Best seedling trays: 8 plastic-free options

An essential piece of kit for gardeners, seedling trays are the best way to protect tiny seedlings, and begin the planting process. Not only do seedling trays let you sow lots of seeds at once, but many designs can be planted directly into the ground, so you can avoid issues such as transplant shock which can have a negative effect on your plant's growth.

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There are a number of different seedling tray options to go for, and in our roundup you'll find peat free fibre pots, bamboo trays and reusable rubber designs - all plastic free so you can keep your garden as green as possible. We've also included a couple of sturdy wooden seedling trays that are ideal for transporting tools, pots, seeds or even a cup of tea, around the garden.

Seedling trays are also useful for growing cuttings, so they're bound to become a well-used piece of garden equipment. So take a look at our roundup and find a suitable match for your planting needs.

For detailed advice on sowing seeds, head to our detailed guide to planting seeds.

Discover the best place to buy seeds online.

Don't miss our round up of the best seed storage boxes.

Best seedling trays for

Sili-Seedlings Seed Starter Tray

If you're fed up of thin plastic seedling trays cracking and tearing, you may want to invest in a reusable design made of a more durable material. This silicone option from Sili-Seedlings offers a flexible nature so you can gently ease the soil out without effecting the integrity of the roots. There are drainage holes on the bottom, and the vibrant green colour is a nice change from the more typical black trays that are commonly used.

It's even dishwasher safe so you can keep your garden equipment nice and clean, ready for the next batch of seedlings. You get two trays in a pack, each with six cells.

Biodegradable Seedling Starter Trays

Opt for a biodegradable seedling tray, and save yourself the hassle of having to remove the soil from the cells before repotting. When germinated, the roots grow through the fibre pot, so you can plant them directly into the soil. An easy, eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastic. You can also cut between the cells and tailor them to your gardening needs.

This set comes with 24 plant labels too so you can keep track of what you've planted. With ten trays, each with ten cells, there are plenty to keep you going for a while.

Grow It Round Fibre Pots

A similar principle, these round, peat free fibre pots can be planted directly into the ground, or into a larger pot if you fancy. The pots are made from biodegradable wood pulp and you get 96 in a pack. Why not plant a cutting and gift to a friend? A pot that you don't need returning!

Natural Rubber Seed Tray

If you're looking for a more robust and reusable seedling tray, you could go for a natural rubber design. Just like silicone, it's a flexible and durable choice. This 20 cell rubber seedling tray can be cut in half - ideal for a narrow windowsill or shelf.

Wooden Seed Tray

This sturdy wooden seedling tray can be used to sow seeds - providing robust protection for your young plants- as well as functioning as a handy garden caddy for your gardening essentials, so you can use it all year round. You could even use this wooden tray to create your own mini herb garden in the kitchen and enjoy fresh rosemary, dill and basil when you're cooking.

We love the rustic look - the perfect way to add a homey touch to your outdoor space.

Bamboo Seed Tray

The soothing sage colour of this bamboo and rice seedling tray makes it an appealing choice, and it's a super option if you want to plant your seedlings in one large batch rather than working with individual cells. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor planting and as an added bonus, the tray is compositable. The seedling tray should have a life of around five years, but once you're done, just break it up and add the pieces to your compost heap.

Square Fibre Pots

For a small herb patch, this pack of 20 square fibre pots could do the trick. Plant straight into the ground, and avoid disturbing the growth of your plants when repotting. At such great value, pick up a few and keep your shed well stocked so you're always prepared!

• £1.25

Buy the square fibre pots now from Wilko

Spruce Seedling Tray

More of a garden tray for carrying fresh garden vegetables, pots and bulbs rather than a tray for sowing seeds, but a lovely garden accessory nonetheless. The tray is made of spruce, and the 'seedling' text stencilled on the side is a nice touch. A perfect gift for a messy gardener in need of some greenhouse organisation.

• £15

Buy the Spruce Seedling Tray now from Garden Trading

Looking for planting inspiration? Take a look at the best meadow seed mix packs to create a wildlife haven.

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Have you ever planted your garden in the spring only to find some plants germinated while the rest were wasted seeds? If you want to assist your seeds in germination, consider purchasing a seed starter kit. A seed starter kit allows you to begin growing in the winter months before you plant anything in the ground or your planters. 

