What are we GROWING in 2024? Seed Starting Improvements 

One thing I noticed watching your video is your watering the seeds. Homesteaders that I have watched that have fairly good results use very gentle almost misting watering that doesn’t move the seeds around disturbing them as the seeds would be moved by the large droplets not allowing them to put down roots and the roots are very delicate. A good example is ‘The Hollar Homestead’ and the episode that shows their methods is ‘Low Expectations, high yield’. It shows how and what they use to start seeds and how they water. I learned a lot from them. Good luck, I love your garden and the progress you are making for,ing your new life.

Forget the window I would put wooden shutters in that way air flow in the really hot summer days lov3 your vlogs.

I had such a difficult time growing coriander and dill. We had no rain and hot hot weather. But the coriander came up this November. Beautiful. Best of luck with all the seedlings.

I forgot to say that I love your potting shed.

Until the seeds germinate you dont need to put water in the trays risking the seeds to rot. If you put some plasic on top of the trays they will stay wet but hopefully not to wet. If you had bad germinating last year one of the reasons could be rotting seeds . Goodluck.

Oregano is a perennial, that you can have in a permanent bed. Lemon grass is similar, but is cut back then regrown from existing stems. I’ve recently learnt too that peppers, (capsicum) are better the second year on, so don’t pull them out after they’ve finished producing. ( source Vasilis Garden, YTube, a well known gardener in Melbourne). Seed raising mixes are less about nutrients, than they are about soft soil for little roots to move. Sand helps also. Try 50:50 next time. Maybe follow some of the Aussie YT gardeners as climate is similar. I had great germination of tomato seedlings from store bought tomatoes, But the weather here in Melbourne has been hot cold,humid,cold, hot. Just nuts. 2 plants survived, out of 8. Also potted store bought basil stems after a bunch I bought for Xmas dinner. Mint too. Still growing strong in the sunroom. Anyway, sorry for rambling. Love the kiosk! Getting ready for autumn sowing here. Cheers to you both! 🍷🌱🌿🍀🌾

Wet the soil in the tub slightly before filling the cells. Then after placing the seed, mist lightly and keep moist while germinating.

Greetings from Palm Springs California! Nice video this week. Guy, why don’t you just add a couple of hinges to the top of the piece that was covering the window hole then add a prop and a latch. Then you could quickly open it like a roadside veggie stand🤔anyway, looking forward to seeing the garden later this year. Best wishes always, Moody.

Forty years of gardening. Saving seeds and germination rates. Initial purchase, quite high germination rate. Second season seeds, 10 to 40 percent loss in germination rate. Third season, saved seeds, eat then right out of the pack. More nutrition than you'll get trying to grow them. I would keep my seeds in mason jars, in the fridge, with small desiccant packs, sealed very tightly. Helped second season germination rates, SLIGHTLY! Third season...Dump them on your morning cereal. Germination. Dark, warm, moist...I covered trays with saran wrap. Heat source...Top of our oil furnace. Final thoughts. I buy plants from the garden center when ever possible...I can't match their germination rates. I buy new seeds every year. Forces me to find new varieties we like. As soon as plants are big enough to transplant....Opened seed packs get chucked. Favorite gardening time...THE NEW SEED CATALOGS ARE HERE, THE NEW SEED CATALOGS ARE HERE!!!

Great to see you back in the gardening mode!! ❤ 👩🏻‍🌾 🧑‍🌾 👋 🇦🇺

There’s a great Canadian gal on RU-vid called “gardening in Canada” that has excellent science based advise on seed starting. “Garden answer” has a wide range of knowledge concerning veg/flower/tree etc starting close to your zone too I think? TIP: sprinkle a thin layer of vermiculite over the top of your just planted seed trays and this will prevent dampening off of your seedlings. I love your show❤ and wait for it patiently every Saturday morning, thanks for that guys!

You need to make a tuckshop window, it lifts up, from old windows for the shed. That way you get the light inside but can hook it up and out of the way when doing your seed jobs, etc. Good luck with the experiments.

I've been watching Huw Richards since he was a little boy. He is an amazing Gardener. Can't wait to see your garden this year it's one of my favorite things you guys show.

