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Germinating Seeds 3X Faster ( Best Way To Start Seeds )

Germinating seeds in 1/3 time with 3X more success, yes, you have to try this!

This is our FAVORITE method to germinate seeds quickly. As passionate gardeners, we have been using it to start seeds for over 10 years! It works great for all herbs, flowers, and vegetables seeds.  For most types of seeds, this is our go-to method!

In this article, we will look at-

When and how to use this seed germination method.

Comparison of two methods: germinating seeds on paper towel vs. germinating seeds in soil.

Some helpful tips we have learned along the way, and readers questions at the end!

Definitely check out the tips, because there is one thing that you should NOT copy what the nurseries do!

And feel free to download this pretty (and free ) printable planting calendar when you start the seeds! =) A set of beautiful and free printable planting calendar that you can customize | A Piece Of Rainbow

Or make this seed storage box from cardboard boxes!

Make A Seed Box for organized storage | A Piece of Rainbow

Our favorite method to germinate seeds super fast with much more success.

We discovered this method to start seeds from an older book- Planning The Organic Vegetable Garden. It made such a huge difference , we just LOVE it and have been using it every year for the last 10+ years! This method is called pre-sprouting, or pre-germination in the book.

Step one: germinate seeds on paper towel

All you need is a plastic or glass container with a tight lid. Clear ones will make it easier to see through, but not required as the seeds don’t need light to send out roots.

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Put a piece of paper towel or white paper on the bottom of the container, add water till the paper towel is thoroughly moist, but no puddles of water.

Sprinkle seeds in groups on the damp paper towel, close the lid, and make a note to yourself what type of seeds are where, especially when you have seeds that look identical, for example- broccoli, kale and cauliflower.

Place the container with seeds out of direct sun.

This is very important, because a closed container can get super hot, and all the germinating seeds would die from the heat.

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Start checking on them the next day. If the seeds are really fresh, some will germinate in as little as 1 day! The fastest germinating seeds include everything in the cabbage family – bok choi, broccoli, kale, cauliflower etc, and lettuce. The slowest seeds to germinate are pepper, eggplant, fennel, celery, which may take 5+ days. The rest such as tomato, beets, chard, squash, onions, will take about 3 days.

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Step 2: Plant germinated seeds in pots

It is important to have pots and soil ready to go.

As soon as you see roots coming out, plant them right away. If the roots get too long, it will be hard to separate the roots from the paper towel. If that happens, just plant the paper towel!

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It may seem hard to pick up a tiny seed, but it really is quite easy. you can use a tooth pick, or just your fingers, which is what I do.

Plant them at a depth of 1-2 seeds size ( shallow depth for small seeds, deeper for bigger seeds) , and gently mist them daily for the first week.

We also like to put the pots in saucers and fill the bottom with water till the soil in each pot is saturated, then empty the saucer. It will take a couple of days for the little green leaves to pop out. Now they will need full sun to grow strong and healthy!

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Comparison of germinating seed on paper towel method with germinating seeds in soil.

Here’s how to germinate seeds in soil, which is what most people do:

In a pot filled with soil, sprinkle some seed, add a thin layer of soil, water thoroughly. And wait.

Sounds familiar? Once you try the paper towel method to start seeds, you will rarely go back to the soil method. Here’s why.

Pros of germinating seed on paper towel:

  1. Great success rate:  Have you ever scatter a whole packet of 300 seeds, just to have 3 plants survive? The reason is soil tend to dry out, while the paper towel maintains consistent moisture level. When we germinate seeds on paper towel, we sow 12 seeds if we want 10 broccoli plants, because almost all of them will germinate and grow. When we get fresh seeds from a good seed company, the germination rate is almost 100%!
  2. Test old or new seeds: If you have seeds that are a few years old, germinating seeds on paper towel is a great way to quickly test if they are still alive. We have been able to grow healthy plants from cabbage or tomato seeds that are over 5 years old! If you store seeds in a cool and dry place, some can have quite a long life. We also use this technique to find out if the new seeds we got are good quality.
  3. Faster germination: For example, cabbage seeds take 1-2 days to germinate on paper towel and another 2 days to leaf out, while it can take 2-3 times longer if sown directly in the soil.