Whether you’re purchasing seedlings from a nursery or a local garden store, nursing seeds into delicious vegetables or stunning flora is much easier with a little help in the early stages. But there are so many options that it may feel overwhelming for new gardeners to know what to look for when purchasing the best seed starter kit. 

Luckily, I have sorted the list into different categories, so you can find the best product for your needs. Read on to see the best seed starter kits and tips on considerations before purchasing a product.

Key Takeaways

The overall winner of the best seed starter kit goes to the Gardzen 40-cell plant tray, as it has everything you will need to assist your seeds to maturity. Gardzen packs its product with base trays and domed lids, so you don’t need to provide many additional accessories. 

For anyone on a budget, the Burpee seed starter tray eschews some bells and whistles to give you the necessities at a competitive price. If you have other specifications in mind, you’re sure to find the perfect kit for you, plus a few tips on growing healthy seedlings.

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Gardzen provides you with nearly everything you may need with its plant trays. If you opt for the 10-pack, you will have more than enough space to begin growing your seeds before the planting season commences. 

While some may scoff at the plastic material, it’s surprisingly sturdy and reusable. As long you don’t overly abuse them, you should be able to use these trays for several seasons and not have to worry about breaking issues.

The domed lids will serve you well for nearly any seed you try to start. At 2.75 inches tall, you can fit most plants inside the tray until it is time to transfer. My only real con is the cell size. Since they’re smaller than some other products, you must transfer seedlings earlier than with other models. Avoid planting your seeds too early.

Material: Plastic | Capacity: 400 Cells | Cell Size: 1.4 x 1.4 x 1.85″ | Tray Dimensions: 14.5 x 9 x 1.85″

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Burpee is a favorite brand for many gardeners on a budget, and this seed tray is perfect for those looking to save money or just starting their first garden. While you have to provide light and heat for the seeds, this is an affordable choice that cultivates seeds of acceptable quality.

You won’t have to buy soil for this starter kit, as Burpee includes soil pellets with the product. Soil pellets take time to prepare, and I find the process tedious, but for those on a budget, there are few options as good as this one. 

Compared to other higher-end models, your seedlings may be smaller, but they should have no issue surviving in an outdoor garden.

Material: Plastic | Capacity: 72 Cells | Cell Size: 1.5 x 1.5 x 2″ | Tray Dimensions: 10 x 20 x 2″

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Sili-Seedlings is conscious of the damage disposable plastics do to our environment and made its best seed starter kit with silicone instead. The material is durable and reusable, plus you can even wash the kit in the dishwasher.

You can easily find this model in stock at Amazon, and Sili-Seedlings offers several color options. If you need to keep track of your seeds, just write the name on the side with a dry-erase marker. Once you transfer the seedlings, the writing is easy to erase with rubbing alcohol for labeling the next batch.

Keep in mind you only have six cells with each tray, meaning you should consider these for smaller gardens. Sizable gardens will require bigger models. 

Material: Silicone | Capacity: 12 Cells | Cell Size: 2 x 2 x 2.25″ | Tray Dimensions: 6.25 x 4.25 x 2.75″

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If you don’t get much natural light in your house, you should opt for a seed starter tray with a grow light. Yskea has my favorite kit with a grow light. Yskea promises robust seedlings, and it includes a humidity dome to help you control the temperature along with light.

You need to provide the soil for this product, which may make this slightly more difficult for beginners. Aside from soil and heat, you have everything you need, including a base and dome. As far as one-stop solutions, this model from Yskea is one of my favorites.

The transparent trays are a nice touch; you can see the roots take hold to understand how your plants are growing. If you can stomach a slightly premium price, this is a top choice for the best seed starter kit with a grow light.

Material: Plastic | Capacity: 72 Cells | Cell Size: 1.5 x 1.5 x 2.1″ | Tray Dimensions: 5.7 x 7.25 x 2.1″ (Dome height: 3.9″)

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Bonviee manufactures one of the best indoor seed starter trays on the market. The primary gimmick of this model is its humidity control. You can adjust the domes on each tray to allow the correct humidity level for different types of seedlings.   

