Seed-Starting Mastery: An Introduction

(Why I’m Taking You from Radish to Celery, And Why It Will Change How You Garden Forever)

Welcome to the most practical, no-BS seed-starting series you’ll ever read.

If you’ve ever:

• Bought a packet of seeds and watched nothing happen

• Ended up with tall, floppy tomato seedlings that barely produced

• Given up on onions because “they never sprout for me.”

• Felt overwhelmed by conflicting advice online

…then this series is built specifically for you.

Over the next 10 weeks (plus one epic bonus cheat-sheet post), I’m going to walk you through starting the most common vegetables from seed, in perfect order from dead-easy to expert-level gardener!

We start with crops that germinate in days and forgive every mistake. We end with the two vegetables that will make you question your life choices (onions and celery).

By the time you finish Post #10, you will have:

• Mastered every major seed-starting skill (surface sowing, heat mats, potting up, humidity domes, baggie methods, and more)

• Built absolute confidence, because you’ll have practiced each technique on easier crops first

• Grown (or be ready to grow) every vegetable on the list successfully

• Saved hundreds of dollars on transplants

• Turned “I have a black thumb” into “Look what I grew from a tiny seed!”

How This Series Is Different

Most seed-starting guides dump everything on you at once: “Here’s a list of 50 vegetables and some vague dates.” That’s overwhelming and sets you up to fail.

Instead, we’re doing this like a video game with progressive levels:

Post #	Difficulty	Vegetables Covered	What You’ll Master This Week
1	Easiest	Radish + Arugula	Instant gratification, thinning, direct vs. indoor
2	Very Easy	Lettuce & Spinach	Constant moisture, domes, true leaves
3	Easy	Kale, Collards, Swiss Chard, Asian Greens	Potting up, cold tolerance, continuous harvest
4	Easy-Mod	Beans & Peas	Direct sowing large seeds, trellising, inoculants.
5	Moderate	Cucumbers, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Melons	Heat mats, damping-off prevention, pollination.
6	Moderate	Tomatoes	Deep potting up, light distance, pruning basics
7	Mod-Hard	Peppers & Eggplant	Double heat mats, extreme patience
8	Hard	Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussels	Long indoor period, cool growing, calcium needs
9	Very Hard	Onions, Leeks, Bunching Onions, Chives	Surface sowing, baggie method, fresh seed only
10	Expert	Celery & Celeriac	100 % humidity, gauze trick, monk-level devotion

Each post is a deep dive packed with:

• Step-by-step instructions (with two methods when possible)

• My personal variety recommendations

• Pro tips that actually move the needle

• Troubleshooting charts you’ll refer to forever

• The exact skills that prepare you for the next, harder crop

After Post #10, I’ll drop the ultimate bonus: a printable one-page cheat sheet plus expanded calendars, gear lists, and zone-specific timing, your permanent garden bible.

Who This Series Is For?

• Absolute beginners who want to start right and avoid years of frustration.

• Intermediate gardeners tired of leggy tomatoes and failed onions.

• Anyone who wants to grow more food for less money.

• Parents teaching kids (radish and beans are pure magic for little hands).

• Balcony and container growers (everything here works in pots).

You do NOT need a greenhouse, fancy lights (though I’ll tell you when they help), or decades of experience.

You just need to follow along, one post at a time.

What You’ll Need to Get Started

Basic kit for the whole series (under $100 if you shop smart):

• Seed trays or recycled containers

• Clear domes or plastic wrap

• Good seed-starting mix

• A warm spot (and later, a heat mat)

• Lights (shop light or sunny window to start)

• Fresh seeds from reputable companies (I’ll share my favorites)

I’ll remind you what to add as we level up.

Grow a beautiful garden this year!

Let’s Make a Promise

If you read each post and start at least one packet of seeds from that week’s crop, I guarantee two things by the end:

1. You will have eaten something you grew from seed.

2. You will never again be intimidated by a seed packet.

   
   

We start next week with Post #1: Radish, the impossible-to-kill confidence builder.

See you in Post #1. 

Let’s grow.🥦 🫜

-Jodi @ HealWise

P.S. Bookmark this page and share it with every friend who says, “I wish I could grow food.” This series is about to change a lot of gardens.

Want to have a great reference book on hand? Then get a copy of Harvest & Herb to add to your gardening collection!

Harvest & Herb: A Modern Medicinal Garden

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