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Cons of germinating seed on paper towel:

There is one extra step of planting the germinated seed in soil. So if you want to plant a whole field of flowers or vegetables, this method will not be practical.

Now you see the pros and cons, it is very easy to see which method is better for the home gardener!

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Some helpful tips we have learned along the way, and readers questions:

  1. 90% of the time we use this method to germinate seeds, but we sometimes direct sow seeds that grow super easily and super fast, or less attractive to pests, such as arugula, radishes, or carrots.
  2. Although you see seedlings grown in six-packs at nurseries, I think it’s a fantasy because those plants were grown in perfect greenhouse conditions with daily fertilizers. It’s very hard to grow seedlings to that big in a six-pack for home gardeners. We prefer to grow them in 4 inch pots, or a long deep planter like in the above image. This allows the seedling to grow quicker and bigger before being transplanted, so they don’t disappear with one bug bite!
  3. Have pots and soil ready!  Because the seeds could germinate in as little as one day! If your seeds grow into the paper towel, yes, you can plant the paper towel.
  4. For the first 1-2 weeks after planting them in pots, mist the seedlings or gently water them, and keep the soil moist. They are fragile and can fall over easily!
  5. Our favorite seed companies are Baker Creek Seeds, and Bountiful Gardens, both are started and ran by some great passionate people! Just look at that gorgeous green corn below from Baker Creek, irresistible!

Corn-Oaxacan-green

Below is an extreme example of how much we love this method! =)

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A couple of delicious pics from our garden-

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And a post on a simple trick ( especially useful in hot weather!) to jump start your transplant seedlings here-

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You may also love to see how to create living structures from all these plants here-

Amazing Living Structures | A Piece of Rainbow

Wish you a beautiful and bountiful garden this spring!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • if you use a weak tea solution, (dilluted unsweetened tea) it provides a boost to starting seeds as well combined with this method.

      Reply

  2. Ananda – this is AWESOME information!! Wish I’d known this years ago since I grow all my veggies from seed. THANK YOU!!

    Reply

  5. What an awesome idea! I had a tiny garden last year that I adored, but we’ve since moved to a place where I can have a garden about eight times the size of my former one. I’m SO excited to get started, and I’ll definitely use this method!

    Reply

  6. Wonderful post! I have not tried planting from seeds yet but I will this come Spring. In the past I have grown roots from stems and that proved to be gratifying. Your advice will surely come in handy when I have a try at planting seeds 🙂

    Reply

  8. This takes me back to school when we used to grow seeds on kitchen roll! This is such a helpful and insightful post 🙂

    hellomissjordan.blogspot.co.uk xx

    Reply

  13. No way!!! I’ve never thought to do this but I definitely am going to now. I love gardening but really dont like the sowing gamble. lol. Planting 300 and only getting 3. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

    • I like various flowers, sensitive plant, elephant ears, oxylis. I love houseplants, but some can be bought in seed form, which I do not have good success with, help! Will your method grow my seeds to plants?

      Reply

  22. Ooh, I love your idea to jump-start germination! I do have to ask though, have you ever run into trouble with seeds molding instead of sprouting? I’ve had my share of failures, and I’m not really sure what the problem was… :/

    xo,
    lauriel
    EyeForElegance.com

    Reply

  24. I was just researching this to prepare for our first garden at our new home, this post is perfect. Thank you so much for sharing the great information!

    Reply

  27. Wow, great idea! We just bought our house last April and had a small garden with plants I bought already started at the farmers market. They did great but we want to use seeds this year! I’ll definitely be doing this! This may be a silly question but do you just place one seed in the starter pots before transplanting? I’ve tried to grow herbs before by just sprinkling a handful of seeds in the pot and it usually doesn’t flourish as I hoped. Thanks!

