Start Your Seeds Between the Sheets

If you save your garden seeds from year to year and wait expectantly to see if they'll germinate in their peat pots, there's a way to make the process easier, faster, and less expensive.

Start Seeds Between Sheets of Paper Towels

For the last few years, I've started my questionable (older) seeds between sheets of paper toweling, and then transferred them to starter pots once I was sure they were viable. This has helped me save on labor and make the most efficient use of my store of plant starter materials. Give it a try. The seedlings can easily be picked up with tweezers and transferred to potting soil.

Make sure to keep the paper towels wet at all times. For this I use a spray bottle. In order to avoid evaporation, place a sheet of plastic wrap loosely over the topmost layer of paper, removing it a couple of hours a day to circulate the air. I pack the seeds in pretty tight, as the picture above will show you. As a base, I use a plastic serving tray, like the kind you see at fast food restaurants. You could also probably use a makeshift tray made out of aluminum foil.

Good luck and great seeding!