Indoor sowing: useful and practical tools and accessories

Essential equipment for sowing

Plastic or biodegradable pots

Small pots… Small pots… Always small pots! You will need a considerable number of pots or buckets for your sowing. Available in different diameters, they can be made from various materials: terracotta remains heaviest and most brittle, which is why pots or buckets in plastic are often preferred. But, even though plastic pots are often reused, they are not very eco-friendly. Fortunately, more environmentally friendly solutions exist, such as biodegradable or biocompostable pots made from wood fibres.

Find our selection of pots and buckets for your sowing in our online nursery. Also see our range of biocompostable and biodegradable pots.

A few examples: plastic buckets, biocompostable pots and biodegradable pots

Seed trays and sowing trays

Seed trays and sowing trays allow sowing in rows or in a “square” layout for flowers or vegetable plants. Later, you can transplant young plants into pots or directly into soil. There are trays with compartments that allow removal of a plug with the germinated plant for easier transplanting.

Find our seed trays, trays, cell trays and alveolate sowing trays in our online nursery.

Example of sowing in a reusable sowing tray

Heated or unheated mini-greenhouses

Trays or seed flats can be topped with a transparent plastic roof fitted with small vents. The transparent roof creates a warm, humid medium ideal for germination of the most sensitive seeds. These mini-greenhouses can be placed indoors near a window and radiator. But some also have an integrated heating system beneath the tray, which allows precise regulation of temperature inside the mini-greenhouse.

Heated mini-propagator, ideal for sowing most sensitive to temperature

Discover our advice sheet: Mini-greenhouse: what is it for? How to use it? as well as our selection of mini-greenhouses available to order online.

Soil block maker

Whether in plastic, wood or metal, small or large, soil block makers are used to create a small cubic or cylindrical plug of compost in which to place a small seed. Afterwards, you can place these small plugs in trays or racks designed for them. Then simply transplant your young seedlings once they are a little older.

→ Learn more in our advice sheet: How to sow using a soil block maker

“Special sowing” potting compost or compost sieve

“Special sowing” potting compost is a very light potting compost ideal for your sowing or for making cuttings. Sowing composts are designed to ensure both good drainage and good moisture retention, promoting germination and allowing development of the very fragile roots of young seedlings. If you do not wish to invest in sowing composts, you can use a compost sieve. Simply pass conventional potting compost through the sieve grid. Only the finest fragments will pass: your own sowing compost is ready!

Professional-quality sowing compost and steel compost sieve, rust-resistant

We offer a range of professional-quality “special sowing” composts in our online shop.

Discover also the Fertiss plug, Olivier presents it in video!

Vermiculite

Vermiculite is a material derived from natural volcanic minerals. It appears as very light beige flakes. Vermiculite lightens and improves drainage of the substrate in which plants are grown. It promotes germination and rooting while retaining water to release it gradually to roots. Vermiculite is used mixed with potting compost or applied as a surface dressing to maintain humidity and lightly cover seeds.

Vermiculite, perfect for lightening a substrate

Vermiculite is rarely sold in garden centres. Fortunately, we have thought of you and we offer vermiculite in our online shop.

Find different materials commonly used in gardening, their properties and uses in our advice sheet: “Turf, sand, perlite, vermiculite, clay balls and pumice… what for?“.

Sprayer and watering can

You will need to constantly monitor moisture level of your young seedlings. For watering crops in trays or pots, best option is light but regular watering: either a small watering can with a rose that lets only a fine spray through, or better still a sprayer.

Labels

Do not forget to label your sowing! Nothing looks more like a young seedling than its neighbour, which may in fact be a completely different plant. Labels come in plastic, metal or, better still, wood, and in all shapes and colours.

Several types of labels: slate, wood, etc

Discover our wide range of labels in all shapes, colours and materials.

Sowing equipment and accessories: practical nonetheless...

Seed sower and syringe for small seeds

Seed sower is not essential. In general, it gets lost and turns up five years later at the bottom of an old bag of potting compost… But it can be useful for very fine seeds or when many sowings need to be carried out. With a seed sower, it is possible to sow thinly, placing seeds one by one, which avoids thinning out later. Simply adjust opening diameter to suit seed size; seeds will then be deposited precisely in pot or in a furrow dug in open ground. Seed sower is ideal for sowing carrots, radishes, parsley, lettuces… If you are into upcycling, you can also use an old syringe (without the needle!) to place very small seeds one by one.

Seed sower, handy for small seeds

Potting tray

Potting tray is very useful to work efficiently, in other words: sow and repot without spreading potting compost everywhere. You can place on your tray: seeds, pots, seed trays, tools and… potting compost needed for sowing, repotting and other propagation by cuttings.

Sowing table

Ultimate piece of equipment to make you look like a sowing pro! A table with a shelf underneath, it can be used both as:

• workbench for sowing or repotting tasks;
• support for trays, seed trays and pots containing your sowings.