    Reply

    • thank you lauren! for 4″ pots, i put 1 seed if it’s tomato, broccoli, or other plants that take a while to grow or does not like transplanting, such as squash. if it’s onions, lettuce, cilantro, i put 3 or more seeds per pot. =)

      Reply

  28. This idea is making me excited for spring to arrive. I love it. Gotta go … off to get my seeds and plastic containers…Thanks!

    Reply

  30. I will be doing a garden of only pots this year for the first time. Would you still transplant to larger pots or start out in a bigger pot size?

    Reply

  31. Love this! My daughter and I just started our seeds today. They are a older seeds so I’m hoping they are still alive. Fingers crossed!

    Reply

  32. Can I just transfer the sprouted seeds to our raised garden beds or do they need to go in little pots first?

    Reply

  34. Can this method also be used for flower seeds? I’m trying seeds for the first time this year in my flower bed’s.

    Reply

  35. If I pre-germinate my seeds, can I them place them in 4″ cowpots with organic potting soil? If so, I would be able to eliminate smaller containers with seed starting mix and a heating pad, correct? Just want to get it right, I have purchased a lot of seeds from Baker’s Creek ( so much to choose from) and don’t want to waste any of these precious seeds, also bought a grow light. So exited, I have wanted to start my gardens from seeds for years, but somehow never have. This is my year! I also have 2 neighbors joining me who also purchased seeds so we will have our own neighborhood co-op with so many delicious varieties!

    Reply

    • hi linda! yes 4″ pots are great! however a heating pad can be great for seedlings like tomatoe, pepper, etc. they grow quicker when the soil is warm! baker creek seeds usually germinate 100%, and last a few years, so i would start with only 5-10 seeds each! good luck!!! =)

      Reply

  36. Can I plant the paper towel with the sprouted seeds? Will it work like the papers with carrot seeds on it that they sell?

    Reply

    • yes angela, but it’s better to plant the seeds just when they send out roots, so the roots won’t get tangled with other seeds =)

      Reply

  37. Thank you for this! I feel like I’m behind so it might help me to not be so late in the planting game. This is my first time not buying plants so I’m hoping you can give me a few more pointers like once they start to sprout green out the soil do I then put them under a grow lamp? I’m worried because April can still be a bit cold here in VA sometimes. How long would you recommend them being under the grow lamp before transplanting outside? Thank you!

    Reply

    • hi liz! if it’s a heat loving plant like tomotoe, it should stay inside when temp is below 45. the leafy ones and cabbage family can take a lot more cold. just watch for freezing spells. if it’s nice and sunny, take them outside for the day! =)

      Reply

  38. What about the really tiny seeds like Lobelia, ally sum, and impatiens? I have tried finding pelleted seeds for these and can’t find them. Only veggie seeds. Even if you sprinkle them on the wet towel they will be close To each other. Help!

    Reply

    • hi vickie, for the super tiny seeds like celery root, lobelia, it will be easier to sprinkle them far part on the towel, and plant the towel. or sow them in a pot and mist daily till they come up!

      Reply

  39. Thank you so much for this post! This year will be my first real garden, and I hope to prove that my thumb is, in fact, green! I have a (dumb) question…when you say you plant the seeds 1-2 seeds deep, does that mean whatever size the seed is is how deep you generally plant it?

    Reply

    • hi abby! yes, so for example, lettuce seeds need just a sprinkle of soil on top, vs bean seeds can be planted deeper =)

      Reply

    • Looks fantastic! Could I incorporate this with the eggshell idea I’ve seen- where people use washed eggshells as their planter pots? I’m thinking one sprouted seedling per eggshell?

      Reply

      • thank you cindy! =) eggshells can work as planters, but personally i prefer larger pots like 4″ to 6″. plants tend to stop growing in really small pots, unless being constantly fertilized like how the nurseries do!

