Sow Seeds Now For Beautiful Blooms Later

For me, the arrival of seed packets and seed starting supplies in stores signals the true arrival of spring. I like to buy my seeds as early as I can in the stores, sometimes in February.

Often, this prompts various comments from passing shoppers or check out clerks. “Kind of early to be starting seeds, isn’t it?” “Wow, you must really have a green thumb!” “Pushing the season a bit aren’t we?”

 Actually, the reason I purchase the seeds early is to be assured of the biggest selection that the store offers. And there is also the fact that if no one else has looked at the packets, they won’t be all misplaced which might mean I miss a variety I want!

Early March is the time when certain seeds need to be sown to ensure healthy transplants for the May garden. Flowers such as begonias, petunias and snapdragons need at least 12 weeks of growth before being large enough to plant outdoors. Vegetables like leeks, onions and cool weather crops (cabbage, broccoli) can be started now and planted out even before the last frost.

 Sowing seeds is not as difficult a process as a lot of people think it is. The best advice I can give is to start with fresh seeds, clean supplies and a warm, sunny location.

 I like to have all my supplies on hand before I start: Labels, soil, pots, water, and of course, seeds. Write your labels before opening your seed packets and have your clean pots filled with a dry seed starting soil mix.

To clean older pots for reuse, run them thru the dishwasher (if not too dirty) or soak them in a 10% bleach solution, then rinse in clean water. This will kill any harmful pathogens that might be on the pots.

 Depending on the size of the seeds you are sowing, fill the pots almost to the top with dry seed starting soil. Larger seeds mean filling the pot with less soil, since you will be covering the seeds with more soil.

Often, small seeds just need to be sown on the surface of the potting mix. The seed packet should contain the sowing instructions for the seeds you are planting.

After you have sown the seeds and covered them, if needed, and placed the label in the pot, you now need to moisten the soil. The best way to achieve this is to set the pot in a shallow dish of warm water so that the water can wick up from the bottom slowly and not disturb the seeds on top.

Let your pot soak for approximately 30 minutes, keeping in mind you may need to add more water to the dish.

 When the soil is moist, let the pot drain for a few minutes and then move it to a sunny windowsill or under grow lights. The objective is to keep the soil and seeds warm, which will hasten germination. A small heating mat can be purchased at garden supply houses which will keep the soil temperature around 75 degrees.

 Covering the pot with a sheet of plastic wrap or glass will help to keep the soil moist. Be careful, however: If your pot is in direct sun, it may heat up too much under the covering, so it is best to poke a few holes into the plastic or keep the glass slightly ajar to allow for excess heat to escape.

 If everything goes well, your seeds will sprout anywhere from 7 to 21 days, depending on the variety. Once germinated, the cover, if used, should be removed completely.

Keep the new seedlings warm and moist, but not too wet. Wait until they have grown their second set of true leaves before transplanting them.

 Transplanting and after care of seedling will be covered in my next article, so stay tuned!