4 Seed Starting Tips with Farmer Nick 🌱

Starting seeds is an essential part of gardening. It’s a great way to get a head start on the next season and ensure there are always fresh plants ready to replace spent ones—a method known as succession planting. Follow along with Farmer Nick as he shares his top tips to set seeds up for success!

1) Start with High-Quality Organic Potting Soil

The foundation of strong seedlings begins with the right soil. While seeds can germinate in regular potting or garden soil, a high-quality organic seed starting mix—like Espoma Organic Seed Starter—is specifically designed to be lightweight, allowing roots to spread easily while providing essential nutrients to support those first delicate sprouts.

Pro Tip: Always moisten the soil before planting. This keeps seeds in place, provides immediate hydration, and helps ensure an even pack in seed trays.

2) Provide Warmth for Germination

Once the seeds are planted, maintaining the right temperature is key. A heat mat can speed up germination by keeping the soil warm, but it also dries out the mix quickly, so it’s important to keep the soil consistently moist but not overly saturated. A misting bottle is a great tool for gentle hydration.

Pro Tip: Using a smart outlet to control the heat mat allows for easy scheduling. Nick typically runs his mat for about 8 hours overnight, when temperatures drop. Once most of the seedlings have sprouted, he removes them from the heat mat.

3) Light is Essential for Growth

While light isn’t necessary for germination, it becomes crucial once seeds sprout. A grow light helps seedlings develop strong, sturdy stems rather than becoming weak and leggy.

Pro Tip: Always plant a few more seeds than needed. Not every seed will germinate, and extra plants can be thinned out or shared with fellow gardeners.

4) Don’t Forget to Label!

It may sound simple, but labeling seeds is a step many gardeners—Nick included—tend to overlook. Without labels, it’s easy to mix up cucumbers and zucchinis, leading to a fun (but avoidable) guessing game when the plants mature.

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By following these seed-starting tips, gardeners can set themselves up for a successful season, ensuring healthy seedlings that are ready to thrive in the garden.

For the best results, start with a high-quality organic seed-starting mix like Espoma Organic Seed Starting Mix. When it’s time to repot your new plants, switch to Espoma Organic Potting Soil Mix for optimal growth. And don’t forget to feed your plants with a high-quality organic liquid fertilizer like Espoma Organic Indoor! to keep them strong and thriving!

Learn More about Farmer Nick here:

Website: Farmer Nick.com

Instagram: @farmernick

Facebook: @FarmerNick

TikTok: @farmer_nick

YouTube: @FarmerNickJr

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August is here, summer is coming to an end, and you are just weeding and waiting. You’re in the summer slump.

Time to snap out of it! Get your garden thriving with fresh fall vegetables in your succession garden. You have a time left before the first frost comes around and you hang up your gardening tools. Don’t know what to plant? We can help with that! Give veggies a head start by planting seeds indoors.

6 Fall Vegetables for Succession Gardening

1. Collards – As one of the most cold-hardy plants, collards are great for fall weather. Collards are able to handle temperatures as low and the high teens. For a fall harvest, count back six to eight weeks before your first frost. This allows for sweeter leaves during a fall and winter harvest.

2. Kale – As part of the Brassicafamily, kale grows well in cool weather. Count back six to eight weeks before the first frost to start planting for a fall harvest. Depending on your USDA zone, you can continue planting into the fall. Maintain moisture in the leaves to ensure they are tender. Packed full of nutrients, kale is a great fall vegetable.

3. Lettuce – With different varieties, you can mix and match the lettuce in your garden. Count six weeks before the first frost to start planting. You can sow every two weeks up to the first frost for an extended crop. You can continue after the frost by using a hardier variety, such as romaines or butterheads.

4. Mustard Greens – Mustard greens have seeds that are easy to plant straight into your garden. They germinate well and grow quickly. Count back three weeks before the first frost to start planting. If you want a more successive harvest, plant every three weeks starting mid-summer. They do not grow well in summer, so starting them now is perfect for your fall flavors.

5. Beets – Beets love cold weather. In the southern states, they can be grown all winter long. In the northern states, make sure the soil is cooler (around 41F). Thinning your rows allows your beets to spread out and grow fuller. You can use the greens you thinned for a good salad mixing.

6. Turnips – Planting turnips in the fall makes the plant tenderer and sweeter than the spring. Sow your seeds in the late summer, early fall months to get a fall harvest. Start your turnips with seeds as they do not transplant well.

Remember to keep your plants watered well and fertilize regularly with Espoma’s GROW! Liquid Fertilizer.

Tag Archive for: succession planting

VIDEO: Seed Starting Tips with Farmer Nick 🌱

1) Start with High-Quality Organic Potting Soil

2) Provide Warmth for Germination

3) Light is Essential for Growth

4) Don’t Forget to Label!

6 Fall Veggies to Plant Now

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