This product is one of the best ways to start seeds indoors. The trays are compact, meaning they’re great for a crowded house. You can place several trays around the house in convenient locations, saving you space and avoiding clutter. 

You receive plenty of cells with this model and ample room in the cells. The deep cells allow plants to germinate indoors longer than some other models. Giving your plants extra tender love before placing them in the garden may be the difference between a successful harvest and a flop.

Material: Plastic | Capacity: 120 Cells | Cell Size: 1.5 x 1.5 x 2″ | Tray Dimensions: 7 × 5.5 × 2″ (Dome size: 7.3 × 5.7 × 2″)

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Burpee has made the best countertop seed starter kit with its self-watering tray. The beauty of this model is it doesn’t require much maintenance. You fill the reservoir with water and allow the tray to take over. 

Without the worry of over or underwatering your new seedlings, all you have to do is make sure your seed starter kit is in a warm area with plenty of indirect sunlight. 

My only complaint is that the company provides pellets, which work well for growing seedlings. However, these pellets require an upfront time investment that some may need help with. Be ready to put in some work before you get seeds in the ground and begin the germination process. 

Material: Plastic | Capacity: 72 Cells | Cell Size: 1.5 x 1.5 x 2″  | Tray Dimensions: 10 x 20 x 5″

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Jiffy is a trusted brand for gardeners who are new to seed germination. They know beginners don’t want to search for different components of a successful starter kit, so they packaged everything you need. If you’re just starting and haven’t developed your green thumb, this kit is a place to start.

You will find a simple-to-follow process included with this seed starting tray. All you need to do is prepare the pellets, add your seeds, and finally give everything enough tender love and care until they are ready for transplant. The process is as simple as they come and perfect for your first time.

Yet another benefit is the low upfront investment. You don’t have to break the bank to get your garden off the ground. 

Material: Plastic | Capacity: 72 Cells | Cell Size: 1.4 x 1.4 x 2.5″ | Tray Dimensions: 21 x 11 x 2.5″

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For bulk growers, Bootstrap’s seed starter kit is wonderful. One tray holds 50 cells, allowing you to start more seeds simultaneously than most other models. If you plan on growing a sprawling garden in the spring or summer, a high-volume tray like this one is my recommendation.

The Godzilla-like size is not the only ideal aspect. The cells are massive as well, measuring 1.75-inch x 1.75-inch square with a depth of 2.25 inches. The size allows you to keep your seedlings in the tray longer before transplanting them into the garden. 

While it’s up to you to determine what constitutes expensive, some new gardeners will find this model to come with sticker shock. I recommend this for experienced gardeners looking to plant a large area.

Material: Plastic | Capacity: 500 Cells | Cell Size: 1.75 x 1.75 x 2.25″ | Tray Dimensions: 21.25 x 11 x 2.25″

What to Consider When Buying the Best Seed Starter Kit

Capacity

Do you plan on growing a large garden or just a few planters out back? Seed starter kits come in different capacities, so match your needs with product size. If you want a smaller garden, a few seed-starting trays with several cells should get your garden started on the right foot. Buying a model too big for your needs will waste money and space.

Plants

With the correct starting mix, you can grow almost anything in any seed starter kit. Some seeds need longer germination periods or bigger cells to grow in. Research your particular plants to see what considerations you should make with your seed starter kit. You will find all the information you need on your seed packet. 

Material

I do not believe one seed starter kit material trumps any other. Each material has its advantages. Plastic is often reusable for multiple seasons. You can plant biodegradable trays directly into the soil, making transfers a breeze. Silicone trays are more durable than plastic and washable in the dishwasher. 

Final Verdict

Every option has its place on the best seed starter kit list, but the Gardzen 40-cell plant tray is the cream of the crop for seed planting trays, pun intended. The tray is durable and comes with almost every accessory you need to get your seeds started. Whether you are a new gardener or have planted many seasons, you will find something to like with this model.

FAQs

Before I sign off, I have a few answers to your burning questions about seedlings and starter kits. 

Is it better to start from seeds or seedlings?

Seedlings are easier to grow, as someone else does the difficult work of germination. Seeds are cheaper, and I find you leave with more satisfaction from growing directly from seeds. You can always use a mix of seedlings and seeds in your garden.

