Best seedling starter trays

Starting a garden requires a combination of patience and timing. Really, having a "green thumb" has little bearing on whether your seedlings thrive or fail to pop through the soil.

The best seedling starter trays give you a leg up when planting from seeds. Some aid in drainage, others in aeration, and all allow you to plant long before the sun warms the earth outside, giving you a head start on your flowerbeds or produce and herb gardens.

No matter what type of garden you're planning, you can benefit from a seedling starter tray. Whether you want a reusable tray that's ultra-durable and will last a lifetime or an eco-friendly peat seedling starter tray, we have opinions. These are the best seedling starter trays this year.

The 9GreenBox seedling starter kit comes with 24 trays, each containing six cells. Five plastic plant labels are also included to help you remember what you've planted. The trays are a thin plastic that lends itself well to bringing soil up to room temperature but may be difficult to use season after season. We love the large drainage holes on the bottom and the rectangular shape that stores plants side by side while nature does its thing.

Take complete control of seedlings with this seed starter kit from MIXC. You'll get 120 cells to plant whatever you like, plus a humidity dome and ten plant labels. You can use these sturdy trays season after season for growing everything from vegetables to herbs to flowers. And we love the humidity dome, complete with adjustable vents. Grab these in black, green, white, or pink.

The smaller cells on some seedling starter trays mean you need to replant sprouts as soon as they take root. The Gardzen garden propagator set has bigger cells than other kits so that you can move plants straight from the trays to the garden, and you never need to worry about replanting things numerous times. This five-pack set comes with snap-on lids, 200 cells, plus a dibber and widger for planting. When you have a lot to put in the ground, this is the best seedling starter tray for you.

If you prefer organic gardening and starting plants from seeds, you'll want this set of five seeding starter trays from JOLLY GROW. Each tray includes ten cells, all of which are plantable, eliminating transplant shock and the need to replant continually. These all-natural peat pots come with ten plastic plant markers so you can keep track of what's sprouting and where.

The heavy-duty TO Plastics trays lack drain holes. That's intentional. They're useable with small pebbles or food-safe gravel if drainage is necessary but are ideal for hydroponic watering, which is done from the bottom up. This set comes with ten large plastic trays that work well with herbs and microgreens. They're affordable, reusable, and stackable.

Made from 100-percent organic and biodegradable paper peat, this 12-tray set is budget-priced and easy to work with. You'll plant the seeds, water as directed, then use scissors to cut the pods apart and plant them straight into the soil. What could be simpler? This kit comes with 120 cells and 15 plastic labels.

SOLIGT pampers seeds and gives you everything you need to be successful. This kit includes two seed starter trays, two humidity domes, and two heat pads to warm the trays. This is a complete set made of strong plastic, and it's reusable and recyclable. The humidity domes allow you to control the heat and moisture level for a no-fail gardening experience!

Here's to your green thumb

All these seedling starter trays will encourage seeds and give them the best chance to flourish before it's warm enough to plant them outside. Our staff pick from 9GreenBox is a kit of 24 trays that give you 144 cells total. The thin plastic cells help the soil warm to room temperature, while the drainage holes give your seeds just the right amount of moisture. 

When you want complete control over the temperature and humidity inside your seedling starter trays, you want to go with MIXC. This is a 10-pack kit that includes an adjustable, vented humidity dome, plant labels, and 120 cells.

If organic gardening is your thing, you'll need the JOLLY GROW peat pots. There are 50 cells included, and each can be planted directly in the ground.

Why trust us?

At GardeningEtc, we recommend the best products to enhance your life. As expert curators, we handpick products based on quality and usefulness to positively impact your day-to-day, from cart to doorstep. We take our responsibility seriously — testing products, reading reviews, and sourcing knowledgeable outlets to ensure our selections are worthy of your time and money. We deliver detailed product overviews, balancing objective information with subjective opinions, so making the best choice for your home and lifestyle is as easy as possible.