Hello fellow gardeners!

Seed starting is a wonderful pass time this time of the year. It gives you a leg up on Mother nature.

Some of the best reasons to start seeds…

● You have so much more choices and varieties!

● It saves you money!

● Personal pride! The pleasure of growing something that is most certainly not available at your local nursery or chain
retailer!

● Your perennials flowers will bloom the same year as planted!

If you like starting seeds, then when your flowers in your garden go dormant you can collect seeds from them and save even more money! However, this only works for the heirloom plants- not hybrids!

List of things you will need!

● Seed packets of your choice!

● Soil-less mix (aka “Seed starter mix”) - you are going to want to pre-moisten the mix with warm water ahead of time.

● Containers! Use can either recycle or use new ones. Please Note (if you are using recycled containers (such as old pots or plastic containers saved from food items), they must be scrubbed in a 10% Clorox solution).

● Labels (I use popsicle sticks), it is very important to keep your plants straight- because they all the look the same when they are small!

● Marking pen or lead pencil to write on the labels with.

● Optional: Clear plastic bags- either zip lock or clear 13 gallon trash bags. Zip locks are for special seed treatment (refrigeration). I use clear trash bags as covers for my large seed trays to help keep the moisture in!

● A good light source (your plants will need additional light so they do not become spindly). You can use a hanging shop light, or grow lights will do just fine! You don’t want to rely just on the sun from your window because your plants may too cold at night.

● Optional: Heating Pad. You can also use the top of the refrigerator, or a out of the way vent, or even a warm (not hot) radiator.

● Optional: Cheese cloth. This is useful for difficult to transplant seeds.

● Chamomile tea, this is a great natural solution to fungus problems.

● Perlite, vermiculite or sand, these are perfect to use as a light cover for small seeds.

● A calendar strictly for your seeds, that way I can mark which seeds will be ready to start in 8 weeks, 10 weeks, and so on, counting backwards from the previous years last frost date.

● Optional: An album with plastic pockets to insert your empty seed packets into. I use it as a visual journal, and make notes on when I started the seeds, germination rates, where in the garden I’m going to plant them, and other useful information.

Read More About It

My next article will tell you all about how to start seeds, but if you want a fabulous book on the subject, “Park’s Success With Seed” is hands down the best! Of the many books I’ve bought and read on seed starting-this is the most informative, easy to read, and helpful guide!

A Time Saver that is Easier than Ever!

If you are a busy person and would enjoy growing your own seeds with out all the fuss, this bio-dome system is the thing for you! It is very popular and very reliable! I’ve tried it myself last year, and I highly recommend it!

I hope you all look forward to Part 2 of starting seeds!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne

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