Sowing Seeds & Seedlings

Seed starting and seedling care inside a Growing Dome are dramatically more productive than starting seeds outdoors or in a basement under lights. Stable temperatures, abundant natural light, and controllable conditions create an ideal environment for raising the next generation of dome plants. This category brings together writing on dome-based seed starting: timing across the seasons, propagation setups that work, seedling care best practices, hardening off for outdoor transplants when relevant, and stories from owners on how they've structured their seed starting around the dome's natural conditions.

vegetable starts in trays in a Growing Dome greenhouse ready to be planted
seedlings growing in trays set over the above ground pond in a growing dome greenhouse

Grow Better: Easy Seed Starting Tips for a Bountiful Garden

January 23, 2026

Starting your seeds indoors, whether in a traditional setting or within the protected environment of a Growing Dome greenhouse, is a rewarding step toward a bountiful harvest. By carefully managing the key elements of moisture and humidity, light, and heat, you provide your young plants with the optimal conditions to break dormancy and thrive. Whether you choose to transplant your healthy starts or direct sow certain varieties, these foundational seed-starting principles will help you extend your growing season, practice effective succession planting, and keep your garden vibrant and productive year after year.

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Spring Gardening Guide For A Successful Spring Garden

April 5, 2023

Spring is finally here, and it's the perfect time to prepare for a bountiful season. Whether you're just starting your Growing Dome gardening journey or you're a seasoned grower, we've compiled a list of valuable blog posts written by our experts to help you succeed. From raised bed ideas to creating a beautiful pond garden, these resources will guide you through creating a thriving garden.

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How to Thin Crowded Seedlings

April 4, 2021

Many seedlings grow quickly in the spring when the days get longer. Thinning seedlings is a necessity but can become slightly more difficult if you overseeded or if your old seed packets had a higher germination rate than you were expecting. In any case, overcrowding is common and seedlings will almost always benefit from careful thinning.

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Vegetable seedlings in a greenhouse bed beneath the words "Transplanting Seedlings and Direct Sowing Seeds"

How to Transplant Seedlings and Direct Sowing Seeds

October 20, 2020

Transplanting seedlings and direct sowing are the two main methods of introducing plants to your small garden. Transplanting is the process of planting a baby plant, or starts, into your garden. In comparison, direct sowing is the process of planting seeds in your garden.

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a garden gnome on top of a log that says welcome to my garden in a raised bed inside a greenhouse

So Many Seeds to Sow!

May 13, 2020

It is time to get those spring and summer crops planted. The Growing Dome Community is especially excited this year to swap out winter crops for the spring season. The first aspect to consider is whether you will be direct seeding or transplanting starts.

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Sowing Winter Crops in the Growing Dome

August 28, 2017

Sow your seeds in early fall to prepare for your Winter Garden: If you grow in a Growing Dome, or greenhouse, or even want to try to extend your season in an outdoor garden, the time has come to sow seeds for fall and winter gardening. If you sow in late August to early September,…

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Sowing Seeds for Your Winter Crop

August 30, 2016

Sowing Seeds In Late Summer/Early Fall & Preparing For Winter “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.” Robert Louis Stevenson If you grow in a greenhouse or even if you have an outdoor garden threatened by winter snow, you should be sowing seeds for your winter crops…

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Seed Germination In Your Growing Dome®

June 27, 2016

Seed Starting For Fast and Consistent Germination Rates What are seeds and how do we best “start” them to ensure consistent germination rates? Why do they sprout when they do? Understanding the fundamentals of seeds and seed germination allows for designing optimal situations and practices for successful starts for your garden. Meet Roland. He is Growing…

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Close-up of a hand holding small, round golden seeds

Planting Seeds in October

November 11, 2014

It’s October 1st, and we’re planting seeds! At the beginning of our new project in the 15′ Growing Dome, we heavily amended the soil in the outer growing beds, where we direct seeded many greens and vegetables. As we constructed a new interior bed to increase growing space with the goal of maximizing production in…

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Young broccoli starts in a tray with popsicle stick plant tags

How to Start and Transplant Vegetables

October 10, 2014

Learn which vegetables transplant best in a Growing Dome, how time stacking boosts yield, and when to direct sow to avoid gaps, shock, and wasted effort.

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Rows of young vegetable seedlings emerging from soil inside a Growing Dome greenhouse

How to Sow Your Seeds

February 25, 2011

We have talked in our previous posts about sowing a batch of cool hardy seeds for our spring crops. A few words about how to sow your seeds may be appropriate here. The first thing to note is the size of the seed you are using, as they vary quite enormously. The average depth to…

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Hands transplanting young chard seedlings into a greenhouse soil bed
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