I just love your energy and you are not afraid to fail (and show it), that is honest and real content ☝️ I always germinate in coco, it has no nutrition but it is not needed for seeding. I used to grow in hydroponics so all my nutritions were liquid. But once you transfer to bigger pots you can use soil with nutrition I hope 2024 will be a perfect growing season for you 🥳

Vermiculite helps lighten the compost better for the roots and helps drainage.I use it for all my seedlings😁 a heated heated propergater will help with temperature control. Though don’t over sow as you may have too many seedlings like I do evert time😱❤️

Seed raising mediums have 30 to 50% river sand. Good luck this season😊

The Containerwise green watering trays came back into stock about 10 days ago, and I thoroughly recommend them. Like all their mouldings they're built for many years' use, and they have ribs to hold the cell-blocks clear of standing water. IMHO *many* more seedlings get drowned than droughted! PS: suggest Perlite is better than vermiculite for seed compost mixture. And yes, old seed can be very disheartening! 🙈

You just need 4 compost bins and rotate them through the seasons. Use pallets for a metre square bin and fire it up using the chicken manure. This will give natural, localised compost for your land which will be highly beneficial to your planting and growth. The microbes love the local fauna!. P.S. can I have fries with barbecue sauce on the seeds from your hot dog bar. Cheers. Lol

To aid in germination it helps to wet your mix and then place it in your trays. If you squeeze your mix (after adding water) and it holds its form but doesn’t drip, that is the exact consistency you are looking for. Once seeds have germinated and you have two sets of true leaves, fertilize (half strength) every two weeks with root building fertilizer. Once you pot them up, you can use full strength. What is also helpful is to use mycorrhizae solution when planting out in the garden.

Chilies and Aubergines are tough to start, but I had success in wrapping the seeds in water soaked kitchen paper and put everything in a plastic ziplock, sealed and leave on the heater. Checking every now and then if the seed germinated. After around 10-15 days you should see germination. I then cut little squares off of the moist kitchen paper and try not to disturb the seeds that much, because some seed will grow into the paper. I transfer each paper squares into a small container and leave them covered until their “true” leaves come out. I hope this helps.

Tsakoniki is a Greek style aubergine! I have bought some myself, but I don't have any space to put them in this year. I love vermiculite, it makes my soil mixture light and fluffy while still retaining lots of moisture. I use about 25%-30% by volume in all my seed starting.

I love to see that your work/life balance is leading to laughter, smiles and a more relaxed mood. You've made a brilliant change. Congrats!! (Nor that I didn't enjoy your videos before or think you were grmapy, etc.)

Bottom water after they've sprouted. Top-mist until they've germinated. The top 1/2" needs to stay moist in order for the seeds to germinate.

Glad to see you guys outside more ❤ Would do well with a drip system so you don't need to tend to it very often. Also, if possible place weed cloth or cardboard Inbetween bed's. You'll thank yourselves later on.

When you broadcast sow the seeds in the pot, for your herbs let them grow 4 to 5 inches then you can upturn the pot in your hand and divide up the roots, divide it into 4 smaller clumps and plant them on into the ground or other pots, you will be surprised how much extra you get. I sometimes do this with the supermarket brought ones as well.

It is great how you research problems to solve past issues. Experimenting and sharing your thoughts helps others to solve simular issues in their gardens. Btw...my dog Ellie was looking behind the TV when she got the extra byes...she loves you guys lol. ❤🇨🇦👨‍🌾👩‍🌾

I wasn't aware that they made thermostatic mats to keep the trays warm during the night, but of course that's more energy efficient than heating a whole greenhouse when you're drawing on your batteries. It's clever to use coconut fiber mats so that the trays aren't sitting in a puddle of water. My neighbor starts plants from seed, and I will pass your suggestions along to her.

Having been an organic gardener for over 50 plus years I would just use the heat mats for the warm weather crops and once they germinate you can take them off the mats. Just some thoughts. Love your videos from here in Maine USA.

I followed Huw’s method and love it. I only break the rule when growing my garlic (I keep trying varieties I know won’t like my climate…but I’m stubborn and will succeed one day! 😂)

We always when seeding, make a trough in the garden water it, add the seeds then cover with dry soil. Same in Pots, water the pots, add the seeds then cover with fine layer of soil. Using the vermiculite is always a good idea to lighten the soil and add drainage. Too much water is far worse than too little as the seeds will rot and die. Love the channel and your can do attitude to life.

I just love the potting shed!! and all that it means to your projects on the property.

