Steps for Planting Seeds

Plant your seeds about two to three weeks prior to optimal growing season for the plants you're raising in order to have them ready for transplant at the best possible moment.

Take an empty egg carton and cut off the top using a pair of scissors. Pierce the bottom of each egg holder in the carton with a nail multiple times to aid in drainage. Place the carton in a plastic tray.

Purchase a potting soil mix from a nursery and place the soil into a bucket. Mix the soil with water to add a bit of moisture, just enough to make it easy to work with but not enough to make it sticky. Fill each egg receptacle with moist soil, leveling the soil off about 1/4-inch below the receptacle rim.

Check the instructions on the package of seeds you're planting to determine the best planting depth for the seeds. Plant the seeds into the receptacles at the suggested depth. Place the seeds so that they aren't crowded in the soil, with space between them to grow. Spacing differs by seed type. Check the seed packet for spacing specifics pertaining to your particular seed type, and follow the suggested spacing information provided.

Place the cartons onto the plastic trays then place the trays onto a shelf that's exposed to an Eastern-facing window to provide morning sunlight for the seeds as they grow. Add a light to the room directed at the seeds during the night to provide light 24 hours a day. Use a florescent tube as your light source, and place the light about a foot from the plant receptacles.

Water the seeds daily. Wet the soil so that it's moist to the touch.

Wait for the plants to grow to a few inches in height then remove them from the egg cartons and transfer to a larger pot or to your garden for further growth. Transplant your seedlings only during optimal growing seasons for your plants. Work the plant free of the receptacle from the bottom and sides, separating the root ball of the plant from the receptacle. Handle the plant only by the leaves or root ball, never the stem, and leave as much soil around the root-ball intact as possible.

Dig a hole in your new planting area large enough to contain the root ball of the plant at the same growing depth it was at in the egg receptacle. Gently place the root ball of the plant into the new hole and fill the hole half-way. Water the soil in the hole until moist, then fill the hole the rest of the way with garden soil. Pat the soil lightly around the body of the plant to compress it a bit, holding the plant securely.