Starting Seeds

Another note about seeds/transplanting. Many of the seed catalogs or packages will give you general info on starting each specific type of seed. Sometimes....you are just on your own! These are the specifics you need to know

planting depth

germination temp

Dark or light (covered w/soil or not)

expected germ days

'grow on' temp, day & night

moisture level

transplant stage

(grandson's Gavin & Jace planting seed trays in 2009)

All sounds so simple right? Maybe if you are doing 1 or 2 types of plants. Trying to meet the needs of 100 + different plants gets more challenging. If a seed does not 'state' a planting depth, the general rule of thumb is 3x the thickness of the seed. A window sill alone, is not adequate for starting quality plants. Not that they won't grow, but after you put them in the garden, they will likely need 2-3 weeks to catch up. Soon my flower shop will turn back into the seed/transplant house, and by April the baby hoop will be added onto the shop to do it's 2 month annual job.

Saving Seed is another question I often get asked about. Do I do it? No. With one exception, dry heirloom beans. The majority of seeds planted are hybrids, which have a complex parentage. If you plant seeds saved from hybrids, your resulting product will be some type of mix of the plants parents, nothing like what you originally had. Normally seed is not that expensive. You can save seed if they are from varieties that are not cultivars, but rather heirloom, heritage or open pollinated types. If a seed/plant is considered a 'cultivar' it means it can only continue under 'human cultivation,' (hybridizing). I know it can quickly sound complicated! Just buy your plants from me and you won't have to worry! Problem solved.