Hello you two. I am living vicariously to you. I put offer on 12 acres in Central Portugal. Here's hoping. Only took 8 months. By years end I will begin my journey. Only a small ruin no house. RV living off grid. Thanx for all of the encouraging products as well as all your hard work. I do old home restoration in the states. So looking forward to a long term plan daily enjoying the process of being self sufficient but I can tell you I will never been as organized and methodical and detailed as you guys....YOU TWO ROCK...Look forward to see how your seeds grow

Hello, just found your channel. I am a retired market gardener from U.K. and have a very big knowledge of growing most things. So if you need to ask anything about growing, please feel free to ask I am also in Portugal in my 5th year so have a good experience of the climate. One thing I will tell you is if you have left over seed, put them in the bottom of the fridge and they will keep for years as the cold keeps them dormant. If you are like me and don't know the language on your seed packs then buy from Holland as the Dutch have the best varieties and they have at least one man here from Rijk Zwann. They don't keep everything as most Dutch seed companies specialise and they are into salad and carrots. Depending where you are I find I can sow here 6-8 weeks earlier than U.K. and spuds at least 6 weeks especially late variety which grow just as fast as early's

The heat mats are designed to accommodate standard size seed trays, the containerwise cell trays are much bigger 😊

Great video - I feel like I'm halfway to getting my own sown just having watched you 🤣

Keeping my fingers crossed for better germination!

The best way to learn about growing fruts and vegetables is to ask local people and learn from own experience. Every place has different climate, weather and soil. Compost from 🐄 is #1 and always works for any place and any plant. I don't buy seeds any more, I take them from store bought vegetables that I like the most and plant them.

I love how thorough are you with everything you do ..... We chuck all the old seeds we collect in a plastic tub ...chuck it in the ground and it grows...😂we have so much veggies that we give lots away.

This morning I actually was choosing between your and Huw's newest vids to watch first. You won this time! Huw is a great inspiration!! One thing I've noticed many growers doing is moistening their starter mix before filling their trays -- just to the point where a fistful holds its shape without excess water dripping. After seeding they very lightly water over the top but because they've pre-watered, the soil below the seeding level is adequate until germination. At that point a fairly clear plastic lid, the top of which sits a few inches above the soil surface, to create a minor greenhouse effect and maintain moisture levels. I believe rewatering then begins after germination. Because your plastic sheeting isn't tight fitting and sits lower to the surface, the technique would need some alteration. I'm just a novice though so take these comments lightly. Really looking forward to seeing how your garden(s) develop this year and the lessons learned...Best of luck!!

I love to see that you started planning the new season very well. I hope for next year you are looking to digitize all the data so you can compare easily. I'm looking forward to seeing those seedlings popping up ❤

Sorry for being so forward , just want you to succeed ❤

Looking forward to see how your seeds germinate. ❤

You’ll have better germination with the heat-loving plants by keeping the heat mat on at a steady temperature all the time. Tomatoes and peppers like it at 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit (I keep mine at 72). In general you’ll have better germination with most things by putting them on heat unless they are cold hardy plants (lettuces, brassicas, and some flowers and perennials). Many things can be taken off the heat mat once germinated, but for tomatoes, peppers, eggplant they’ll continue to grow better if you keep them on the heat until you’re ready to harden them off. Hope that helps!

I LOVE your organisation and planning and recording. It really appeals to my OCD.😊❤ Good luck with your germination rates.

Looks like you’re at a shop and being served through the hatch. Great vid. Have a good week😊

finally gardenig!!!!!!

I use the scatter method for herbs. Works wonderfully.

Love your content, would it be possible to have a kitty update? Hope you’re enjoying slowing down ;) love from Aus

Some friendly advice, water trays before putting seeds in then top up with a small splash after the seeds have been covered by compost. Use another seed tray of the same size to compress the modules Happy planting

FYI: New GMO seeds are being introduced this year 😢😢. I believe tomatoes are on the list. I unfortunately don't remember much of details. However, I saw this information on RU-vid 'Roots and Refuge' She is an excellent resource for all things growing, compost etc..

I want to start seeds this year, but on a much smaller scale. I don't have a green house or potting shed, so I have to start seeds in my house. That will reduce my starters considerably. I will have to buy more mature plants at the end of April or May depending on space and weather. Our last frost date is usually towards the end of May. We've had some surprise snow falls as late as the third week in May. Have a great week! Blessed Be!

Lots of good advice here already, just adding my 2p (a) if watering with a hose from the top, water before you add the seeds, not after. Watering after can really disrupt the contact of the seed with the soil, especially tiny seeds. (b) sprinkle a layer of vermiculite on top of the trays - this prevents dampening off disease, and stops fungus gnats from laying their eggs (c) place some insulation underneath your heat mat, and if you have it, one with a reflective layer - this will direct the heat to the trays instead of wasting it on heating the table. (d) have a look at Root iT germination cubes, they give excellent results. (e) keep an eye on your roots from your cell trays - the roots can get entangled in the coco coir, and then it is dificult to remove the seedling from the tray unless you cut off the roots at the base.

