Seed starter kits?

[greenfenz]

Hello
Im looking to plant some vegetables in a garden bed. Last year I just chucked seeds directly into the bed. Some took, some didn't. Do i need to start them indoors, in which case can someone suggest a cheap starter kit I can buy ideally from Amazon? Or will the success rate be similar to growing them outdoors directly? Thanks.

I bought these seed trays with LED lights & they've worked really well for me.

https://amzn.eu/d/04zY1B2F

I think it's still a bit chilly for some seeds to germinate. I prefer to germinate my seeds inside then harden them off and move them outside when they're bigger (less likely to be completely destroyed by slugs etc)

@Renonewb1e do you use soil from the garden or buy potting mix?

Does it have to be Amazon? B&M and Home Bargains have all you need to start the veggies off on a windowsill etc.

@greenfenz I buy compost. Sometimes they have good deals on Amazon, but I find it's usually cheaper from the garden centre/super market

I would say if you’re on a budget you can just start seeds on a sunny windowsill in toilet roll holders until they germinate. If you are looking for seeds- real seed company is excellent and do subsidised seeds for those on low wages. Will pop link in realseeds.co.uk/communitysupport.html

@Bride2026 I tried this & all the toilet rolls went gross and mouldy...how do you prevent that from happening?!

To an extent they are going to get a little rough- I would say focus on the shoot inside rather than the toilet roll itself.

Use some old margarine tubs or yoghurt pots with holes in and some soil from garden or compost, plus seeds from Aldi or Lidl. Fruit punnets also helpful and clear lids can be used as mini propagator lids.
I think Aldi currently has cheap compost.

I haven’t tried it yet but look up the seed snail method, some people are having good results with that. See if any of your local libraries have a seed library and also ask on your local Facebook if anyone has any spare seed. See if you have a plant and seed swap group.