Starting Seeds

After a winter of frozen fingers, I’m looking forward to getting my hands dirty again, and the great, gushing Northeast thaw finally seems to be happening.  Most of the materials for starting seeds can be found around the house  - the only thing I needed to buy is  seed starting mix.  Why use seed starting mix instead of potting soil?  It retains water better and is easier for roots to penetrate.  It’s free of weed seeds and fungal spores and has a smoother texture. It usually contains a mixture of peat moss, vermiculite and perlite.

One day I’d like to invest in one of these cool gadgets that Hook Mountain Growers is using to make soil blocks.  For now, I’m using  recycled materials like yogurt cups, nursery flats and pots, poking  a hole for drainage in the yogurt cups.  I always wash recycled pots well to remove traces of fungus, even run them thru the dishwasher on sani-cycle.   

In the past I’ve also used peat pots and paper towel rolls for seed starting.  These pots have the advantage of  having the ability to be planted directly outside without disturbing the seedling roots, so they may be a better option for plants that don’t like to have their roots disturbed, like cucumbers.   However, my schedule doesn’t always allow me to check on my plants every day – especially if they’re in the school greenhouse.  I’ve found that they dry out quickly and didn’t always break down quickly enough once planted for the roots of less aggressive plants to penetrate.  In fact, I’ve extracted these pots completely intact from soil at the end of the summer.  Much depends on the location, irrigation and type of soil. 

Once the seed starting mix is moistened with water and the cups are filled, I use a pencil to create a seed hole, then spray with water. The more delicate the stream of water, the less possibility there is of disturbing the seed.  In the school greenhouse, we also underwater by placing the pots in trays and filling the tray with water.  The water seeps into the bottom of the pot and encourages the roots to grow down seeking the moisture source.

Covering with plastic or a lid of some kind until the seeds sprout is helpful.   I've tried starting the seeds at home near a sunny window and in my closet under flourescent lights, but the greenhouse gets the best results, and I try to move most of my seedlings there once they've sprouted.   The constant temp there of 70-75 is preferred, and air circulation is also helpful in preventing fungal growth. 

Once the seedlings are bigger, they're hardened off by being exposed gradually to lower temps and sun outside. 

So far I’ve started onion, cherry tomato, pepper, sugar snap pea, cleome, cardinal vine, black eyed susan vine, sweet william, sweet pea, and lunaria. 

On Friday, our afterschool enrichment class will be starting seeds in the school greenhouse.  We have 16 students this time, ages K-5th grade.

Are you starting any seeds early this year?