Living in a small home, I had to find a way how to start seeds taking minimum space. I decided to start seeds in the basement on one small shelf. It was about 36 inches by 18 inches. This one shelf gave me 648 square inches which is 4.5 square feet. I was able to start 3 trays with 72 cells. It was 216 individual cells altogether, where I could grow a minimum of 216 individual seedlings! However, because I have planted some vegetables using a multi-sowing method, I had about 216 onion seedlings! I also multi-sowed Swiss chard, arugula, and mixed lettuce, about 4 seeds per cell, I had roughly 224 of these. Then I had one seed of butter crunch lettuce in 18 cells, that would be 18 lettuce head seedlings. And the third tray was filled with broccoli, cauliflower, white cabbage, red cabbage, and about 72 seedlings. That is about 512 seedlings in only 4.5 square feet! Can you believe it? Let us take a look at how you could start seeds in a very small space.
This is how to start seeds with minimum space
- Start looking for a space you could use to start seeds at from the ceiling to the ground level.
- Look for growing space in each room including the guest room, bathroom, laundry room, utility room, and every room that has doors.
- Consider spaces that are not rooms but still are part of your home, spaces that might be overlooked, or underutilized like closets, space under the stairs, loft, storage space, and nooks.
- If you find no space, then create one. Clean up shelves with dust catchers, or items you do not like to look at anyway. Give some stuff away to create additional space. Move things around if needed. Move stuff from useful space to less accessible. Like moving some things from shelves to under-bed space, or closets to create an accessible growing space.
- Consider spaces like the top of shelves, the top of the fridge, the top of the washing machine or washer, and the top of the freezer. These spaces only catch dust and are not used at all. Perhaps these would make a nice accessible growing station.
- Remember the growing space to start seeds and grow seedlings does not need to be big. It has to be accessible, and warm. If you find a 2 square foot space you could grow 2 seed trays with 72 individual cells each. If you only have 1 square foot available, use that.
- To utilize the space to the maximum, get seed trays with large numbers of cells, or seed trays with no separate cells. Make sure the tray is deep enough to accommodate not only seeds but also the roots of maturing seedlings.
- Consider a window sill or where you get natural light if you can. If you do not have much space available, consider even dark space but adequate light needs to be supplemented.
- Take advantage of vertical space, set up a shelf, and use empty corners.
- Consider space outside your home like a basement, garage, shed, or balcony.
How to find a suitable space in a small home to grow seedlings
Take a focused walk around your home. Do not just walk around aimlessly. Pretend for a little while you are a master gardener obsessed with growing plants. Where would a gardener with growing plants obsession grow his/her plants? I am sure he or she would make it happen! I am such an obsessed grower, with a motto: If I do not have a space to grow, I make some! Walk around your home and search for the space browsing space from the ceiling to the ground.
What spaces to consider to grow seedlings in a small home
For the successful growing of seedlings, they need warmth, light, and oxygen. The growing space needs to be accessible because you will need to water the seedlings every day. Seeds need warmth and moisture to germinate. It is best if the growing space is warm, at least 68F. The space should be good airflow, it does not need a draft, just a normal airflow. Seeds can germinate in the dark if they are in warm and moist soil. Once the seeds germinate, an adequate bright light needs to be provided for the seedlings to grow strong. Use grow lights or any light with 1500-2000 Lumens, and a color temperature somewhere between 4500-6500 Kelvin.
I invite you to walk you to read through my other articles which will walk you through the process of How to start seeds and care for seedlings. The article also talks about how to choose seed-starting containers, and what soil is best to start your seeds in. How to sow seeds, how to multi-sow, and much more!
I have started my seedlings in our basement. We needed to make space for the seedling station, by cleaning some stuff out or relocating them from the basement to somewhere else. I was able to set up one small seed growing station where I was able to squeeze 3 regular seed trays under one grow light. I was very happy. Encouraged by the success of our first little growing station, soon we were able to clear one more space around my tiny growing station and expand. Now we have a large foldable table with all the seed trays on top of it. When I do not need the growing station, we pull the lights up, fold the table, move it away, and use the space for something else. I am a happy home gardener.
TIP: Start by using what you have. Do not think of what you do not have, what you cannot afford. Instead, look for what you have to work with and use it to its maximum. It takes practice, searching, and time, but it is the best way to start. The most important is to start. Once you start and set up your teeny-tiny growing space, you might be surprised how creative you will get to find ways to expand.
How to start seeds and care for seedlings
Easy vegetables to start from seed indoors
