How to Start Seeds Indoors Without a Greenhouse

The Inspiration for Starting Seeds Indoors This Year

My good friend Kim from Shiplap and Shells has a gorgeous cutting garden.

She lives in the PNW and starts many of her flowers from seed.

Kim also has an amazing greenhouse where she starts all those seeds.

So I started thinking about it more.

If I want to grow plants and flowers that are not readily available around here, I’ve got to start them from seed.

But how do I do that without a greenhouse?

You Need the Right Equipment

I have started plants from seed before with some success.

But I didn’t use the proper set up or supplies to do it really well.

Some plants started easily.

While others were epic fails.

Part of the problem was that I started seeds in front of my south facing windows.

There’s not much room to grow stuff there.

The windows are not very large so my seed starting set-up sucked up a lot of my living space.

And seedlings were not receiving an adequate amount of light to grow properly.

So it was a bit of a struggle to do it there.

Then the voice in my head took over.

Telling me that I needed a greenhouse to be more successful.

And that couldn’t be further from the truth!

If I want to expand my gardens to include more cut flowers, I’ve got to get that mindset out of my head, get the proper equipment and start them from seed.

Since I don’t have a greenhouse and can’t do them on a large scale in my living room, I decided to start seeds in my basement using the right equipment.

The basement is a great spot to start them because I have plenty of space to grow lots of plants and they will grow much better with the right equipment.

How to Start Seeds Indoors Without a Greenhouse

Step - 1 Location Location Location

If you are like me and do not have a greenhouse, find a spot in your home where you can place a grow system with lights.

It does not have to take up a lot of space, particularly if you use a shelf-type system.

Once you have the area mapped out, measure it.

This will help determine the size of your growing system, as well as the amount of seed trays you can fit.

Step 2 - Shop for Seeds

Start seed shopping in December and January.

My gardening friends, Kim at Shiplap and Shells, and Jennifer at The Flowering Farmhouse in the PNW recommend purchasing seeds from Floret Flower Farm, so that’s where I purchased from mine too.

Since seed sales started in early January, I did my research beforehand, saved a wishlist on their site, and got what I could when the sale went live.

And I’m happy to report I just received my seed packets the other day!

So now I’m super excited to get started with this process.

Step 3 - Gather Supplies to Start Seeds Indoors

I have a little time before I can start planting my seeds so I’m researching how I want to set-up my basement.

We are shopping for supplies this weekend so I made a list of what we need to pick up.

In general, here’s what to buy:

• Seeds
• Vermiculite
• Seed Starting Potting Soil
• Seed Trays
• Bottom or Drainage Trays
• Clear Dome Lids
• Grow Lights
• Table or Shelf System for Seedlings
• Heat Mat
• Plant Labels
• Programmable Timer

Since I have a lot of space in my basement, I want to work with four foot grow light systems.

There are smaller options available so design a system that works best for you and the space you have.

There are a few ways to create the grow light system:

There are tiered systems available like these from Gardener’s Supply.

I love when everything comes together like this.

Plus, it’s easy to use and move around.

But if you ask my husband, he wants us to piece something together ourselves and make something similar to a pre-made tiered system.

So that’s what we are doing.

And we are shopping for supplies this weekend!

Seed Starting Supply Tips

While I’m planning this all out, my friend Kim from Shiplap and Shells strongly recommends doing one flower variety per cell tray. This is a GREAT tip because I’ve made the mistake of condensing different plants and varieties in the same cell tray and they germinated at different times.

So it is important to have enough cell trays for each packet of seeds.

Looking at my seed packs, I’m going to need a lot of trays!

Good thing I saved some trays with containers from the nursery last year for this very purpose.

Because I have leftovers, I’m planning to do a combination of re-using those and getting new supplies.

For the ones I am re-using, it is essential to clean them really well with a 1:10 ratio of chlorine bleach to water to sanitize and kill any pests or diseases lingering behind.

This is actually a good practice for any pots or containers that you re-use for any type of plant.

Step 4 - Plan Your Seed Start Planting Schedule

While gathering seed starting supplies, chart the timing and needs for each seed packet.

It’s much easier to figure out how many supplies you’ll need after writing it all down.

So calendar seed start dates together with plant requirements.

While organizing seed start schedule, it’s important to know when the last frost date is.

In New Jersey, my last frost date is typically around or just after Mother’s Day, but in the last few years it’s been stretched to mid-May.

I still tend to plant tenders around Mother’s Day anyway, but watch the weather like a hawk and cover anything that is susceptible to frost.

With the last frost date in hand, look through each seed packet.

Write down the flower, variety, date of maturity, when it should be sowed, seed starting dates, overall size and color.

When mine was all written down, I added it to a spread sheet to organize the information better.

Not only does this make planning the garden easier, but it helps hone my seed starting supply list too.

Step 4: Sow Seeds According to the Seed Starting Schedule

In the next blog of the series, I’ll chat more about my seed starting supplies and the basement set-up.

This is going to be so fun, isn’t it?

I can’t wait to start my new gardening adventure.

Want To Get More Organized to Start Seeds?

CLICK HERE to get my FREE DOWNLOADABLE PRINTABLE that will help you get organized to sow seeds this year. Print as many pages as you want and add them to your gardening journal for ease of reference during the growing season.

How to Start Seeds Indoors Without a Greenhouse Series

Part 1 – An Overview (you are here)

Part 2 – Supplies for Starting Seeds Indoors Without a Greenhouse

Part 3 – 7 Simple Tips to Getting Organized Before Starting Seeds Indoors

Thanks for stopping by today!

Enjoy your day! xoxo