Is it better to start seeds in soil or water?

Generally speaking, you will want to start your seeds in the soil. The only time you may want to start your seeds in water is when cultivating a hydroponic garden. Ensure you keep the soil moist during the germination process. 

What do I put under seedling trays?

You want to put a base tray under your seedlings to catch excess water. Without a base tray, you will have water leaking onto unwanted surfaces, and improper draining may affect your seeds. Always use a base tray when planting with seeding trays.

If you’re new to starting seeds indoors, the huge supply list and supposed “rules” for good growing can be a little intimidating.

Today I’m going to show you my best seed starting setup, my favorite tools and boil it down to the basics—the things you ABSOLUTELY need, the things that are NICE TO HAVE and things that everyone tells you need, but you don’t really need for a cheap DIY seed starting setup.

Seeds

Let’s start with the obvious one. You need seeds. Sorry guys, can’t get around this one!

If you’ve come this far in your gardening journey, you’ve graduated from buying plant starts of unknown varieties from unknown companies, and you want a little bit more control over your garden.

Buying seeds allows you to pick the flavor, color, disease resistance, and planting time, not to mention it saves A LOT of money.

I try to grow using organic seed as much as possible, so my favorite herb and vegetable seed companies are High Mowing Seeds, Territorial Seed, Johnny’s Seeds, Botanical Interests and Stark Bro’s for potato seeds, garlic seeds and sweet potato slips. You can always get seeds at your local garden supply center, home improvement store, or even Amazon or a dollar store.

Of course I have my favorite seeds (doesn’t everyone?), but I am ALWAYS looking for new varieties to try. If you got an awesome one, let us all know about it in the comments, along with your zone or climate.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Leak-Proof Seedling Trays.

Seed Organizers

Speaking of seeds, Here’s one thing you DON’T need. You do not need a fancy seed organizer for your seed packets. You don’t even need ANY kind of organizer. You can throw all your seed packets in a drawer like I did starting out. That being said, something portable and categorized is a nice thing to have. There’s a lot of options if you want to upgrade here.

Check out my seed organizer video where I go over all the ways, including mason seed jars, seed shoe boxes, seed binders, seed photo boxes, and a tutorial on how to make what I’m currently using, a customizable plastic lidded box with dividers.

Garden Planner

Vegetable garden planners are something that never gets mentioned in seed starting supply lists and I think that’s a real oversight. I know when I was first starting out, just the sheer amount of data was overwhelming. Gardening is a long-term project, so you really need SOME kind of plan.

It could be a sheet of paper or a notebook, with a simple list of varieties, locations and dates, or a sketch of your yard with the plants marked. There’s some nice printable garden planners and garden journals out there.

You could go with a virtual garden planner. In the past, I’ve used Google calendar and task apps like Todoist for planning my garden tasks.

If you guys have seen my garden planning video you’ll know I’ve since upgraded to a spreadsheet to plan my garden. (Let me go get my nerd glasses!) For me, that took the best of both worlds of the virtual and the paper. It was easily editable and sortable and I could link to websites like a digital planner, but I had the ability to track more custom plant data like harvest quantities, and transplant dates, like I would have had on paper.

If you are a fellow nerd, download this garden spreadsheet and customize it for your own garden.

Seed Starter Kit

So, you got your seeds and seed starting plan. Do you need a seed starting kit? No. You CAN make your own, BUT if this is your first year starting seeds, kits are a really great way to limit a lot of stress and guesswork. That’s how I got my start. Jiffy and Burpee both make popular seed starting kits.

AND, not sure how long I’m going to do this, but for a limited time, I’m also offering the kit I use, a heavy duty metal seed germination kit for sale. It consists of a galvanized steel soil blocker and stainless steel trays, which I’ve had A LOT of people asking me about. They’re zero-waste and completely indestructible. I put this system together myself and it’s not sold anywhere, so I finally figured I’d offer it to you guys to see if there’s some interest. I just cannot be the only person who is tired of disposable plastic in the garden!

Seed Pots

Do you need seed pots? Technically no. One of the oldest ways to do winter sowing indoors is to plant seeds directly into wooden trays. Gardeners would sow in flats, just like they would in the garden and then simply transplant the seedlings when they grew old enough. If you’re short on pots or you’re doing microgreens, I definitely recommend giving this method a try.

