It's that time of year! I have visions of a better-than-ever garden dancing in my head, which means: I WANT TO SOW SEEDS!

Now, it's a bit early for most of you to do that (unless you use my favorite seed sowing method, called winter sowing. Seriously, you can winter sow even in the snow! Click here to learn how.). BUT even if you choose to wait a little bit to begin starting your seeds, it's definitely not too early to brush up on your seed starting technique. Whether you are brand new to starting plants from seed or you have a bit of seed starting experience under your belt, bear in mind these six oh-too-common mistakes gardeners make in their haste to get their spring garden started.

Mistake #1: Planting Too Early (or Too Late)

It's a catch-22. If you plant your seeds too early, you'll have seedlings struggling to survive until the garden is warm enough for them to be transplanted. These seedlings will grow spindly and weak, and if they don't die before you get them in the garden, their vigor will certainly be reduced, making them less productive. On the other hand, if you plant your seeds too late, you'll reduce the harvest - and you might not get a harvest at all!

So how does a person know when to start seeds? Begin by learning your area's last spring frost date. Luckily, we live in the age of the Internet, and finding that information is as easy as clicking over to this site. Once your know the date, you'll need to look at each seed packet and read the instructions for sowing. Every packet will give a "sow by" date. It might look something like this: "Sow 5 weeks before last spring frost date." Now grab a calendar, count back six weeks, and start your seeds at that time. Viola! Perfect timing!

Courtesy Schekinov Alexey Victorovich.

Mistake #2: Not Enough Warmth

If seeds don't get enough warmth, they are a little like us: They will hide under the warmth of a (soil) blanket. That is, they won't germinate and send up leaves. Some plants can germinate using winter sowing, making your life easier, but some will really need a heat mat to get off to a good start. Different types of plants have different heat requirements, but most vegetables like it 70 to 80 degrees F. Don't have a heat mat and can't invest in one right now? Look for warm spots in your house, such as the top of the refrigerator.

Mistake #3: Too Much Sunlight

Probably the most common seed starting mistake is growing seedlings on a window sill. I don't care how sunny your window sills are, seedlings will not get sufficient light sitting on them. The sun is just too far away and the plants will become thin and spindly, putting their energy into constantly striving to get enough light instead of into growing strong roots.

Winter sowing solves this problem, as do grow lights, but if neither of those is an option right now, place ordinary fluorescent bulbs an inch or two above your seedlings, moving the bulbs up as the plants grow. Keep those lights on 12 to 18 hours each day, but be sure to turn them off, too, giving seedlings at least 8 hours of dark each night.

Courtesy of Brian Pennington.

Mistake #4: Over-Watering 

A hugely common seed starting mistake is drowning seedlings in too much water. To prevent this, before planting seeds, water the soil thoroughly, allowing excess water to drain completely. After the seeds are planted, keep the soil moist, but not damp or wet. Once the seeds germinate, it's smart to slightly cut back on watering (but don't let the soil dry out!) in order to prevent damping off and disease. 

TIP: Instead of watering your seedlings from the top, try watering them from the bottom. This requires putting seedling pots on trays, then adding water to the bottom of the trays. Try to be consistent in your watering schedule.

Mistake #5: Over-Fertilizing

When seeds germinate, the resulting seedlings DO NOT need fertilizer! That's because God made seeds to contain all the nutrients a just-sprouted seedling needs. Honestly, I never fertilize small seedlings, but if you feel the need to, do not attempt it until the plant's first true leaves are fully open. (True leaves are those that appear after the first two leaves - often heart-shaped - come up.) Then, only use a watered down or weak fertilizer. A more fool-proof way of giving seedlings what they need is to re-pot them with good, fresh soil.

Courtesy of Rev Stan.

Mistake #6: Not Hardening Off

You have beautiful little seedlings that you're eager to get into the garden. But wait! Those seedlings are used to being coddled, pampered, and spoiled! Unless you want them to turn sickly and perhaps die, you can't just toss them out in the harsh world of the garden . Instead, you need to help them  gradually adjust to your garden's climate. This is called hardening off. 

Begin at least two weeks before the plants will go into your garden beds. (If you used heat mats, slowly start reducing the temperature and the amount of time the heat mat is on, beginning just a couple of weeks after the seeds sprout. You may also wish to use an oscillating fan near your seedlings, as this will mimic wind in the garden.) 

About a week before you need to plant the seedlings in the ground, take them outside in the morning, when the weather is calm. (It's not wise to begin hardening off plants during a storm, for example.) Put them in a shady, protected location for an hour or two before putting them back inside wherever they were previously growing.

Each day thereafter, put the seedlings in a slightly sunnier spot and keep them outside an hour or so longer. Make sure you give your plants gradual change. By day seven, your plants should be in full sun (assuming they are sun-loving plants) all day. On day seven, plant the seedlings in the morning.

Want Step-by-Step Instructions for starting seeds successfully? Be sure to grab my ebook Starting Seeds! It's only 99 cents!