It can be difficult to plant small seeds at the recommended shallow depth, so they germinate and grow. When planting small seeds:
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- Planting: Use an old paintbrush to brush dirt over small seeds, so they aren’t buried too deep.
- Watering: Use a mister to lightly water small seeds to keep from disturbing the soil around them.
Watch this video to find out more.
Further Information
- How to Plant Small Seeds in Your Garden (video)
- How to Make Seed Tapes (video)
- How to Use Your Finger to Plant Seeds (video)
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Danny Lipford: Tricia, so many of the gardening tasks you show me are so delicate, I’m not sure I can handle some of them with these clumsy hands.
Tricia Craven Worley: Well, this one is delicate. Maybe you might want to enlist your daughter to help you out.
Danny Lipford: Those are some very small seeds.
Tricia Craven Worley: Well, these are, and these are actually hot peppers, they’re going to be a lot of fun. Well, you know we typically put them in a flat to start the growth. These are only supposed to be down a quarter of an inch, so it’s going to be kind of a delicate process as you said.
And one of the other problems with this, is when you then go to put the soil over the top, you don’t want to be massive about it, because you’re, again, only down a quarter of an inch. So I found one way to help with that process is to use a paintbrush.
Danny Lipford: Oh, really, an old paintbrush, huh, just to brush the soil over it.
Tricia Craven Worley: Exactly. Just to very, very gently cover it. Because you almost, in my opinion, have more control with this, than even with your own fingers. So you just cover it like that.
Danny Lipford: Well, now, after you’ve covered them like that, of course naturally everyone knows that you need to water any seeds, to kind of kick start them a little bit. How can you water this without actually washing up the plants?
Tricia Craven Worley: Well, that’s another very good question, because as opposed to using some kind of watering can that has a shower effect, that might be too much. So what I like to do is just use a mister.
Danny Lipford: Oh!
Tricia Craven Worley: And this way you’re just giving it a little bit of water, very, very gently over the top. You’ll want to repeat this a few times in the first day, and at least once a day after that. And it’ll really help the seeds come along.
Danny Lipford: Well, maybe there is help for me after all.
