right now through cold ask Michigan winter. We have a veg area with lights for starting plants. Basement stays about 60 rh 60 F. We leave a window fan on low. We run a 2x4 8 bulb T5 32 inches off the bench. Some seedling need more light so we use coffee cans to raise them.

[@wesh388]

"..and also I got a haircut.." 😂 Good tips, thanks for sharing! Your haircut looks good 👍 😂

[@waynesell3681]

Thanks Farmer Jesse.. it's late at night. Great pick-me-up. Preparing my grow room indoors. Haven't seeded anything yet. Super to hear I'm awesome! Gonna get a hat someday, also need a haircut too.

[@davidakerlund6296]

for the people who cant fit or get or afford a greenhouse, woven landscape fabric with a heavy duty fleece row cover over it is a great way to grow out seedlings after they germinate but cant go in the ground yet

[@Cosmiclady54]

Thank you for this video..just found you and you gave an in-depth seed starting. Subscribed and lookong Forward to your viewing you past and future gardening vids..❤

[@Jardin-de-invierno]

Love the video…. Thanks for all the great information.

[@whathappened2230]

I don't do blocks. I do use sprout tables. I put larger seeds on the sprout table with (only soy ink print) paper below them and on top... add water/nute and cover with plastic so the water won't evap. Solo type cups with a grinder cut on the bottom are what I use when doing seedlings. The solo type cups are easy to get the plants out of when planting and are reusable.. just rinse in bleach water before re-use. Thanks for this video! Nice to see what others are doing, we can always learn from each other!

[@hopebradley1417]

Thank you. You're helpful. I'm starting my first garden at the tender age or 48. I don't know what zone you're in. But I have 8a here in north TX. I feel like you give people a general gist regardless of zones. Again, thank you.

[@TheFarmacySeedsNetwork]

Excellent overview and totally agree across the board! 🌱

[@blauetoile]

Thank you for sharing! Starting my garden since last year, its very tiny, and still not well planned, but with generous people like you, feeling less lost. 🌻

[@stevescuba1978]

Just keep learning, keep experimenting, and keep gardening! I've had multiple gardens at various houses in different climates. It takes a season or two (or 3 or 4) to figure things out. I'm starting my 3rd year with a much larger garden in Florida, and I am just now feeling confident that I know what to expect. The soil I started with was awful, but after 2 years of amendments (compost, biologicals, sourdough starter, and whey), it has gone from sandy junk to rich, sandy loam. The first year, my potatoes struggled to grow, second year, I doubled the yield, and hope to triple it again this year. I have learned what will grow well, and what just won't grow. My compost pile is reliable and productive (harder than I thought it would be), and most importantly, I have a bead on the important dates like last frost, hot/humid/big season, spring and fall planting dates (2 full growing seasons in central Florida). Last year was better than year 1, and I am fully confident that this year will be better than year 2.

[@blauetoile]

Thank you, Steve for the encouraging words, I definitely need some more confidence. Making mistake after another. Trying to read and watch videos 'how to' but too in a hurry and not very concentrated on what I do. Wish I could learn and do so many more things, in shorter time... Definitely will try sourdough starter, and whey. Here seems like half of the people are fans of heavy chemicals, and the other half are doing only compost feeding, thats all. I'm in Bulgaria, very cold winter with +40 degrees C hot and dry summer last y, Soil is very heavy, like clay, literally, red and heavy, like turning into hard stones when too dry, trying to add as much biomass, compost and anything I can buy, sadly no animal farms in any proximity, also garden is in a distant from everything tiny village with very bad transportation, need to learn how to deal, lived in big cities all my life. There even internet connection is not possible tru cable, only 5g, but that was the point, to be away in silence. Thank you again and I wish you only good on your way. @@stevescuba1978

[@stevescuba1978]

@@blauetoile you have the right idea. Keep adding manure if you can. Cover crops are great too. I do not know what works well for your climate, but you can till in things like clover, sun hemp, and legumes to amend your soil and fix nitrogen levels. I am not 100% against chemicals. I work on a commercial farm, and I see the incredible yields we can produce. I will not use chemical pesticides or herbicides in my personal garden, but I do use some fertilizers, due to cost, availability, etc. (my work uses high quality fert, 100's of gallons/week, and I try to catch the little bits that would otherwise spill from the filling hoses and use it at my house). i do historical research on what people grew in previous generations in my region. If the indigenous people grew it, I can probably grow it . By matching what I grow to what grows well, the amount of inputs needed are greatly reduced, and the soil amendment easier

[@tammiesanty941]

Another great video! And nice haircut !

[@mikealdag7309]

always great info , thank you for the video

[@trishapomeroy9251]

Good stuff! I love my soil blocker. I suspect I'll be upgrading to a standup blocker next year though as my garden continues to grow in size.

[@rambukah76]

Awesome video ❤

[@lisamcdonald1415]

Love the hair cut ! Last year we tried soil blocks after years of watching you, found it very time consuming and tricky to get the right mix. Definitely better starts but I guess depends on how much you have to do and how much time you have

[@teresaedwards3659]

Thanks for the video!