That being said, I prefer separating my plants. They’re quicker to transplant and there’s less shock to the roots since you’re not disturbing the soil to dig them up.

There are a million and one ways to separate your seedlings. You can go DIY with disposable seed starter cups, yogurt cups or start seeds in egg cartons.

Plastic plug trays come in different sizes—128-cell, 72-cell, and 50-cell—and fit industry standard trays. Silicone seed starting trays like those from Sili-Seedlings or Back Porch Pots are food-grade and flexible and usually come in cool colors. There are biodegradable seed starter pots like newspaper plant pots, paper pots, peat pots, Jiffy pots and Jiffy strips, and you can even start seeds in toilet paper rolls.

If you’ve seen my hori hori and soil blocker video, you’ll know I love my soil blocker, probably the ultimate in eco-friendliness, because there is no container at all. The soil is the container. This tool is a one-time investment, and you don’t have seed starter pots to store or sanitize. Not only is there hardly any transplant shock since the roots are air-pruned, but the seedlings are still separated. So, the eco-friendly and low-cost upside of being container-less without the root shock drawbacks of sowing in flats.

So, on this supply item, I would say no, you do not actually need seed starting pots, but having some way to separate, like a soil blocker or individual pots is nice.

Seed Trays

If you got your seed pots or soil blocks, you’ll notice one important thing about them—they leak. Now drainage holes are a good thing for the plant—you don’t want root rot. This is NOT so good for your living room.

Unless you’re starting seeds in a greenhouse or some other place where you don’t care where the water goes, you DO need some sort of tray to catch all the water that’s going to drain from the seedlings.

And in fact, I highly recommend bottom-watering seedlings, which is putting water in the bottom of the tray and allowing the plants to soak it up. This is where having a tray is indispensable.

Good news is that you can go with DIY seed trays here. You can use an old cookie sheet, baking pan, or bin.

A lot of farmers and gardeners use a plastic seed starter tray called a tray, which fits plug tray inserts. I’ve used these and I’m really not a fan. They’re hard to clean, they’re flimsy, they discolor, they crack, they can even melt or warp depending on how hot your climate or greenhouse is, and they add more plastic to the world.

If you want to stick around to my next post, I’m going to go super in-depth with the complete metal seed tray system I use which I LOVE.

It uses heavy-duty stainless steel restaurant trays that are zero-waste and recyclable.

Starting Mix

So, seed starting mix. You DO need SOMETHING to put your seeds in. But this is one of those items that there is a lot of disagreement over between even experienced farmers and gardeners. Kind of like how you should make grilled cheese—with margarine, butter, oil, or mayonnaise.

Mayonnaise! Of course!

My advice would be to not overthink this. Seeds are not delicate beings here. A good seed starting soil has three features. It’s sterile, meaning no fungus, bacteria or weed seeds. It’s finely textured. And it holds water well. Because I try to keep my garden organic, I add a fourth one, that it’s organic. Almost anything out of a bag can qualify for these.

Myself, I have always had great luck with making soil blocks and seeding in an organic potting mix I get from my local home improvement store. A lot of us already have potting mix in the house, so bam, you’re done.

There are specialized soil mixes for seed starting if you’d like. Jiffy, Back to the Roots, and Espoma are popular brands.

High Mowing Seeds, where I buy most of my seeds, sells a compost they start all their seedlings in.

Two things I will tell you not to use is anything labeled “soil” or “topsoil”—it’s just too heavy, coarsely textured, and lacking in nutrients. And don’t use anything from your garden or compost pile, since it won’t be sterile.

Vegetable & Herb Plant Markers

Can you try to memorize what you planted? I guess… But I can tell you that I have tried to do this and I hated my life. Also it was very hard to track how my plants did when I didn’t know for sure what variety I was harvesting or eating. So don’t be like young Paduan April and PLEASE label your plants, someway, somehow.

Yes, you NEED some type of garden plant markers.

