How to Grow Sprouts in a Clay Pot

Choose the seeds you want to grow by shopping at your local nursery or home and garden center, or searching through catalogs and online. Seeds should be as fresh as possible for the best results. Gardening writer Charlie Nardozzi recommends throwing away any seeds that are older than three years old, and when in doubt, to buy new seeds. Do a bit of research online, read some gardening books, or talk to a salesclerk to make sure the seeds you buy are ones that will grow well where you live.

Buy the right type of soil for planting and growing the seeds. Nardozzi recommends a seed-starting mix that's light enough for plants to break through the surface. Many seed-starting mixes will also container fertilizer to nourish seedlings. Soil can also be purchased at nurseries as well as home and garden centers.

Gather all the tools needed for planting the seeds. In addition to the seeds and soil, make sure to have the clay pot, or pots, into which the seeds will be planted, a small shovel (called a trowel), and gardening gloves. All these basic gardening tools can be purchased from nurseries and home and garden centers.

Prepare the seeds and soil for planting. Gardner Sally Roth recommends soaking the seeds in a bowl of warm water for up to 24 hours before they're planted. She warns not to soak them for more than 24 hours, as they may rot. Roth also advises moistening the soil mixture in warm water before using it for planting seeds.

Fill the clay pots to ½ inch below the rim with soil. Open up the seed packets and count out three to four seeds per pot. Carefully place each seed on top of the soil, spacing them about a ½-inch apart. Using a dry fingertip, gingerly press each seed into the soil. Gently cover seeds with soil mix.

Water the soil carefully to avoid knocking over the seedlings. A spray bottle of water with a mist setting is a good option to use. Roth suggests placing the clay pots in a shallow tray and then pouring water in the tray to allow the pots to soak up the water from the bottom.

Place the pots in a sunny window or under flourescent lights. If using flourescent lights, be sure to keep the lights on for 14 to 16 hours per day. Water the seeds daily and use a weekly fertilizer once seedlings have emerged. Both Roth and Nardozzi recommend a fish emulsion fertilizer, which can be found at nurseries and home and garden centers. Seedlings may either be left in the clay pot to continue to grow or transplanted outdoors once all danger of frost has passed.