Gardening season already…that was a fast year. Happy growing❤❤

Living Traditions Homestead has Seed Starting Cheat Sheets available on their website, I recommend. Recent videos on their YT channel also.

Thanks for the excellent class on your process for sowing, the thoughts behind it and equipment you are using. You are giving all your seeds a great chance on germinating and we're looking forward to all the updates! So exciting to see even the tiniest bit of green pop up!

We had compost issues here in france from our local garden centre. Nearly 70% didn't grow, and we never had that failure before, if we frow toms or peppers, we get them by the bucket, but they just wouldn't grow and fruit. And our friend also said they had same issue with same compost. So this year will be all new compost and

That is some serious gardening! We're still having snow where I live in Canada.

Hey! with all the improvements together, be careful about mold, mainly on germination phase as there are a group of molds that attack at that time, were the plant is somehow weaker

Sowing time is an exciting time!😊

Your potting shed is great. You will get a lot of use out of it. To give you planting help and ideas you may want to watch some videos from Garden Answer.

I hope they work for you I love the idea of the coconut mat system can't wait to see the results ❤

I have heat mats, no thermostat, I leave them on all the time. Seeds need consistent heat to germinate, I didn’t see if you had a soil probe with the thermostat, if not it’s not really going to give you the precise results you seek. I use the heat mats for things like peppers and some HJA flowers that need higher temps. I also use a single electric blanket which covers my whole seed table, and the gentle heat is great to get anything else going a bit quicker. Of course not all seeds want bottom heat, so those stay on the floor in the polytunnel if outdoor temperature is low - I started a lot in February to get a head start. I highly recommend people like Charles Dowding and Steve’s Kitchen Garden Allotment Channel for the most efficient/effective ways to grow food - both of them have refined their techniques, I see Huw as more of a “hobby” gardener, although he follows a lot of what Charles does he doesn’t have the same “commercial” mindset that makes for the most efficient practices.

A capilary mat on top of your hestsheet is advisable, if it hasn t come with, then place seed ttays on top and then you can water without worry. Thermostat between the metal sheet and capilary mat 20 c for veg and.25 for toms, cues and peppers. hope this helps.

Vermiculite will make a big difference, another thing I have found is to only water from the base. Start off in smaller modules and when you see the roots come out the bottom go to a slightly bigger pot, you need to encourage root grow. Roots first then green tops.

Try growing the "cucumber" cross between cucumber and melon. These tiny 1 inch fruits have a crunchy texture and a sweet appealing flavour like a mix of cucumber and a sweet melon Harvest at 2cm or 1 inch before seeds develop. 67 days to mature.

Great video, hopefully the new measure will increase your success rate! I’m afraid I buy a pot of herbs from the supermarket then split the pot between 4 pots. I also plant basil in the same pot at the same time as I pot up my tomatoes to their final size pot. Particularly with cherry varieties of tomatoes it certainly seems to make them sweeter. Fingers crossed everything germinates, can’t wait to see what plans you have for in the garden. You both seem more relaxed, which is great to see! ❤

Love your gardening videos.

When I lived in Nhulunbuy (NT) I bought a run down nursery and bought all my established plants from Cairns as they had the same weather conditions and produced the herbs there. I had absolutely no knowledge or experience in running a nursery so didn’t want to chance using the local soil so we combined vermiculite, perlite, coco peat, peat moss, blood and bone and some commercial soil. As the freight was enormous we used very little soil. The mix was perfect and we sold lots of them. I just had to tell you this story.

Love sow and show! ❤

Well made video as usual. Love y’all.

The thought and planning you guys do, plus your organization skills are very impressive. Now we wait to see how it all works out! Hugs from 🇨🇦

I wish your seeds the best.

I really like this watering system since the germination process requires moisture - not too much - and air. 'Vermiculite has the excellent property of improving soil aeration while retaining the moisture and nutrients necessary to feed roots, cuttings and seeds for faster growth." quoting Greenhouse Megastore similar to perlite. I remember somewhere for caution to use a mask if it should be caught in the wind since they come from volcanic "glass". Another reason your covered shed is wonderful for that protection. More power!

Awesome. I love the gardening videos. This one was very good.

Have you thought about permanent beds for your cardamom, dill, fennel, etc...? They winter very nicely with a little straw here in Wyoming where it gets very cold. (Just keep the fennel, if you grow it, away from all of the others.) I am so looking forward to watching it all grow!