There’s a lot of cheap DIY plant marker options out there like popsicle stick garden labels and stone plant markers. For a couple years, I made plastic plant tags out of old cut up mini-blinds which I wrote on using a Sharpie. You can cut up big yogurt containers the same way, too. If you want to get fancy, you can buy wooden plant labels, metal plant tags, copper, or even ceramic. And if you’re using silicone seed starting pots, you can actually write on the side with a dry-erase marker.

I used to write the varieties on the side of my stainless steel seed trays with a washable crayon, but found that didn’t actually wash off too well when it sat for months and months.So, I finally settled on a two-part system. On my trays, I put a piece of masking tape on the side and write the varieties in each row.

When I transplant them, I make a clear label with my labelmaker, put the crop, variety and seeding date, and then put that on a galvanized steel marker that I can reuse again and again every year. Amazingly, I have labels for perennials that have been in my garden for years and still look like the day I made them.

Admittedly these are a little fancy, but hey, we work hard on our gardens! We deserve a little bling! And I really love that they’re not disposable and adding little plastic pieces to my compost.

If you guys what me to do a more in-depth post on how I make and clean my markers and use them garden planning, let me know in the comments.

Seeding Light

Some seeds, like carrot and celery seeds, are so tiny, they come in a packet INSIDE the seed packet. And many can be the same color as your soil.

So here’s another item you won’t see mentioned in most seed starting supply lists—you need a very strong direct light to see your seeds while you’re planting them.

If you’re seeding outside on a sunny day that’s fine, but I found my dining room light was just not bright enough.

I use a headlamp now if I’m seeding indoors and this makes it SO much easier.

Plant Heating Mat

Germination mats are thin heating pads you put under your seed starting trays to help germinate your seeds. They can be on the pricier side, especially if you want to outfit a lot of trays.

Seed starter mats are one thing that many say you need, but you really don’t. Here’s why. Almost every popular crop has a germination temperature that’s in the range you would normally keep your indoor room temperature at. So if you’re keeping your seed trays in your living room, AND you don’t have a crazy spouse who likes to keep the house at subarctic temperatures, you’re fine.

Seed heater mats become a nice thing to have when you’re starting seeds in an unfinished area like me. My basement hovers between 60-65ºF which is too low for the summer crops like tomatoes, melons, and eggplants. So I have 6 heating mats to keep those seedlings happy.

If you have an older refrigerator, the tops of those are often warm, and they also make a good temporary spot to germinate heat-loving crops. Once they’ve sprouted you can put them with your other trays in a cooler area, though they won’t grow as fast as they would with a mat.

If you’d like a printable guide of all the popular crops and their germination temperatures, along with seeding and transplanting dates, you can download one for free.

Indoor Watering Can

A watering can for your plants is another thing that’s nice to have but you don’t need it.

I use my Haws watering can for this task, but chances are you have something around the house already, like a milk jug, pitcher, or large measuring cup, that can transport and pour decent quantities of water.

You don’t need a rose on your watering can if you’re bottom watering, but they are nice to have to settle the soil around the seed when you initially plant.

Another tip… bring the water to the trays, not the other way around. You do not want to transport half-full trays of muddy water with fragile plants around your house. That is just a disaster waiting to happen, ON SO MANY LEVELS.

Seed Starting Shelf

Speaking of watering, let’s talk about the place where you’ll be putting the trays. Many people use a seed starting shelf. I do. But you don’t need one. As long as you have a way to position the grow light, you’re fine.

You could buy grow lights with their own stands or do a DIY seedling shelf using the underside of a table or an old bookcase.

It is a nice thing to have, though, especially if you have a lot of trays like me.

If you do want to buy one, I’d recommend getting an inexpensive 48” wide wire utility rack with feet that can level. The wires make it super easy to hang the lights on, and adjustable feet will help keep the water in the trays evenly dispersed.

If you’d like a more in-depth post on how I set up my seed starting shelf and all its components, let me know in the comments and any questions you have.

Grow Lights For Seedlings

You guys are probably not gonna want to hear this, windowsills are just not enough light. Grow lights are something you absolutely need for starting healthy seedlings. Good news is that you don’t need fancy plant lights here.

On each level of my seed rack, I use two standard 48” wide LED shop lights that I got on Amazon.

If you spend a little more money, you can get the same style and size lights that have broader full spectrum light and are purpose-built as plant lights.