        Reply

  41. I live in south central Texas, summer temps can be 105 with 30s and 40 in winter. We get varied amounts of rain in spring but very little rain in summer.
    I would like to know if there’s any hope in growing rhubarb here and if so what tips do you have for getting it started? Love your page! It’s colorful, instructive, easy to read/follow and gives me hope. Thank you………….ls

    Reply

  43. Oh my gosh! I grow all my veggies from seeds but never knew to do this. Our picture window in our Living room has a window ledge on it. Right now I have 3 pots on it. The sun comes through and below it is our radiators. In the winter, my sister says the plants think it’s a green house. Right now on there I have shallots, parsley and I have to replant my basil. Those were growing outside in pots until it got to cold for them so I brought them in. I am going to do this with my basil and maybe some flower seeds too! I am so excited to try this!

    Reply

  44. 2 quick questions. 1 I have done everything that your article says I am just not sure where to put them after I have don all this I have seen some articles that says to put them in the fridge and some says to leave them out. can you please help? and 2 does this work for starting rose seeds?

    Thank You
    Shantel

    Reply

  45. Interesting and looks like it’ll work well for any place where it’s colder but as I live in Australia at 27 degrees from the equator( equivalent to southern florida) and the temperature is 30 degrees C. (& more) 7 or 8 months a year (80-85F?) and even winter is not too cold, would not suit gardeners here as described mostly as the overriding need is to keep seeds from being cooked or fungi etc. So also putting the seedlings out in the sun quick/ easy to transplant when so small doesn’t impress me and is both more TIME consuming & critical when transplanting from what I can see. My experience is that a holed plastic tray 5cm or 2 inches deep minimum, potting mix/sand/fertilizer pellets works well. Sprinkle seeds on top regularizing the seeds. Sprinkle THINLY with some coarse(friable) sand on top. Place in medium shadow and keep moist with atomizer (some steady light rain works wonders). When seeded ( similar to article times), in due course graduate to bright shadow and to part sun and full sun as required in due course. Transplant plants at something resembling your pleasure. Whisk sand away with a small brush when size or condition permit and re-use sand and your tray for the next batch. I usually get a good result from this. Cheers.

    Reply

  46. I read the article 20 minutes ago and now I have started with pepper seeds just now. Wish me luck!

    Reply

  48. Can’t wait to try this. I have some seeds from last year that I’d like to try. Thank you for the information.

    Reply

  49. Great tips! We just moved to our new home with loads of gardening space and that also made me challenge myself on to gardening! Just one question though I live in The Philippines where it’s basically summer half year and rainy on the other half. Now is summer and based on research I have done it’s best to plant during summer so am very keen to finally start.

    Will this pre-sprouting technique work on all types of seeds, specifically herbs?

    Thanks so much for this wonderful post and will be checking your site for more gardening tips from now on!

    Reply

    • if a seed is 1mm in size, we would plant it 1mm to 2mm deep. if a seed is 5mm in size, we would plant it 5mm to 10mm deep. hope that helps! =)

      Reply

  54. I’m going to test some seeds today. Thanks for the information. I’m new to starting a flower garden.

    Reply

  55. Will this work for Herbs? Such as basil, parsley, sage, rosemary, etc?

    Reply

  57. Hi. I read through some of your posts on growing veggies and plants. Brilliant.

    however, I do have some query:
    1. Growing plants by putting leaves in water method – Does this method work for every vegetable/ fruit/ flowering plant/ non-flowering plant, etc

    2. Pre-sprouting Seed method – Do you usually buy new seeds? Can we do this from the fruits that we eat? If yes, does it need some preparation?

    Reply

    • hi! here are the answers – 1. no, only certain plants can be rooted in water. 2. you can save seeds, just wash clean and dry them so they won’t mold. some hybrid varieties will not produce the same result when grown.

      Reply

  58. I have to try your method of planting seeds… Very interesting.. Hurry spring , I can not wait..

    Reply

  61. my seedlings are tall and thin and always fall over and die.
    Why? What am I doing wrong?

    Reply

    • it is most likely that they are not getting enough direct sun. seedlings need at least 5 hours/day of direct sun after being planted in soil!

      Reply

  62. Hey! Thank you very much for these tips! I have a quick question about planting germinated seeds. Would you plant them with the tap root down or up? The tap roots of my beans came out in just a day when I used your method, and now I’m wondering which way I should plant it. I don’t want to ruin my progress. 🙂 Thanks, Sam.

