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When choosing your seeds, consider what you'd actually like to grow. If you're planting vegies, opt for varieties you'll actually use in your cooking, or that you like to eat. Alternatively, if you're growing flowers, choose the ones that make you happy! Before buying your seeds, always check the packet for best planting times for your local climate.
Grab your seedling trays (or pots, if you're using them) and fill them with seed raising mix. Bunnings has a great range of high quality mixes. Once you've filled the tray, remove the excess soil – use a piece of cardboard to smooth it away. Leave a small gap at the top for watering.
Using a dibber or a pencil, create a hole in the soil in each compartment of your tray. Planting depth as a rule of thumb is usually twice as deep as the seed is big. We planted outs quite deeply because it was a large seed, if you're planting smaller seeds, follow the instructions on the back of the pack.
Read up about the seed you're planting before you get cracking – some plants can be quite temperamental about when and what they need to germinate. For example, if you're planting lettuces, you may like to plant the seeds on a full moon – apparently the light helps them germinate!
Grab your seed packet and carefully pick out a seed to place in each of your holes. Once this is done, cover each one with a layer of soil.
Grab your spray bottle and give the seeds a good soak. Don't overdo it though – you want your soil to be moist, not water-logged.
The final step is to label each of your seeds (this is especially important if you are planting different seeds in the same seedling tray). Using a waterproof marker is ideal for this. Pop the date on there too, so you know when you planted them, and when they're likely to be ready for re-planting.
Place the cover of your mini green house over the top of your seedling tray, and find a nice dark, dry place to keep them. Make sure you continue watering them. As soon as they start to germinate bring them out into the light. A sunny location is ideal, but be careful they don't burn if it's too hot.
There's really not much more you need to do with your seeds, except to keep an eye on them, keep them moist using your spray bottle, and show them some love. They'll be ready to plant out into the garden in no time! As a rule of thumb, germinated seeds are ready when they are 10-15cm high. Harden them off before transplanting into the garden. If you've planted your seeds directly into the garden, you might want to thin any that are crowded.