I do have some older fluorescent shop lights that I used as grow lights which didn’t work for me and I would not recommend them. They used more energy, the bulbs discolored and made the plants leggy, and I had to replace the bulbs more often. I plan on upgrading those to full-spectrum LED grow lights soon.

Timer

You can have too much light on your seed starts, so don’t be tempted to leave the grow light on permanently. Seedlings that get no sunlight need 16-18 hours of artificial light per day. BUT, that’s exactly why I classify a timer for your grow lights as something nice to have, not a must-have like everyone else.

If, like most people, you get between 6 and 8 hours of sleep a night, you can simply incorporate turning on and off the plant lights into your morning and evening routines. If you’re like me, you might already have habits like opening the blinds or adjusting a thermostat or brushing your teeth that you could habit stack the lights with.

That being said, I do use a timer.

My first timer I stole from my Christmas tree box. The second timer needs a rocket science degree to program. I am about to upgrade to a smart plug I’ve used in other places in my house, with the intention of integrating into a smart home system.

Humidity Dome For Seedlings

Ok, I’m gonna break the internet and say something outrageous—you do not need humidity domes! I rarely rarely use them.

Supposedly they increase seed germination rates, but my seeds germinate fine without them. My seeds are fresh and usually double-seed. For me, propagation domes seem to cause more problems than they’re worth. They leak condensation all over my lights. They’re not durable and break and discolor. They take up space. They’re plastic (you know I love plastic!). If you’re not careful they can cause mold growth and damping off.

They do do a good job of preserving heat, so I will use them sometimes for faster germination on my heat-loving seeds, but even then you have to be careful because you can quickly steam seedlings to death when domes are combined with a heat mat.

If I haven’t convinced you, don’t worry! Many gardeners use them and there’s a lot of options out there. A lot of seed starting kits already come with seedling domes. Plastic wrap is a good DIY humidity dome option. Just remove it when the sprouts get near the wrap. You can buy domes that fit standard trays.

Or, if you want to stick around to my next post, I’ll go over a more durable dome that fits my stainless steel seed starting trays.   

Fan For Seedlings

Because seedlings live a fairly pampered life indoors, with no wind or rain, they can suffer shock when transplanted outside. (You can even kill your plants like this, so this is no joke. Been there!) Preparing plants for this transplant is called hardening off, basically making them ready for the cruel hard world.

There are other ways to get your plants ready, but blowing a fan on them ahead of time is an easy shortcut.

Is this necessary? No.

Will your family think you’re a nut? Yes.

Is it nice? Yes.

I would say, if you’re a beginning gardener, don’t add this extra step and supply to the mix to stress yourself out. If you’re an intermediate gardener and you have a fan laying around your house, go for it. If you’re advanced, your family already knows you’re crazy.

Fertilizer For Seedlings

Seeds are amazing little packages. Inside them, they have all the nutrients they need to create new life.

Experts do agree that after germination though, they could use some additional help from us in the form of fertilizer, preferably with an NPK value of 10-10-10 for synthetic or 4-3-3 for organic fertilizer. I’m a big fan of Down to Earth fertilizers, which are organic and OMRI-listed.

You can use a liquid fertilizer and mix it directly into your watering can for bottom watering. Or, you can also mix granular fertilizer into your soil mix before your make soil blocks or seed. My only recommendation is, if you’re shopping for fertilizer, just to make sure to get one that doesn’t smell too much since it will be indoors.

I’ll be real, I usually forget to fertilize and my plants are fine. Maybe a little yellow, as you’d expect. So you don’t NEED to do this. But, when I do remember to fertilize, the results are really great, so I’m really making an effort to remember this.

In Summary

So that’s it! To summarize, I’d say you absolutely need only 7 things: seeds, a plan, trays, soil mix, labels, a strong seeding light, and grow lights.

Things that are nice to have are: seed starting kits, seed packet organizer, pots, heat mats, a watering can, a shelf, a timer, humidity domes, a fan, and fertilizer.

Did I miss anything? Let us know your favorite seed starting supplies and tips down in the comments.

I hope this post helped you out! Remember to sign up for my newsletter for more gardening resources. Keep gardening like a boss and I’ll see you guys soon.

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