My fall seeds are sprouting! And I may or may not get unreasonably excited when I have new seedling babies! Anyone else feel that way?? I feel like it's the equivalent of puppy or kitten photos, but for gardeners 🤣 Bonus points if you add a photo of your fall seedlings!

Once you know this, you'll probably never buy a pre-mixed bag again. 😉 I was mixing a fresh batch of seed-starting mix for my fall seeds yesterday and wanted to share my process with you so you're well-equipped to head into this planting season! 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟯 𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: 🥥 𝗖𝗼𝗰𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗶𝗿 – This is the base of the mix. It's the fluffy, fiber-based stuff coconut husks are made of. It's sterile (no bug eggs or fungal spores hiding in it), affordable, and way better for the environment than peat moss, which comes from bogs that take centuries to reform. 🌋 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 – These are little white volcanic rock pieces. They keep the mix from compacting so water (and air) can move through it. 🪨 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 – a mineral that soaks up moisture and nutrients like a sponge, then releases them slowly so your seedlings get a steady supply. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗺𝗶𝘅 𝗶𝘁: Hydrate your dry coco coir with water until it passes the 𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗲𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 — if you squeeze a handful, it should hold together but not drip. Think wrung-out sponge. For every 𝟰 𝗰𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗶𝗿, add 𝟭 𝗰𝘂𝗽 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 and 𝟭 𝗰𝘂𝗽 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲. Mix it all together with your hands (or a trowel if you're fancy) and fill your trays. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁: - It's cheaper (so I have more money for seeds 😜) - I can make up a batch whenever I want (no relying on the store or making a trip out) - I know exactly what's in it (yay, transparency!) - I can control the quality (not sure what to put here, but all the other bullet points have parentheses, sooo... 🙃) 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗼-𝘁𝗼?

Have you ever had all your lettuce bolt (go to seed and turn bitter) in the same week? ...Or harvested a mountain of bush beans all at once, scrambled to use/preserve them… and then had nothing for the rest of the season? That's "feast or famine". And succession planting is how you fix it. 🌿 𝗦𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴? Succession planting just means spreading out your plantings over time instead of putting everything in the ground at once. Instead of planting all your lettuce seeds on the same day, you plant a small batch, wait a couple of weeks, plant another small batch, wait again, and keep going. The result? Instead of 20 heads of lettuce all ready on the same Tuesday, you get fresh lettuce coming in steadily for weeks, or even months! It’s a fairly simple practice, with a big payoff! 🥗 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀: Some plants are natural candidates for succession planting because they tend to produce their harvest all at once, and then they're done. 𝗟𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗲, 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗰𝗵, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀 — Classic examples. Heat makes them bolt fast. Planting every 2–3 weeks keeps the salad bowl full from spring into early summer (and again in fall). 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 — Unlike pole beans (which climb and keep producing), bush beans give you a big flush of pods over just a few weeks, and then they're mostly finished. Successive plantings every 2–3 weeks stretch that harvest 𝘸𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘺 out. 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 — These mature in as little as 4 weeks, which means a single planting is gone before you know it. Succession planting radishes every 1–2 weeks keeps a continuous trickle coming. 𝗣𝗲𝗮𝘀 — Cool-weather lovers that stop producing and die off once summer heat hits. Plant in waves in early spring & again in late summer/early fall to maximize the growing windows. 𝗖𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼/𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 — This herb bolts (goes to seed) incredibly fast in warm weather. Planting a short row every 2–3 weeks is basically the only way to have it reliably all season. (At least, it is for me in Texas 🥵)

Carrots are one of those veggies that 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 easy, but gosh darn they can be tricky! If you've ever had trouble growing them before or are trying for the first time, check out this video 🎥 I cover: - How to start carrots from seed - My #1 tip for germination success - Watering & fertilizing for healthy growth - When and how to thin seedlings - Best practices for harvesting - Tips to prevent common carrot growing issues P.S. I recorded & edited this video over a year ago, so while a lot has changed in my garden (and with my editing skills), the points still very much stand!

Did you know some seeds need/prefer light to germinate? Seeds that fall into this category include: Lettuce, Alyssum, Snapdragons, Basil, Dill, Chamomile, and Oregano to name a few! These seeds also tend to be 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘭𝘺𝘺 tiny. Which leaves us with a problem. They're sown right at the soil surface to ensure they receive light… but without a lot of soil contact, they can dry out fast and be easily blown or washed away. 𝘚𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰? You use vermiculite. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁? Vermiculite is a naturally occurring mineral that's been heated at super high temperatures until it "pops" and expands, kind of like popcorn. That process creates a lightweight, spongy material full of tiny air pockets. Those air pockets allow it to absorb and hold moisture really well, releasing it slowly back to whatever is nearby… like, say, a tiny seed trying to germinate. 😉 Vermiculite is also semi-translucent, meaning light can still pass through it. And it has 𝘫𝘶𝘶𝘶𝘶𝘴𝘵 enough weight to keep seeds from blowing or floating away. Sounds like a magic combo if you ask me! 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴: - Sow your seeds on the surface of your soil as normal - Sprinkle a thin layer of vermiculite on top, just enough to lightly cover - Mist gently to set everything in place That's it! You can find vermiculite at most garden centers or online. (This is the one I use). It lasts a long time since you only use a little at a time. It's also commonly used in/added to seed starting mix. 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? Last week, I planted 2 Alyssum seeds between each set of tomato plants using the steps above. (Photo #1) The next day, we got heavy storms with 1.75 inches of rain in just a few hours. I was sure every seed had floated away. But on my garden tour this morning? Look what I found! (Photo #2) Almost every single seed germinated, AND they stayed put through all the rain! If you've ever struggled with small seeds washing or blowing away before, then give this a try and come back and tell us how it went!