The most fulfilling part of gardening indoors is when you see your seeds start to grow. Once you see the  first shoot pop up from the seed you planted you will feel great happiness and excitement.

There are a number of things to think about, though, before this can happen.  You need to choose the growing medium carefully.  Soilless growing media gives you better transplants compared to mineral soils.

Next, the container. Whether it’s a peat pot, fiber block, plastic pots, trays, or any other planting container, make sure it provides drainage of excess water to keep your medium from staying too wet when watered.

The amount and source of light is next on the list. Six to eight hours is usually the ideal timeframe for direct sunlight. As for the source of sunlight, windowsills and basements don’t usually provide sufficient light. LED grow lights are now proving to be an ideal light source and a great investment.

The temperature to germinate the seeds depends on the type of plants you’re growing.  The seed packet is has all the information you need on that subject and should be read carefully.

Most of us will tend to setup our seed growing operation in the basement or some other out of the way location.  These are probably not the warmest spots in our homes.  We need to supply some extra heat. The best solution is a heat mat that is designed for the purpose.  It’s water proof and has a thermostat (to avoid actually cooking the seeds). Your tomato seeds would like a soil temperature around 75 F / 24 C and are quite happy if the air is several degrees cooler.

For the vast majority of our seedlings, ordinary fluorescent light will be more than sufficient. Keeping the tubes within an inch or two of your plants is the big secret to success. This requires some method of adjustment so that the distance can change as the plants grow.