Seed Starting

Back in February 1985, I’d just moved from Seattle to Kodiak Island, Alaska—fresh off years working on research ships and tugboats. Gardening? Let’s just say I couldn’t tell a string bean from a human bean.

Then came the grocery store shock: $1.80 per pound for bananas. Four bucks for a head of lettuce. Two bags of groceries = $100. I panicked. Was I destined to live on canned peaches and beans?

So I planted a garden.

I bought packets of lettuce, broccoli, and cabbage seeds. Locals told me to start them in a windowsill. I did. When the seedlings stretched toward the light, I proudly turned the trays each day.

Come May, it was time to plant. I tucked those little starts into the soil like fragile treasures.

That night, a brutal storm hit—40-knot winds and sideways rain. The next morning? Total seedling carnage. Every one, snapped and flattened. I sat on a bucket, watching an eagle fly overhead. And in that moment, I made a decision.

I would learn to garden from the ground up. I would start thinking like a plant.

Fast forward to today: I teach gardeners all over the world how to grow healthy, strong seedlings—without guesswork or overwhelm. And I’m here to help you do the same.

In this section, you’ll learn how to:

Avoid weak, leggy seedlings

Choose the best soil and containers

Time your starts for your climate

Keep pests and damping-off at bay

Nail the right balance of light, moisture, and warmth

Harden off your plants like a pro

Grow with confidence, even if you’re brand new

Let’s get those seedlings thriving—starting now.