Here at the end of August the weather is cooling off,
barely, and I am struggling not to be a seed starting fool. I have a flat of older seedlings that I move
around on the sun porch several times a day, to take best advantage of the
light. In addition I have two flats of
newly planted seedlings and one intensive care flat of new cuttings and divisions. (Not to mention the cuttings in water in the
kitchen window, young trees in containers, misc. container plantings, and other
things planted in the yard.)
Poking seeds into potting soil is an easy enough task. However, if that tasks turns out to be successful,
tending the plants, potting them up into larger containers, and eventually chipping
away at the hard adobe soil out in the yard are not so easy. There must be a limit!
In the wild, plants produce anywhere from hundreds to
thousands of seeds for every one that successfully grows, matures, and sets
seed of its own. The odds are stacked
against the survival of every individual seed produced. The survival rate of the seeds that find their
way to our hands can be better (or sometimes worse) than those seeds produced
in the wild. Growing plants from seed successfully,
requires us to understand what the particular seed we are growing needs to
thrive; and then being able to deliver those conditions right on time.
When we purchase seeds in packets, especially the more
common types of seeds, most of what we need to know may be printed right on the
packet. We need to understand that these
instructions are generally not negotiable.
For instance, most seeds need to be kept evenly moist but not soggy to
grow. If we let the garden bed or
potting soil dry out, particularly if that happens at just the wrong time, the
seeds or seedlings will do what most wild seeds do everywhere—they will die
their little tiny deaths.
Gardeners use many strategies to keep their newly planted
seeds and seedlings moist. My seed
starting shelves are the perfect size to hold a single nursery flat on each
shelf, and the shelves themselves are wrapped in clear recycled plastic to admit
light and hold in moisture. I start my
seeds in six packs and small pots placed within the nursery flats. I initially pour about an inch of water in
the bottom of the flats to give the soil and the seeds a good soaking, and
then, with a spray bottle, I keep the surface moist throughout the following days. This takes a lot of attention, but I gladly
give it.
But there are ways to get around paying so much
attention. The more you read about seed
starting the more techniques you will find.
Most long time gardeners have used many techniques over their lifetimes
and they have settled down with something that works for them. Some have small green houses with misters
running on timers, some use special wicks or self watering arrangements
available through garden and nursery supply catalogs. On the other end of the spectrum you will
find gardeners that just throw the seeds on the ground. In my Hoopa garden, which much of this blog
was written about, this was absolutely my favorite (but not only)
technique.
Here in my new home in Lucerne CA, I have found that
throwing the seeds on the ground only feeds the bugs and the birds. So, I have adapted, as gardeners everywhere
must adapt. What works in one place and
for one person, will not necessarily work in every place for every person. Don’t give up if you have so far failed. Remember, the odds are very much against the
seeds; there is no way you are ever going to kill as many as have died in
nature. If at first you don’t succeed,
try try again.
I hope to find myself organized enough to bring you some
more thoughts on starting seeds in the coming weeks. In the meantime, below are some links to more
information. The first is an article on starting
seeds that discuses temperature, light, and other germination requirements and
supplies, as well as books and websites for more information. At the second link you will find lots of
information on fall planted crops that you can start from seed over the next few
months, depending on your weather. Happy
gardening!
Seed
Secrets:
Fall Gardens:
