1. Label using a UV resistant marker 3:45 2. Slightly compact your seed starting mix 4:40 3. Premoisten your seed mix 5:50 4. Planting seeds too deep 7:12 5. Starting seeds too early 8:08 6. Direct watering with a watering can 10:26 7. Starting mismatched seeds 12:26 8. Overusing heat mats 13:20

Would you consider making a video about caring for seedlings? I’ve watched a ton of videos on starting seeds, but I’ve also had issues in the past with keeping seedlings alive after germination, and there aren’t nearly as many helpful videos about that period of growing a plant. I’d really appreciate it!

I am a mother and grandmother, recently moved into a senior retirement community. Happily with retirement comes the extra time needed to get back into gardening, plus I'm hoping to share some life teaching experiences with the new grandbabies. While I love listening to these great teaching vids, I get a thankful spirit from seeing you personally sharing and showing us your unique lessons as you prepare your own garden. And we love hearing about "Mrs. MIgardener" and what her interests are. I think you guys are wonderful, and your parents must be so proud of what you do and teach. So please pass our compliments along to "Mrs. MIgardener, as well as your parents. Great job!

I’m super jazzed about my garden plan this year. I have a few weeks yet until seed starting but I’m glad to have this info! Great video!

I didn’t even think about seedlings over shadowing other seedlings, UV markers, and done info. Good stuff. Thank you!

Oh my gosh I didn't even know uv resistant markers exist!! Already schooled straight out the shoot! Sprout me happy!

I will be starting my seeds finally this weekend. The ice storm delayed my plans for last weekend. I appreciate this video as this will be my first time starting seeds.

I love to garden and want to thank you for teaching me so much! I’m starting my own seedlings for the first time this year after saving my seeds for the first time last season. This video was just what I needed!

Suggestion: A short summary bullet list of all 8 mistakes could be a great and helpful addition to the video description!

I've been getting so nervous about seed starting but these suggestions helped me to remember not to over complicate and less is more!

Wonderful video dispelling so many myths and how thoughtful to post it early in the season so we can still correct our mistakes!

I just started to garden and your videos are very informative. You seem like a great person and whoever has the luck to date you must love your passion.

I remember soooo many mistakes in the beginning but finally got the feel for it. And it really does take a feel for it that you can usually only get after you make these mistakes. Thanks for sharing the experience!

Thank you Luke. You just preventdd me from screwing up half my crops. I was all set to start my brassicas on a heat mat. I also intended to leave the mat on all my peppers and tomatoes. I greatly appreciate everything you do.

I had no idea about the heat mats. I just bought 3 of them. I also did not realize about the domes. Thank goodness I had not started my seeds yet because I would have been making big mistakes. Thank you so much.

Thank You again Luke for great insight. I ran to my grow room and turned the heat mat off. Spring is approaching !!!!!

Thanks for posting this video! It seems like I keep making some of these mistakes over and over even though I know better! This video is a subtle reminder for me to pay attention to my seed starting methods!

We're still going through a horrible freeze up here in oklahoma. Gardening talk keeps me hopeful for Spring. Thank you for the seed starting tips!

Lol! Thanks Luke! I actually did order a combo heat mat/seedling tray and dome from Amazon a few weeks ago. Last year I just used recycled yogurt containers. Clam shell fruit containers and old roasting pans to put a bit on f water in. I had quite a bit of success with germination of my seeds too. After watching so many gardening tutorials, I wanted to copy what I’ve been watching and have a nicer set up! I had a beautiful little garden last year. I hope it’s as good thing year! Thanks so much for your tips! We are in zone 7. So I’ll be getting started soon!

Im starting my seeds today here in maine! Starting with my longer growing veggies and herbs. Thank you for the knowledge and the seeds! You guys are awesome!

This is my 2nd year to attempt gardening and my 1st year to use a seed starting mix instead of peat pellets. I had the water problem because I didn't know to pre-moisten. So I put the soil in the pods, gave it a light press, but I did think it would be best to water it before I put the seeds in. So I started slowly adding water to the cells and the water just pooled up on top of the soil. When it finally started soaking through, it basically just ran down the edges of the cells not absorbing in to the soil and just collecting in the catch tray. It's not easy to pre-moisten the soil once it's in those little pods, so next time I'll get me a separate container to mix a lot of soil at once like you have here in this video.