[@ryananderson8642]

You are amazing, thank you so much Jesse!!

[@jeannet9592]

Such good information! Thank you!

[@erschaffenswert]

Thx for sharing your knowledge

[@theclotshotdidit3115]

Lol, im here for the great information you are sharing, the dad jokes are a bonus ❤️👍🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@thehazelnutspread]

The wind strips looked interesting. I was wondering what happens with the smaller squares that seem to be wasted space........and your hair looks great BTW

[@nikkistump3480]

Thank you 😊 great dad jokes too

[@georgetuider654]

Great video!

[@farmer-kitt]

water barrels work great if you get uniseal gaskets to link your barrels together and add any supplemental heat like a wood boiler or diesel heater

[@ourhomesteadclassroom]

You had me at "beer pairings" 🍻

[@FarmerJustin83]

I’m using Pro-Mix seed starter in cell trays, on my new 6’ grow rack in my sunroom. I have 48”x20.75” heat mats this year. All on my IG. I’d like to get a good mix from Tilth once I get a larger space and an actual greenhouse to start all my seeds in.

[@2000rpascual]

Great content! Thanks from sunny Chile

[@spakchitown]

Glad I found you today, fellow GenX-er! My kinda humor.

[@moranmike36]

Great tips! Thanks

[@solbruden]

Thanks for excellent information 😊, and by the way, nice haircut 😊👍

[@corinne7126]

Great advice

[@MovingBlanketStudio]

Good stuff- thank you!

[@timflatus]

The only thing I would say to anyone starting out is that people tend to complicate this. Give a seed some light, soil warmth and water and it will probably grow. A lot of the more advanced techniques are about extending the growing season, getting healthier, stronger plants and greater yields. Humans have been cultivating plants for thousands of years, using the most basic technology; always consider how nature would do this without human intervention.

[@erbauungstutztaufgnade1875]

Thank you :) and God bless!

[@cardstockcollector]

Thank You!

[@audreybarnes6527]

Farmer Jesse does farm tours, literally the only time I've wanted to jump a plane to America. Hey Jesse, is it possible to create a solar powered germ chamber from one of your blue barrels. It's possible to make a barbecue grill from an oil barrel, so it's pretty similar idea, lining the sides of the barrel with baking foil and cover with used polytunnel plastic to create a mini low tunnel.

[@larry78cj7]

Thanks!

[@robertcotrell9810]

I'm just a gardener, and germination has been one of my biggest challenges so far. Not insurmountable, but definitely where knowledge/experience plays a big role. I also don't have a green house or much space inside my house...and herbivorous cats. A method I've found that helps me is winter sowing. Have you ever used it, heard of it? I imagine it would be complicated at your scale...

[@insidethegardenwall22]

I sowed my carrots and parsnips at the end of season around late September, early October last year. They are coming up well. Those came from seeds I saved in the past. Fava beans sowed at the same time probably were killed by the winter. Of course, garlic and leeks are doing well, as you normally expect.

[@robertcotrell9810]

@@insidethegardenwall22 Look into Winter Sowing more. It's a method of using containers (like a prepared milk jug) to control moisture in soil for seed germination. It doesn't allow for early germination, as it relies on ambient temperature and light.

[@samgriffiths1017]

@0:45 seconds, you're not wasting anyone's time. Teaching & learning are vital , not a time sink

[@jeffbee6090]

a cut and a shave.... who was that man???

[@fredrickelrik]

I dont know if the dowding trays have these but the containerwise (uk company that makes the dowding trays) have 4 raised notches that funnel the roots down and out the hole stopping plants getting root bound.

[@nicolasm7286]

Love u man

[@northsidedork_3043]

Nice Haircut!

[@denisdufresne5338]

Winstrips are, for me, the most efficient and practical way to grow transplants. Yes they are not cheap but they last, they are easy to manipulate and they ease a lot the planting of young plants. They are my preferred choice over all the others methods you have shown (I tried them all).

[@notillgrowers]

I did a video last year (or the year before?) discussing winstrips. They’re fine. I like them okay. Sold most of mine off but I get why people use them.

[@lukaskrajcovic4256]

Thanks

[@notillgrowers]

Thank you!

[@daybyday6263]

Now I have to watch the Walking Dead 😂 You look just like Rick

[@allisongorham7389]

Such a great video ….thank you! I’m surprised that you recommended the tilth seed starting mix as it has peat in it?

[@VictoriousGardenosaurus]

3:19 Heat cable idea: Use the heat holding capacity of water to amplify the effect of your heat cable. Commercial parking garages use these cables on their fire sprinkler pipes, which must be kept "wet" and full of water. Edit: 37 trays of 2" sooo blocks in, and just a 2 trays with major failures. Started collards and rosemary on a heat mat, and that particular try dried out much faster than expected. Another tray didnt get enough light with my initial light pattern, and my first cabbage sewing for leggy and fell over. I'm still over 90% success on my initial 30 trays. Fungal gnats are beginning to appear on the dozen indoor flats. Outdoor flats are doing fine in my rinky dink hothouse

[@notillgrowers]

A lot of people use sand too. I’m wary of commercial sand so I just throw a row cover overtop to hold in heat.

