Let’s Learn About Starting Seeds

Most of my seed starting history began before I knew what the internet was! I used the pamphlets that the seed companies provided and my favorite old garden books to guide me.

Other than that, it was through trial and error that I learned my way through the ups and downs of starting seeds, but I think I should collate some resources online, so here is my beginning effort.

Learn to Grow from Seed

• Seed pots from newspaper.
• 10 Seed Starting Tips
• January Seed Starting Thoughts
• Advice for Planting the Starts
• Advice includes useful “Time and Temperature Chart”
• Virginia Tech good advice
  
• Germinating -wonder what to do with old coffee filters?

Snippets For January:

Zone 6

□ Order seeds for cool-weather crops: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, celery, lettuce, and peas.

□ Mid-month start cabbage family crops and onion seeds indoors.

□ Prepare the cold frame. Mound straw or leaves around the outside of the coldframe to help it begin holding solar heat.

Zone 5

□ Order seeds of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, parsley, and peas: all cool-weather crops right away. Plan your warm-season crops this month.

□ Get seed-starting equipment together.

□ Start onions seeds indoors toward the end of the month.

□ Dig up chives and begin to force them indoors.

Zone 4

□ Check viability of old seeds by sprouting a few of each kind in folded damp paper towels enclosed in a plastic bag.

□ Set up your seed-starting system.

Zone 3

□ Begin seed ordering from catalogs. ~from harvestwizard.com

Advice on growing from TomatoFest. You might want to visit their site if you are growing tomatoes this year.

“I like to thoroughly combine the seed starting mix with warm water to make it useable since a dry mix is difficult to work with. You may want to let your seed starting mix sit wet overnight before using to assure that it is evenly soaked. The final product should be evenly dampened but not soggy wet.”

“Wait for Germination:
This is the hard part. Be patient. Place your containers in a warm location out of direct sunlight. Light is ok, but not needed during the germination process.

If temperature is kept consistently and sufficiently warm, your tomato seeds will usually germinate within 5 to 10 days. Best to keep temperature range 70 to 80F (21 to 27C). The lower the temperature the slower the germination. However, temperatures below 50F (10C) or above 95F (35C) are poor for germination. (Some varieties need more time to germinate.) When seeds start coming up remove tray from plastic bag.”
Info on Heirlooms

Do you have a favorite link? Tell me about it!