Seed starting kits will help you get many of the supplies you need to start seeds successfully. It’s a quick way to get a jumpstart on your garden. When spring rolls around, you’ll have all your favorite vegetables ready to plant.
So, which kit do you choose?
In this post, I’ll go over the seven best seed starting kits. Keep reading for more!
Our Top Picks
Best Overall:
Hoss Premium Seed Starting Kit
Eco-Friendly Kit:
ACT Retailer Seed Starter Kit
Great Gifting Option:
True Leaf Market Seed Starter Kit
Best Overall
Hoss Premium Seed Starting Kit
My top pick for the best seed starting kit is Hoss’ Premium Seed Starting Kit. Although pricier than most kits, it comes with several of Hoss’ durable products.
Within this kit, you’ll find a 162-cell tray, bottom tray, watering wand, seed starting mix, fertilizer, labels, and a marker. All you’ll need is a grow light.
Their 162-cell seed starting tray is made from a thick plastic that’s strong enough to last many seasons. It fits perfectly into the included bottom tray. This is made to easily water seedlings from underneath.
Once your seedlings are larger, you can use the included watering wand to hydrate them. Just wait until seedling leaves are strong enough to resist damage from water drops.
This kit comes with the Sun-Gro Seed Starting Mix, a good, lightweight soil-free mix. It’s ideal for easy root development and drainage.
And we can’t forget the labels! These are essential in remembering what you planted where. They help keep your seed starting station organized and ready to transplant.
Pros:
- Durable, reusable products
- Has most of what you need to get started
Cons:
- Pricier than other kits
Best Eco-Friendly Kit
ACT Retailer Seed Starter Kit
ACT Retailer’s Seed Starter Kit is a great option for eco-friendly gardeners. The kit comes with three-inch peat pots along with smaller peat pot trays.
These biodegradable trays fit into the included plastic bottom trays. The kit also includes three humidity domes that fit onto the bottom trays.
With this kit, you can reuse the bottom trays and humidity domes and just purchase new peat pots every year.
The kit includes a dibber and widger. One is used for planting seeds, while the other helps transplant seedlings into the garden.
Once your seeds are planted, label them with the included T-shaped markers. You’ll also find a seed dispenser, so you won’t waste seeds by grabbing too many at one time.
Lastly, ACT Retailer threw in some adorable gardening gloves to keep your hands clean.
Pros:
- Biodegradable pots and trays
- Includes humidity domes
- Includes helpful tools for planting seeds
Cons:
- Some reviews complained about humidity domes not fitting onto bottom trays correctly.
Best for Gifting
True Leaf Market Seed Starter Kit
The True Leaf Market Seed Starter Kit will have you growing fresh salad greens in no time. This inexpensive kit includes a 12-cell seed tray, bottom tray, humidity dome, labels, pellets, and assorted seeds.
It makes a great gift because it comes with everything you need minus a light source.
This kit is specifically geared toward growing salad greens. But, True Leaf Market carries several kinds of kits for growing different vegetables.
Like the Jiffy Professional Greenhouse, the pellets are activated with warm water. Just slide them into the tray, wet them, and plant your seeds.
If the kit isn’t large enough for what you want to grow, they also have a Deluxe Kit. It offers double the supplies for a larger harvest.
While the supplies may not be built to last for several seasons, it’s a good kit to experiment with. And, it has great reviews to accompany it.
Pros:
- Comprehensive kit
- Includes seeds
- Budget-friendly
Cons:
- Can’t start very many seeds
- Products may not last beyond one season.
Hoss Deluxe Seed Starting Kit
If you love Hoss’ products but want a humidity dome, this is the kit for you!
The Deluxe Seed Starting Kit includes a humidity dome, trays, a bottom tray, seed starting mix, fertilizer, and labels. That’s a good comparison to their other kit, and this one is friendlier on your budget.
The kit includes two of their 24-cell seed starting trays. They fit into the included bottom tray for easy watering.
The humidity dome is made to fit on the bottom tray. The height of the dome is perfect for letting seedlings grow. The dome also includes vents, so your seedlings won’t get soggy from too much humidity.
Just like Hoss’ other kit, you’ll get a bag of the Sun-Gro Seed Starting Mix along with seedling fertilizer. The 20-20-20 fertilizer is a well-balanced all-purpose fertilizer that should be used lightly on seedlings.
And to top it off, the kit includes Hoss’ wood labels to keep up with your growing vegetables.
Pros:
- Comprehensive kit
- Durable, reusable products
- Comes with a humidity dome
Cons:
- None
Jiffy Professional Greenhouse Seed Starting Kit
With the Jiffy Professional Greenhouse Seed Starting Kit, you can easily start 50 seedlings.
The kit comes with 50 seed starting pellets that require no additional mix. All you have to do is add warm water, and the dehydrated pellets will grow. Each pellet has an indention to slide your seed into.
The pellets fit into the tray, helping them stay upright. It also makes it easy to water.
The tray also includes a humidity dome to increase your chances of germination.
This a great choice if you’re starting seeds on a budget. The kit comes with most of what you need for just under $25. All you’ll need to add is a source of light and seeds to plant.
