More plants for the money and a wide range of varieties: Those are two good reasons, Plant your own flowers and vegetables. The effort is low, the fun in the result is all the greater.
Successful breeding begins with finding a suitable place. More accurate, actually two different ones: a warm one, not particularly bright and a cool one, where it is as light as possible. Seeds germinate in warm water, damp soil (usually 20°C to 28°C) preferably, but need a lot of light and a cooler location for further development. This is the only way for the seedlings to become strong and resilient. First of all, the seed trays can be placed on the heating in the living room, later in a room with a maximum temperature of 15° C directly at the window. The alternative is a space under a plant light (fluorescent tube) in the garage or in the basement.
Anything can be used as a vessel, which allows water drainage. In addition to special seed trays made of sturdy plastic, there are also the thin trays, where delicate fruit or salad are sold or wooden stairs, which are free in the supermarket; they are lined with several layers of newspaper, so that the earth does not trickle through wide cracks in the ground. For large seeds or plants, who develop better, if the development is not interrupted by repositioning, are single peat pots, Pot plates or peat tablets handy. The inexpensive alternative are egg boxes or pots made of newspaper (see diagram).
The right substrate is very important: Sowing soil is loose and permeable, retains moisture and contains few nutrients. Normal potting soil is unsuitable. If no seed soil is available, must she in relation 1:1 mixed with coarse sand, to thin them out and make them more permeable.
The substrate will 5 to 10 cm high in the vessel and moistened. It must not dry out, but don't get wet either, because in wet soil the delicate roots get too little oxygen and rot. That sounds complicated, but it is not: Under a transparent cover (plastic hood, glass pane, Marmeladenglas) the moisture stays constant for a long time.
When sowing, it depends, to distribute the seeds on the smoothed substrate, that they are not too close. For fine seeds, cut open the bag like this, that the underside protrudes a little and can be pinched in the middle; that's good to see, how the grains fall one by one to the earth. Very fine seeds are mixed with sand before sowing.
Most plants germinate best, if they lie on the substrate or if they are sieved over with a very thin layer of earth. Many gardeners also sprinkle a thin layer of sand on top, because it reduces the spread of diseases and pests. Finally, the seed is poured with a fine spray and covered with the transparent hood.
As soon as the seedlings touch each other with their leaves, they have to be pricked. This means, they are removed from the substrate with a stick and placed in a new place. The main root usually tears off at the end. It doesn't matter, on the contrary: This stimulates the formation of lateral roots and a good root ball can develop.
big picture
The seed tray is getting too narrow: When the seedlings touch each other, they become isolated (piqued).
1 Auf glattgestrichener Aussaaterde werden die Samenkörner ausgestreut,…
2 … then covered with earth or sand. The layer should be no thicker than the seeds.
3 Mit einem Blumen-sprüher oder Spritzball wird die Saat vorsichtig angegossen.
4 Pikierte Sämlinge brauchen die gleichmäßige Feuchtigkeit unter der Haube, until they grow.
Peat tablets for single pieces
Cucumber, Zucchini, Pumpkins and sweet peas or nasturtiums do better, if they are set individually from the beginning. Peat tablets are ideal for this, but also peat pots, Egg cartons or pots made of newspaper, which are completely rooted and later rot in the ground. When the roots grow outwards, it's time for a bigger planter.
cleaning vessels
The cardboard cores from toilet paper are very suitable as seed containers without a bottom. Larger diameter cylinders are easy to roll out of paper. You become stable, when one above and one below 2 cm wide strip folds inwards. The vessels are placed close together in a bowl, filled with a layer of gravel or expanded clay, and then soil. As with peat pots, the seedlings are transplanted into them with the covering.