[@VictoriousGardenosaurus]

​ What's the big deal about commercial sand?

[@notillgrowers]

So I wouldn't say it's a BIG deal per se, just that without knowing what the sand is made of or where it was extracted, you could run the risk of contaminants (herbicides, heavy metals, etc). Some sands (maybe most) will be fine, but since it's a heavy material already and I don't think it's entirely necessary AND it has those risks, I just avoid it. We're also certified organic so if the roots are touching the sand it could be considered in our inspection.

[@hendrixjohnston3734]

we followed jm farriers design for heated germination tables, and they are working great. I encourage you to check out his video.

[@olddironn3084]

Do you or can you do a video on what variety vegetables have been good for you?

[@ThinkLittleFarm]

beer pairings. more of that, please.

[@ardenthebibliophile]

Welcome back! For home scale gardeners, I've found the rig designed by Urban Farmstead to be effective. I grow my starts for about 400sq ft of garden space with two shelves of cells. I use the 6-cell and 4-cell trays by epic gardening; they do well and make it easier to arrange a less-than-full 1020 tray of seeds. If I scale up I plan on experimenting with soil blocks on 1010 trays. Link to the video I referenced: kzbin.info/www/bejne/apuxnZVjpqlna7Msi=Zw9cCyl_uRT1tiXv

[@KelikaRanke]

Can you please go into more detail abt potting soil mix specifics? Or is there another video that covers that? Is pro mix or sunshine mix sufficient? In Hawaii...don't have access to anything that great. Would you recommend making our own or adding to Pro mix?

[@adamt195]

In theory, with the water barrels, they probably work better with a real greenhouse and not a tunnel. The black painted barrels should always be absorbing sunlight. Maybe if your winters are very cloudy and rainy then they arent doing much, but I expect its more likely that the tunnel just isnt insulating enough, so the cold nighttime temps are dropping them down too much. In a greenhouse with good insulation (double pane glass or polycarbonate), the barrels are heating up in the sun + the greenhouse is drastically warmer than the outside air. Water has an absolutely insane, mindboggling amount of heat capacity. Its 4710x more than air. Of all the relatively common and affordable materials on earth, concrete is maybe 2nd to water, and even that has less than half the heat capacity of water. Because water's heat capacity is so insanely high, it does take a lot of energy for it to heat up, but it also can provide a lot of heat radiation at night. To put it in context, if you had an empty 20ft long tunnel at 6ft wide and 8ft tall, the heat capacity of all that air is equal to only 1 gallon of water. Or about 2 gallons of moist soil. A 5 gallon bucket of relatively dry compost has more heat capacity than all the air in the tunnel. Another way to put it, if you had more insulation in a greenhouse, and felt like the water was heating up too slowly in the spring, but you still wanted to some heat radiation. You could use fewer barrels, or you could fill them with something like sand, or dry soil.

[@jongggrowss4202]

Use build a soil yes 👍🏽

[@sheelaghomalley5459]

I run my heating cable through wet sand or vermiculite and it's a gamechanger. Unless you let the sand/vermiculite dry out. It's not good!

[@Mastadex]

Soooo what's the best beer pairing with well rotted compost?

[@nicholasnarcowich9163]

My seed starting is about 16"x 16" with partial sun, & I water in the morning, & when home from work....

[@4115steve]

you might try to put aluminum foil or aluminum sheet on the heating cable for better heat distribution

[@jimb0man]

Totally unrelated but I like the look of those headphones Jesse--would you recommend them? I don't want to lose another earbud in the field again...

[@user-dd5ey1sc5q]

What trays do you recommend for using with soil blocks? I, too, hate the flimsy ones commonly available.

[@JoeN-S]

What time was the beer pairing? Must've missed that.

[@jimb0man]

Nolt's sells a great relatively cheap heat mat, it heats about 10 1020s for around $100 IIRC. Definitely a better deal than Jumpstart and the like

[@Technoanima]

First!! Starting seeds is a big deal for me. Thank you for covering this.

[@-IE_it_yourself]

2:18. would wind work if i dont have access to a fan?

[@danphillips4590]

You need a level table Jesse! :)

[@notillgrowers]

#Goals

[@tcotroneo]

Ive been making my own seed mix with my homemade compost. Seeds like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, corn, pumpkins, pretty much any fungal dominant seed lives the mix. All my greens hate it.. even brassicas.. 😢

[@tolbaszy8067]

How do you control fungus gnats?

[@Fiscals_Organics]

“Beer pairings, that sorta stuff”

[@racingseller]

Hey Jesse! Are you bringing all your starters inside on freezing nights during these next few months? Or does your heating pad do the trick?

[@notillgrowers]

Nope just throwing row cover overtop. If it got below 15 I might or I’d add a space heater