    Reply

    • hi sam, roots down or side ways would make it much easier for seeds to come up, but they will make a u-turn and still come up if planted the other way. happy gardening! 🙂

      Reply

  63. OMGoodness. Thank you for this terrific article. I just moved to PA and I have a whole bunch of seeds that I have not planted. So this is an awesome help. I will be starting asap. Blessings to you and yours!!

    Reply

  64. muchísimas gracias por compartir esto, sembré semillas de lechuga y ya pasaron 10 días y no paso nada. Entonces encontré tu pagina y puse algunas semillas del mismo paquete de semillas de lechuga en papel el día de ayer y hoy ya están geminando, 1 día exacto como pusiste en tu nota.

    Reply

  65. Do you think this method will work with milkweed? I have asclepias tuberosa seeds and the packet doesn’t say a whole lot.

    Reply

  67. Hi Ananda,
    I have just tried this method and it is fantastic! 2 packs of Calendula Ivory Princess @ $3 each, I already had the seed raising mix and I have 204 healthy little plants all potted up. It would have cost me at least $84.00 to buy these seedlings and I doubt that my local outlet store would have them in that colour anyway! I will be sprouting all my flower seedlings from now on. Thank you so much for sharing all the great tips with us, I personally find it really inspiring. Cheers!

    Reply

  68. Im trying to get a jump start on veggies and flowers. Living in zone 5 many flowers can take some time to look nice. Can you do all seeds this way? Also, if the germination takes 14-21 days how much sooner will they sprout doing it with this method? For example Rosemary can take 14-21 days so what would be a better way to estimate when sprouting will occur?thanks
    Chrisele

    Reply

  69. Hello there!
    I was just wondering, if it’s a stupid or good idea to start growing marijuana strain in forests nearby my hometown now..Autumn is coming and the plants won’t be ready to harvest for 100% sure before winter comes… But will they survive the winter and start growing in spring? I probably won’t be around in springtime when i usually would put out the seedlings in the forest.. what do you think?
    Thanks for your input!

    Reply

    • hi jason, i have not grown marijuana, maybe some active communities online would be better to answer your question. good luck!

      Reply

  70. Hi there! So I tried ur method & my seeds are just starting to sprout! (2 dats????) I’m wondering if I am able to plant them directly as is into either my flower beds or the containers I’ll be leaving them in all summer or should I start them in starter pots & transplant in a few weeks? I have calendula,zinnia,aster & nasturtium But would also like to do leafy herbs as well. *It is perfect conditions outside; warm,sunny,waaay past last frost*
    Thanks so much!!!

    Reply

  71. When misting the seeds and seedlings DO NOT use tap water! Tap water contains any amount of chlorine, fluorine or chloramines which depress or inhibit plant growth. Use rain water, preferably or mineral water instead.

    Reply

    • thank you jeff for sharing your great tips! 🙂 i agree rain water is better than tap water, but if rain water is not readily available, tap water could work too.

      Reply

  72. Hi, i have tried your method for succulent seeds (echevaria) and it is day 7 and nothing yet. This is my firsttime planting. Should i discard if nothing grew after 3 weeks? I read online echevaria seeds germinate period is 3 weeks.

    Reply

    • hi helen, i have not grown Echeveria seeds, but definitely give it 3 weeks. if the seeds are alive, they will sprout. good luck! =)

      Reply

  73. when useing paper to germinate cilantro seeds the white item that appears is it a stem or root? When moveing it to container does this stem or root plant up or doem

    Reply

    • the first white that appears from each seed is the root. plant it down will be a little easier on the plant, but not required. 🙂

      Reply

  74. Good article on growing vegetables and flowers from seeds! We just had great success with this method! Keep it up.

    Reply

  75. Hi there, quick question. Might be silly, but thought I would ask. When you are going to move them to the soil, is there a specific way you should put them in the soil? Sprout down/up? Or does it matter? Thanks
    Amy

    Reply

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