Fresh Beginnings

 Hello All,

   As I'm sitting here because daycare closed I'm trying to figure out what to write here. As I spent this weekend essentially doing two gardening things, figured I'd start with one of those.  Over the last couple weeks as the timing becomes more appropriate I have been starting seeds.  I have nothing against buying plants alive and ready to go, it's just a little more cost effective (engaging and fulfilling) when you grow them from seed.  Word to the wise, make sure you have space and self-control!

   Seed starting 101: step one, choose what container you want to start your seeds in (where you put said container will help decide what style of container you use)  There are winter sowers groups out there that swear by the gallon milk jug (cut it in half, fill lower half with dirt, clear tap it back together, water, lid off, set it outside). Essentially this creates a mini greenhouse as the plastic allows light in and then keeps it relatively warm.  This works great if you have seeds that need that cold to germinate. We've had mixed results with placing them outside.  They did very well inside, so if you have gallon jugs aplenty and want to get started, HOORAY! (I'm still getting used to this, so there will be pictures attached below)

   There was a challenge, in a sense, on a gardening show that we were watching to try and use less plastic.  They ran through several ideas, one of which was using toilet paper tubes as seed starters.  Put them in a container, tie a string around them, fill with dirt, and there you have it.  I tried this, unless you have really good potting soil/seed starting soil that lacks the clumps, twigs, whatnot it will be amazingly tedious.  Hence, I didn't do it.

   Another tactic I tried was I got a couple of those aluminum foil 9x9 pans from the grocery store, the ones that are meant for single use.  Filled them with dirt, spread seed, put the plastic cover over it (with holes pricked on all four sides to allow a little airflow), that worked like a dream.  As long as you don't mind pricking out seedlings once they mature, this was an awesome tactic.  Plus, they are pretty sturdy, so after using them I washed them out and they are good to go next year.

There is also the standard seed trays, some you can fill with dirt, others come with the peat inserts.  There are all kinds.  These all work great, I prefer the ones that you fill with dirt as after I'm done I can wash them out and reuse them.  (After all, using plastic is almost unavoidable in the modern world, the problem with plastic is when we use once and then discard)  (Remember: reduce, reuse, recycle) (Or, as Rocky says "don't lose it, reuse it!")

   Now, let's say you start with some seed trays, you put some seeds in, now they are growing.  HOORAY! Now you have to take care of your plant babies.  One of the key aspects is watering, you want the seedlings to be moist, never dry out, yet not drown/get moldy.  Welcome to the finnicky capriciousness of plant parenthood! Assuming you keep them alive and growing, the next step is to thin out, plants need space.  Thinning out, pricking out, any sort of handling should be done after they've sprouted their first true leaves.  So most seedlings come up with two leaves immediately, the third leaf (usually at a 90 degree angle to the two others) is the true leaf.  Once they pop that true leaf, they are essentially signaling that they are tough enough to handle handling.  You can try handling them before, you just have to be extremely careful that you don't damage the stem. Oh, that reminds me: DON'T TOUCH THE STEM while you are handling seedlings.  If you damage the stem, it's all over. To avoid all this, and if space is limited, you could just pluck out or cut the weaker of the seedlings leaving one plant per cell. (this also depends on what type of pant you are starting, most flowers have small seeds, ergo you could have a swath of seedlings; no need to murder them all, just thin it out a bit so that a few can have a good start in each cell. As they mature, maybe shift them or cull them as necessary).

  Potting on, as the Brits say, is simply what you do with the seedlings after you remove them from their initial sprouting location.  This is where space becomes an issue. Example: I planted a packet of Rosemary seeds in a 9x9 pan, they loved it and did quite well, I went to prick them out and pot them on to continue growing.  I decided to try and use paper cups (bigger than dixie, smaller than solo).  So even by selectively thinning out and potting on, I went from a 9x9 pan to now having 30 medium sized cups each with a plant in it. So, not only do I need a greenhouse, we lose a chunk of our kitchen because that has the best windows. I will be posting pictures of this whole process as well.

   Once the weather warms a bit, haha, and we get closer to our plant out time period (my hardiness zone and last frost date means I'll be planting a lot of the more tender plants around Memorial Day), we need to harden the plants.  So, I'll be moving them outside during the day, then inside for the night.  This process is painstaking, but if done properly can save all your hard work from dying off. Just like you don't just drop a goldfish in the tank, you start with maybe an hour at a time, then work up to the entire day.  Point of note: those living in warmer climbs don't really have to do this, as you can pretty much start seeds outside from the beginning, as long as there isn't frost.

Complete side-note: you can spend as much or as little as you want.  You can rig out a whole system with heating lamps, heating pads, grow lights, etc. If that's what you want then do it.  Some claim that to really get peppers going you need heating pads and whatnot, I've never used heating pads or grow lamps or any of it, and I always have tons of peppers reading to plant come spring (knock on wood).

  SO, if you are trying this for the first time, I suggest the following. Choose a plant you want to start from seed, see how big the seeds are.  If they are big, maybe start two seeds per cup (skip the trays and all that).  If it is a smaller seeded plant (snapdragons) then start with a 9x9 "disposable" aluminum foil tray from the grocery store, sprinkle them as spread out as possible and thin as they go. Before you know it, you will have plants that you started from seed, and when they are perennials (come up every year) imagine how satisfying that will feel.  I'm told that tomatoes taste even better when you grow them from seed and then pick them when ripe. I don't care for tomatoes, so I'll take my wife's word for it.

Until next time, Auf Geht's!