4 Must-Have Tools for Seed Starting

14.12.2023 - 14:52 / finegardening.com / Niki Jabbour

Tested by Niki Jabbour, the award-winning author of Growing Under Cover and The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener, who lives and gardens in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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One of my garden goals is to reduce the amount of plastic I’m using, and seed starting typically involves plastic pots, plastic cell packs, plastic plug flats, and plastic trays. This is where soil blocking comes in. A soil blocker is a metal mold that makes cubes of potting mix and is a plastic-free way to start seeds. Growing seedlings in soil cubes also promotes a dense and robust root system and reduces the risk of transplant shock. The hand-held soil blocker from Johnny’s Selected Seeds creates perfect 2-inch cubes, which I use to start many types of vegetable, herb, and flower seeds. 

Source: johnnyseeds.com

Price: $47

I’ve been starting seeds indoors for over 35 years, but it’s only been about five years since I bought my first seedling heat mat. I always assumed they were unnecessary, but I have since learned that the gentle warmth provided by these mats both speeds up germination times and increases germination rates, particularly of warm-season crops such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. A 19½-inch by 9-inch mat like the one offered by Gardener’s Supply Company is the perfect size for a standard 1020 seedling tray, but there are larger sizes available to accommodate multiple trays. As soon as my seeds are sown, I place the tray on top of the mat, leaving it plugged in 24 hours a day. When about half of the seeds have sprouted, I turn the