Garden Answer, who has a huge following, moistens the soil mix before placing in the starter tubes. She has excellent results for sowing seeds - check out her channel in your spare time ha, ha!

Soil mix, bottom watering, heater pad, tent cover for humidity. Let's see the results in 4 to 8 weeks.

So much thought you put into every project.

I've always had better luck when I wet my soil first and let it hydrate before starting my seeds

I use plastic foil from kitchen to cover the soil initially until the seeds have germinated so it stays moist the soil. Also dont cover seeds with soil if they germinate from Light n cover often bigger seeds that germinates in dark. And ofc enough heat so they germinate. But once started grow move to Cooler temperature if not enough Light.

My father swore by chicken manure for his tomatoes, which were delicious. Maybe consider giving it a try since you have chicken fertilizer handy anyway. Still cold where I am, but a garden is out since we have bears, deer, fox, skunk, squirrels and other critters that eat everything in sight.

On watching you prepare your seedling sand. What I did was by buying coconut husk blocks and putting it in the water until it 3x the original size of the block. I then added compost to it and created miniature water wise gardens in my large coke bottles. Cut the bottle in half ,kept the lids. Put the mixture in the bottles and planted my seeds. I gave it a really good water closed it with lid half of the coke bottle. Made sure I used seeds that was for the direct sun. I did not water these seeds till they germinated and then planted the seedling into the garden. The seed is watered with the condensation in the bottle. It saved water and really worked. Hope the can shed a bit of lite on the seedlings.

Vermiculite (absorbs moisture) for water retention and perlite (non-absorbent) for drainage - so a mix of the two for general seed starting and one or the other for seeds that are particular (so vermiculite for seeds that really need to stay moist and perlite for seeds that need it free-draining and prefer to be wetted but then dry off). Trial and error though 🤣 x

Pumpkin jam is awesome. Also, tomato jam

Yay ❤ time to grow ;)

Looks like the new steps should work for the seedlings. It’s exciting.🎉

Not sure if you use any pelleted seeds,I but if so, seeds that are pelleted only last a season usually. Just in case that had any bearing on the outcome last year. And premoistening your soil before putting in seed trays- just enough to soil holds together but water doesn’t drip through your fingers when you give it a squeeze. Then misting after seeding. Helps from dislodging the seeds.

On each seed packet I write the year I bought them with a sharpie. It helps.

I am one of those people who loves to garden but doesn’t have a lot of space. So a couple tomato plants one zucchini plant then herbs and rocket. One herb I do not plant is coriander (cilantro). I am one of many people who have that genetic variation that makes the aldehydes in it taste like soap. Can’t eat it or even smell it. Thankfully I can eat the ground seed though. But I couldn’t grow enough of it to make it worth while.

Please give us some plant updates, like once a month, I enjoy the gardening occasionally

Well done with sowing the seeds, I would pass the compost though a sieve the lumps out and not compress in the seed trays. best of luck this year with them.

I'd have thought that 2 seeds, 1 hole would have been pay per view.

If you put a basil plant on either side of your tomato plants the smell keeps all the pests away and it works.

Multiple bye byes at the end…you are spoiling us 😆

I'm not sure how you store seeds, but I generally keep them in the refrigerator and or freezer. Onion seeds have a very poor germination rate after the year the seeds are produced. You might try Nora peppers to make so that you can make Romesco sauce. Hopefully, you grow garlic as well and will then be able to make Toum. My garlic is coming up now in Ohio, but we have easily six more weeks of winter.

I also add coconut coir!

Hi from NewZealand.my partner is Thai.she has green fingers so they say.grows dill easy grow.say 2-5mtrs x2'5mtrs.we have a herb called Gotukola easy grow make tea .very beneficial for health.others bananas. Snake or long bean.papaya.snow pea.cucumbers .japanese turnip .all white .busy gardening need lots of water kind regards Mike

I loved your nazare get away! Too bad about the waves not being huge. Food looked great. Still on my bucket list

Adorei este vidio agora aprendi uma coisa nova tambem vou plantar alguma flores por ess sistema. Eu nao tenho nenhuma propriedade vivo num apartamento mas tenho varanda e até ja plantei morangos mas gostaria ter flores. Muito obrigado meus amigos. Bom fim de semana God bless you both 🙏❤❤🇬🇧 🌷🌷🌷⚘🌾🌾

If you let a couple of the coriander plants go to seed you will have a lot of seeds for next year I do it and sprinkle the in the same pot at the end of the season and every year they come back