I now know why my plants all had horrible growth AND mold issues along with being laggy. I did everything wrong! I used a heat mat the whole time, used a dome and planted too deep. I spent so much time and love with my plants and I was devastated. Thanks for clearing that all up!!

I've advised soooo many folks to watch your videos & buy your seeds! You are such a gem!! Thank you Luke! P.S. Hope to see Mrs. Migardener's flower project!!

Thank you so much for everything you said, you really helped me here. I was keeping my seedling tray in heating met all the time, days and night. I will take care of that.

Thanks Luke. Lots of great info! 2021 gardening season has begun. Hope everyone has a bountiful harvest wherever you’re growing 🪴🌱

Started all my seeds Jan. 1st and will be planting outside within the next 2 weeks. Can’t wait!!! Salinas Ca. 9b soil is about 45 degrees already 👏🏻👏🏻

I made the mistake of not pre-moistening my soil last time, and I learned my lesson! It did seem like the water was just sitting on top and my seeds were all displaced and splashed everywhere. And I used a humidity dome for too long and the soil got moldy. Definitely a learning process for me! Thank you for the video! Excited to start this year with more information than last year.

some things i learned so far starting seeds. brightness is very misleading, for example sunlight is 1,000 times brighter than average indoor light even though it don't look that way, plants see it that way so its good to get some idea of lumens and ppfd plants want and what your lights output. and remember to factor hidden costs of electricity. you may have a fluorescent tube holder laying around but a modern led grow light or just led shop lights might be worth it if your using it several months a year. for soil im starting to have better luck with un-sterile starting mix. my issue with sterile is it becomes rapidly colonized by whatever is floating around and that might be something not helpfull. also sterile mixes cant breakdown organic fertilizers and it molds in order to try and break it down. found that the hard way. so now i mix half potting mix (peatmoss perlite) and half sifted compost. moisten it slightly and let it sit in a tub for months prior to "stabilize" then its already a stable eco system that isnt gonna get damping off or mold and has some nutrients and micro nutrients that you wouldnt get in peat moss and fertilizer. a fan is good as plants aren't meant to grow in still air they need wind to transpire water from leaves in order to pull up more water and therefore nutrients. large majority of water plants drink is just meant to be evaporated back out. i prefer top watering over bottom. i find bottom watering makes the bottom half very soggy and the top still very dry which the seeds in the top. also my weekly water soluble fertilizers wouldn't work well in bottom watering unless i kept the muddy leftovers and reused it to not waste the fertilizer. so i just use a squeeze condiment bottle and get good at top watering with either plain water or fertilizer mix and water the correct amount till a few cells drip from the bottom. takes more time but it works well. and some small things. write down everything. dates started, watered, fertilized, temps, everything you do. your not gonna remember next year or figure out much you did wrong otherwise. a bit of research on what the plants want and attention to detail can go a long way. also equipment if you grow enough of your own food to be worth it. things like a good light, mylar, temp controlled heat mat, and a fan will make things go smoother.

Thank you Luke. You stated the two things I did wrong last year and now I will correct that and hopefully have a more successful year!

Not pre-waterting! Just made that mistake with my first microgreen trays. Water repelled, and went all over the counter. Lol. Live and learn. Of course, I still didn't clue in to what I had done wrong until you mentioned it in the video. Thank goodness for @MIgardener :)

This video is awesome! I have watched it many times so I can absorb all of the good information. I have always direct sowed or bought starts. I am going to try starting a few seed trays this year.

Last year I made most of these mistakes. Especially planting EVERYTHING too early! I moved from a townhouse to a "real" house with an acre and was super excited to garden! I didn't make the mistake of the heat pad or humidity dome because I didn't know about them. If I had, I would have definitely made those mistakes too, LOL. I'm all set up in the garage... but waiting impatiently this year. Good luck to all!

