How many seeds should be planted per container?

I have narrowed it down to one seed per container.  I have tried multiple seeds in a container, figuring that I could separate the seedlings and plant the strongest, but I think it disturbs the roots too much. My plants grow much stronger and faster once I put them into the ground when there is only one plant involved.

If a seed doesn’t germinate, I simply dump that container’s potting soil into a bucket with new potting soil and mix together and reuse it. For insurance, I usually start seeds of the same kind in multiple containers on the same date.

It may seem like a lot of extra work, but I have found that it pays off. An extra benefit is that if I find I have more seedlings than I need just then, I can give some to my friends and neighbors.

Why start seeds in containers:

The quick answer is that I have found that my plants will develop better root balls in containers than they will if I plant the seeds directly in the ground. Sometimes, though, I have luck placing seeds directly in the soil around some mature plants so that they will be coming up in spaces too small to dig a hole for a transplant. But, I often have to keep an eye on the new seedlings and put more soil around their stems carefully to give them strength to stand up on their own.

When you go to transplant them, the plants started in containers will often surprise you at how large their root system has developed compared to the size of the plant itself.

Another reason I prefer the container method is that all the seeds planted won’t make it, and some will be hardier than others. Since I have few choice spots to put plants, I want to put the stronger ones where they will have the best chance of producing.  That isn’t to say that some of the others will not turn out well, many will. But I have learned to try and stack the odds in my favor with such a small space to work with.