Growing your own hanging baskets from seed is a great way to create stunning flowering baskets and save big on the budget – all at the same time!
Lets face it, hanging baskets are expensive. And every year, the prices only seem to rise.
But by growing your own plants directly from seed, you can create baskets for a fraction of the cost. Even better, they can be unique and stunning varieties that simply can’t be found in local stores and greenhouses.
And the entire process is easier than you might think, and doesn’t require special or expensive equipment.
Growing Hanging Baskets From Seed – The Keys To Simple Success
Start Early Indoors
Growing hanging baskets successfully from seeds begins with starting seeds early indoors. And it needs to be much earlier than when other flower and vegetable seeds are usually started.
For hanging baskets, plants need to be full and thick by early spring. Seeds for hanging baskets should be started indoors 10 to 12 weeks before the last usual frost date in your area.
Unlike bedded flowering annuals and vegetable garden plants, hanging baskets are easy to bring indoors when frost threatens. This means they can be started much earlier in the year indoors to take advantage of the warm and sunny days in between frosts.
Many greenhouses actually start growing their hanging baskets in December or even November to make sure plants are big enough for early spring selling!
Starting Seeds In Trays, Or Directly In Hanging Baskets
Seeds can be started first in traditional seed trays and then transplanted at the 4 to 6 week mark. But if you have the room, they can also be started directly into the baskets.
Always select high quality flower seeds. And be sure to order or pick up seeds early to insure good selection – and to have them on hand in time to start.
Lighting & Heat
And what about required light and heat for your seedlings? There is no need for special equipment or heating pads to start flower or vegetable seeds.
A few inexpensive 4′ florescent shop bulb fixtures will provide more than enough light for plants to grow well indoors. Simply keep the bulbs 1 to 1 1/2″ from the top of the plants as they grow. If starting directly in baskets, you can hang them right underneath the lights.
It keeps plants growing strong and bushy, both big keys for great hanging basket plants!
One thing you don’t want to do when growing hanging baskets from seed is to start plants in a windowsill. There is simply not enough light, and plants will grow leggy and weak.
As for heat, seeds will grow and germinate indoors as long as the temperatures are above 60 to 65 degrees in the room. As the plants grow larger and daytime temps start to warm, set baskets out in increasing intervals so they can adjust to outdoor life.
Taking plants out during warm stretches will also help the grow and fill out at a much faster pace.
A Few Final Tips For Success
When it comes to growing and raising your own hanging baskets, a few additional tips will go a long way to keeping plants healthy and blooming.
The most important of which is to always use a high quality potting mix. A great potting soil needs to be lightweight, loose, and filled with nutrients as plants grow. (Affiliate Link : Espoma Organic Potting Soil)
There are many great choices now on the market, but you can also make your own incredibly fertile and healthy mix with a few simple ingredients. (See : How To Make Great Potting Soil At Home)
Fertilize Right
No matter how great your potting soil is, hanging baskets need to be fertilized to stay strong and beautiful all year long. After all, the nutrients in any soil will only last so long.
But the key here is applying a low and slow rate of fertilizer on a consistent basis.
If you provide too much fertilizer at one time, plants use the energy to grow too much foliage and roots. Too little, and they won’t keep blooming.
Fertilizing with a weak solution of organic fertilizer, compost tea or worm casting tea will all give fantastic results. A light solution applied every two weeks works well to keep plants at their best all season long! See : The Best Way To Fertilize Hanging Baskets
So get those seeds ordered early, and get ready to grow your own stunning hanging baskets from seed this year!
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