I'm more of a baker than a gardener so I really appreciate relating it to something else , thank you, good tips

So excited! Just ordered seeds from your seed company last week! In Ontario Canada but can't wait until I can start the seeds I bought!

Wood burning into wooden markers/sticks works well too.

Starting seeds for the first time this year and this is super helpful! Can't wait to start my MI Gardener seeds!

I've followed your channel for a long time. I have to just say... You're totally f***in awesome dude 👏🏾✊🏾👍🏾✌🏾

Thanks so much, Luke! I was doing a few things wrong in my seedstarting. Hopefully this year will be better!

Thank you so much for this video! I was just looking at my sprouts under my dome, wondering why they were looking so pitiful. Love you guys!💖

For years I have bought the plants already grown. Last year I half-*** tried growing from seed, bought the light, used the red solo cups I had, and bought 20 gallon grow bags. Why 20? I have NO IDEA! And premoistened the mix is one thing I didn't do when I transplanted outdoors. I am learning a lot. I still plan on using those grow bags and hopefully I can make them work this year! Thanks for the wealth of info!

Omg Luke, I am also an MI gardener, and I also got flower seeds this year to check them out! I got three colors of zinnia, and a couple of other flowers with long names. I will start seed starting on Sunday. Good luck this year.

I started my seeds just a few days ago following the farmers almanac recommendation. I didn’t put enough soil in each cell so I added a bit more. I am using a grow light. I will be sure to water from underneath to prevent problems. Thanks for the advice!

I am actually starting my seeds this weekend! Glad this video came out today. Great refresher on what not to do :)

I had no idea about the watering from the bottom, makes so much sense! Thank you!!

Started my seeds here in Georgia on Jan15th both summer and cool season crops. Can't wait to harvest and taste Romanesco and new varieties of tomatoes Luke. You are awesome as always

Just started quite a few of your seeds in my new setup. Looking forward to my next order and you're next video!

Never really grew from seed until this year, started on feb 6. Everything looking good so far, thanks for all the tip in your past videos as well couldn’t have done it without watching many of them.

Ok, I’ve made all those mistakes & at the same time ,so I’m thankful for this video for sure!

Thank you, I made each of these mistakes:-) I found your video extremely helpful. Thank you!

Yeah we had a little bit of a delay here in Texas with all the snow and stuff but I’m very thankful that the Rainbow Swiss chard that I direct sewed last September that never popped up germinated a few weeks ago and had the second set of leaves before the cold and the snow and they were doing just fine and I also use the bubble wrap method to wrap my Meyer lemon tree since they are evergreens down here I didn’t have a trash bag big enough but I used a big box to go around it and put a pool noodle around the trunk before a bubble wrapped it typically I would’ve brought them inside but two weeks prior to that I transplanted them in the ground

Great video. Just got into seed starting and made all the mistakes. Thanks for the info. :)

Oh man my first time using a mat and a humidity dome, and Im so glad I watched this video for my first shot at growing my own seedlings

Just got my MIGardner seeds....thank you for this vid. I live in Denver and have a hard time waiting. 3 weeks to go and the seed starting will begin.

This was very helpful. I believe you answered my questions and told me my mistakes. Thanks

Yay! Excited to find a youtube gardener close to home!

I am late starting but this really helped & lessen the confusion for this first timer. :)

Thank you!! I was getting good at starting my seedlings, but definitely did some of these mistakes! This will up my game haha. Good video as usual!

Thank you so much for that video! Lol, I made so much of those mistakes! 😅 like having my seed tray next to the picture window thinking it's getting enough light and having that dome cover on too long! I always wondered when I should take that thing off. This time around, I bought me a grow light, seeding mix, no dome cover, and omg, the watering can!!!🤣 That was me over watering my poor seeds!!! Ty a million! I will hopefully be successful this time around. Wish I watched your videos before I wasted a lot of money on all the seeds I killed!😭 I'm trying to seed those Wave Petunias, do I leave them under the grow light all day?? And at what point do I not need the light and time to replant??

I’ve started seeds and really appreciate the info about heat mats! 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

Thank you Luke, so excited to get the garden 2021 underway🌱

thank you. great information. definitely clarified some things for me as I'm starting strictly from seed for the first time. I've already made many mistakes. time to fix it!

guilty of at least 4 of those mistakes, including one just this morning, lol. good thing I love learning ;) Thank you!