Pros:
- Doesn’t require seed starting mix
- Includes humidity dome
- Budget-friendly
Cons:
- Humidity dome can be flimsy.
Hoss Indoor Seed Starting Light Kit
The Hoss Indoor Seed Starting Light Kit is my favorite seed starting kit with lights. It’s the most expensive kit on this list, but you’ll find the quality of the lights makes it worth it.
Included in this kit are two 18″ LED grow lights rated to last 50,000 hours. It’s an investment that will last you for many years.
The lights adjust up to 18″ above seedlings to allow healthy growth. To adjust them, you simply move the light up the rails attached to the metal base.
The metal base includes a water reservoir and a capillary wicking mat. Both are designed to make watering your seedlings easy and effective. The mat only delivers as much water as the seedlings need.
Also included in this kit are four 12-cell seedling trays. So, you can start up to 48 seedlings at once, which is a good start to a small garden.
If you’re interested in growing microgreens, you can use this kit year-round.
Pros:
- Durable, metal base
- Includes long-lasting lights
Cons:
- Pricier than other kits
Super Sprouter Premium Propagation Kit
The Super Sprouter Premium Propagation Kit is made to help you with germination.
Not only does it include a heat mat, but there’s also a humidity dome with built-in lights. You’ll have everything you need to give those difficult seeds a boost.
This kit includes a bottom tray that the humidity dome attaches to.
There aren’t any included seed starting trays to insert into the bottom tray. So, I recommend purchasing some small cell trays to get you started.
The included light is a T5 fluorescent light that fits into the humidity dome. The dome itself is 18 inches tall, so your seedlings will have plenty of space before crowding the light.
I recommend this kit if you’re looking for an inexpensive kit with lights. It’s cheaper than Hoss’ lighted kit, but it still has several things you’ll need.
Pros:
- Comes with lights
- Includes humidity dome and heat mat
- Budget-friendly to include lights
Cons:
- Doesn’t include cell trays
What to Look for in a Seed Starting Kit
Seed Starter Trays
This is one of the most common supplies in a seed starting kit. Seed starting trays are helpful in separating seedlings to give them room to create roots.
Trays are made of plastic, rubber, or biodegradable paper. Plastic and rubber trays can be cleaned and reused. You can often even throw them in the dishwasher.
Biodegradable trays aren’t reusable, but you can plant them directly into the garden. The trays will break down and improve your soil texture.
Humidity Domes
Humidity domes are the clear lids you see that accompany seed starting trays. They trap moisture, which aids in seed germination.
Humidity domes aren’t required for starting seeds, but they can be helpful for tricky seeds like peppers and artichokes.
Heat Mat
A heat mat lays under your seed starting trays. It should be as wide as your seed trays to evenly heat your seedlings.
The heat mat heats up the seed starting mix in your trays to mimic warm outdoor temperatures. Many seeds need warm soil to germinate. And it also helps accelerate growth after germination.
If you start seeds in a cold basement or garage, a heat mat is a necessity. You’ll notice the difference in growth after you try one out.
If you are starting seeds in a warm spare room, you may not need a heat mat.
Seed Starting Mix
Seed starting mix is included less often in seed starting kits. That’s because you need a good-sized bag of mix to start seeds. It’s often better to purchase it separately to get a quality mix.
Some kits from Hoss include their premium seed starting mix. This is a good way to go, which we’ll discuss more in this post.
If you purchase a kit without a seed starting mix, don’t fret. We have a post on the best seed starting mixes along with how to create your own.
Grow Lights
Grow lights are necessary for seedling success. You might get away with no light before germination. But, by the time your seeds sprout, you need a good grow light to give your seedlings energy.
Grow lights are made to mimic the benefits of the sun. The full-spectrum bulbs are different than normal lights as they emit more colors than white light.
There are several specific seed starting kits that come with lights. They are often pricier than other kits, but they come with several helpful supplies.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are seed starting kits worth it?
You may be wondering whether you should buy a seed starting kit or just purchase all products individually. There are pros and cons to both options.
A seed starting kit is a good way to get multiple products in one click. Many high-quality kits are worth the investment.
You do have to be careful about cheap kits. They often just include a combination of low-quality supplies that won’t last long. To avoid this, stick with brands you know and always read reviews.
Purchasing products individually is a good way to pick out what you want for each product. But, you will often end up spending more money. It all depends on your intended budget.
2. What are the best grow lights to buy with a seed starting kit?
Many seed starting kits don’t include grow lights. This is okay because you don’t want to skimp on this important part of seed starting.
We made a list of the best grow lights for seedlings to help you with this. We also have a guide on where to find the best grow lights.
Wrapping Up the Best Seed Starting Kits
Get started on this year’s garden with one of these seed starting kits. My top pick for the best overall seed starting kit is Hoss’ Premium Seed Starting Kit. The quality kit includes most of what you’ll need to start seeds successfully.
Read more about seed starting on the Seed Starting page on our website. Learn all about growing different vegetables and flowers. And we’ll recommend the best products to accomplish it!