Thanks, Luke! Yes, what you were saying about controversy and humidity domes appears to be true. Another gardening advice channel was talking about growing seedlings in egg cartons and leaving the cartons closed to provide more humidity. It's worked well for my peppers (we're starting to get warm enough weather here to merit this), but it's definitely killing my cucumber seedlings. I've also done this with ornamentals (pansies and snapdragons) and it hasn't been very effective.

My family send me a couple of seeds from Migardener store. I am so excited to grow them! Hugs from Poland ❤️

thank you for posting this. I haven't started my seeds yet because I still need to wait a couple weeks. I plan on utilizing some glass bakeware I have laying around to use as seed starting trays this year to cut costs because I plan to build up my garden beds this year and have to do it in a pinch. I know full well I might loose some plants I try to grow only because I am going to have a short time frame to get stuff done but I am going to try anyway. I have been watching a lot of gardening videos to try and prepare myself for my first full garden that's not just a few pots on my back porch.

Thank you thank you thank you! My mini greenhouse in my extremely warm and large windowed room just failed in one week. I realized quickly it was a mistake but I guess I needed confirmation! I thought I would get a head start in my zone 8 back yard garden because last year when I needed a gArden most I couldn't find seeds of plants. Everyone wanted to grow their own food because of pandemic. I never saw that coming! I will start over now and the greenhouse can be my grandkids soup and slide!😂

Learned to not use a watering can and to water from the bottom! Thank you, Luke!!!

So, SO helpful!! I'll be making some adjustments in my seed starting! Thanks :D

Great topic!! I had no idea these UV pens existed. I had given up on using store bought labels because of this issue. This year I just cut up solo cups & yogurt/cottage cheese/sour cream lids because I thought it was the labels, not the markers. Thus far no fading, but if I see it, I'm totally getting these pens. Nothing is worse than having a mystery plant/variety. 😕 (Sorry. My type A is showing) This year I'm gifting myself early with a seedling mister for my delicate seedlings. No more squirt bottle hand cramp! Totally agree about mats & neighbors. It is so easy to get so excited about seedlings. You just want ALL THE THINGS! So you line your packets up and just go nuts. Then comes...planters remorse and the false idea that you must have a black thumb. Lol I am careful to seed out large trays very carefully & with forethought. Like things together. If I wouldn't plant them together in the garden, I'm not making them seedling neighbors. Peppers & cabbage aren't next door to each other because they like different things. My peppers will hang out in the grow room longer, waiting on warmer days while my cool weather plants will not. I may move them out under covers much, much sooner. I find, it's best to either plant in smaller trays (for select varieties) to rearrange later. But... that's just my preference. I also try and learn from previous years. Plants that will be much bigger and taller, may be directly seeded in a larger container to eliminate the need to transfer. I'm usually up and going on other garden tasks by that time and things tend to end up thirsty and root bound or are pushed into the garden sooner than they really need to. Then I'm stuck buying or restarting due to dead starts. Prime example were my tomatoes last year. I lost them all due to that "surprise" cold blast that inevitably comes every year (winter's last hurrah). Thanks for another video.

Thanks for always being so informative about the baby steps!!

Nice and informative video Luke. PLEASE do a video showing the PROGRESSION of the seeds you just planted and the problems that can arise after germination, if any arise. It would be nice to see what the seedlings are suppose to look like as they progress to the point of being planted out. There is a definite need for this as I have seen in many, many of the comments listed here. That is why I am also making this request. I too can find such a series beneficial to see how seedlings look as they mature to the point we see them when we buy them at the stores. I look forward to reading your thoughts on the above.

Last year was my first year starting plants and I did most all of those things. My garden was an embarrassment haha. Also the first year I started watching MI Gardner so this year should be better. Thank you Luke!

Yay starting! Not sure there are warmer climates this year 😬

Nice to see you starting. 💙 We started up some seeds in January.

I’ve found that people have their own unique seed starting methods. I know growers who swear by humidity domes or heat mats. If it works for them than that’s great! I personally never use either and do just fine! Maybe my seedlings take longer to sprout, but I try to omit as many steps and supplies as I can. Keep it simple!

So nice of you to help others. Another great video. I always keep a grid of my plantings so if my plant markers fade I'm good. Also, by then I should recognize which plant it is.i document everything in my garden journal anyways.

Yes I’ve made many mistakes. That was awesome info Luke.

I use heat mats and grow domes for germination ONLY and it definitely works better with then without. That's been my personal experience over the years.

Thank you!! I was considering buying a heat mat but I will put that money towards other supplies! Very helpful!

First year really trying to start seeds so this was helpful. I have a heat mat, so this was informative before I start too many😊

So Happy that it’s almost seed starting time!!

Luke thank you for this video... excellent advice!! I have started seeds many times indoors... this is spot on... I do have a few questions / comments. 1. I found Sharpie does have what is called Extreme fade resistant. Don’t know if you came across this type - it still fades but not as fast. 2. Heat mats I have used until the seeds begin to germinate- I have a thermostat sensor that when a certain temp is reached it will turn off the mat. Very important when actual sunlight enters the window. Don’t know if you had thoughts on that method. I was lead to believe that a heat mat helps in root strength. 3. I have also used a dome for all the reasons you said but yes that mold grows quickly so I found domes that have vents... so I can control the amount of humidity and things are not too wet yet not too dry. Thoughts? 4. I was also led to believe about the closer the light the least likely your plant is leggy? I may have missed it. But was wondering your thoughts on light - the amount of time ... how close etc.? 5. The next item with seeds is a trick I learned with those really really small seeds... I mix them with sugar to spread out the amount of seeds in a given amount of space. Do you have any other tricks in the physical planting of the seed itself? 6. I also wondered about “cell” size... You mentioned how’s the links can get stressed so I was wondering if you had a suggestion for if you had this kind of seed you want to have this size of a cell to plant it in so not to cause too much stress from transplanting into larger cells or pots. I would assume some professional places use something called plugs. And then transplant them into something bigger. 7. What type of soil did you actually use? I have found a lot of value in something called pro mix. The store I bought it from is called Agway. It’s like a big bale of compressed very dry soil and like you said you really need to dampen it down because things float around. And I found that to be the most successful for me.

I started all my tomato seeds and pepper seeds. Our average last frost date is March 15th. We are in south Alabama. Great video 👍

Omg thank you!! This was perfect timing for me!!

Very helpful! Just in time! I almost started some of the seeds too soon! Thank you!

I appreciate this video, just in time for starting my seeds for spring!

Good to know about the domes. Thanks!😉 We will be in the high 50's by Tuesday here in NE OK. I will miss the snow.

Thanks- I have seen and heard so much about heat mats that I thought they were absolutely necessary. I am now better informed.

Yeah. I already started my seeds in January. It´s 17ºC (62ºF) outside. Greetings from Madeira (Portugal).

Got a new greenhouse. Taught me a few things I was going to do wrong. Thanks.

Thanks! Perfect Timing I need to start my seeds soon!

Great video! I learned to water seeds from the bottom and to not plant so deep. Crossing fingers for this planting!

I’ve made mistakes already! Better to learn now. Thanks Luke!

It took me many years to realize to dip the seedlings pot into water instead of water the seedlings from the top. Thank you for pointing this out.

i may or may not have done almost all of these.... luckily it worked out, and I have some strong seedlings now, but I'm sure this will help drastically improve in the future

Thanks! I am getting ready to plant seeds soon and this really helped with my planning.

Taught me some very important things I hadn't even thought about. Thanks 😊

Great video. I learned alot. Starting seeds this year for the first time. So excited.

Whew-saw this just in time! Thank you-very helpful!

Still too early here in zone 4. Next month to start some seeds, April for others. Just started 2 'Tiny Tim' patio tomatoes last week, they've germinated and are under a small full spectrum light for now. They ARE tiny so they can just hang out in my sunny kitchen when they grow up. Next month is tomatillos! Got 3 types from you guys. Start 8-12 weeks before last frost. We can get frost in early June.