Starting From Seeds by My Urban GardenComments: 2 |
 For me, starting plants from seeds has always been something to keep me occupied until it was finally warm enough to get "real plants". Before, I've used those compressed peat pellets that expand when put in water. Good news: That expansion process is a lot of fun to watch (I don't get out much). Bad news: My seedlings would invariably have problems - usually damping off - and I never had any actual plants at the end of the process. This year, however, I had much more success with a different process, and I firmly believe that it's due to the fantastic advice that I received from some local Master Gardeners. Start with a plastic flat - the kind with a hinged lid. It could be a strawberry flat or a take-away sandwich container. Anything that's clear, has holes in the top and bottom, and has a lid. Tear a piece of old newspaper to fit the bottom and at least partway up the sides of the flat and then tuck it inside. It doesn't have to be tidy or go all the way up to the top of the flat. The goal is simply to keep the soil from falling out the holes of the flat.  Next, a handful or two of soil or starter mix goes into the flat and gets smoothed out. If there are any clumps, it's a good idea to crumble them apart with your fingers. Then, sprinkle seeds evenly over the surface of the soil.  I'm sowing some oregano because it was an herb I somehow forgot back in May, and it's pretty much impossible to see those seeds photo. Suffice to say I'm very liberal with the amount of seeds I spread over the surface. I don't know if the sheer number of seedlings helps their sprouting process or not, but I do know that I had more success when I over-sowed. But that might just be because of the seeds themselves. More experimentation is clearly required (yay for experiments!). Add another handful of soil/starter mix over the top of the seeds so that they're at the appropriate depth - check the packet's instructions. This article about seed-planting depth is very interesting. Set the seeded flat in a shallow tray with a bit of water in the bottom. The water will wick up through holes in the flat and moisten the soil perfectly without disturbing the carefully seeded surface. Ten to fifteen minutes is probably enough to get all the soil in the flat moistened.  Flip the lid of the flat closed and then just wait! I set my flats in a corner of my "plant nursery room", out of direct sunlight (and away from my curious cat) until my seeds germinated then I moved them up to the south-facing windowsill. In a week or two, depending on what type of seeds you're growing, you'll start to see the shoots poking through the surface. Below is a picture of one of the herb flats I started from seed this year. It's also known as more-basil-than-I-could-possibly-ever-use. The basil pictured has been growing for about two weeks after I sowed the seeds.  Now, since I was so eager to put what I'd learned into use, I didn't photograph the epic Transplantation of the Basil, but this is what they looked like when I was done:  I did, however, take photos while I did the same thing with the cucumbers I'd also started. Here they are!  Aren't they pretty? So. First things first. Gather tools for the separation and transplantation process: a table outside (or inside if you don't mind getting your floors dirty), pots prepared to receive plants, a large platter, a fork, a filled watering can for the plants, and a tasty beverage for the gardener (particularly if it's a warm day). Next, remove the seedlings from the flat. This is where the newspaper will come in handy. Now, when the Master Gardener demonstrated this particular part, it looked really easy. However, my clumsiness by far outweighs my coordination, and I did have some trouble getting the soil-and-plants to slide out of the flat onto my platter. What I ended up doing was working my fingers as far under the paper as I could, tilting the flat, and then sort of plopping the whole thing onto the platter. Not nearly as graceful as the Master Gardner had done, but it did the trick and there was no harm done to the plants. So I call that a win.  Use the fork to gently pull apart the seedlings. Sometimes two seedlings would come apart at the same time, and I'd use my fingers to coax them apart, but I was very careful not to squeeze the stems.  Tuck the separated seedling carefully into the prepared pots and then give it a gentle watering.  My cucumbers went a bit droopy from sun-shock that day so I had to bring them back inside. But once they were under the protection offered by my windows, they were much better. I had to wean them into direct sun later, as they grew and before I planted them at my brother's place.  Obviously, I didn't plant all the cucumber seedlings that I started. I picked the strongest and healthiest ones to move into pots. The seedlings that did make the cut were welcomed with open mouths by my worms. A little bit of unnatural selection, I guess. While this process is excellent for many seeds, I won't be using it for corn or chives again. Seedlings of chives are just so puny that I think it'd be easier to just sprinkle a spoonful of seeds in a pot and let them grow there as a bunch. And the root system on corn is remarkable.  I spent more time untangling corn roots that day than I did transplanting everything else combined. Those grey fuzzy-looking bits on the roots in the picture above are shreds of newspaper from the bottom of the flat, not fungus. Anyway, I ended up with only two of my baby basils dying (and I have evidence that my cat got to them), and one corn and two cucumber seedlings succumbed to strong winds once I put them outside, but overall, I'm quite pleased that my seed-starting efforts this year were more than just busy-work! |
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| Wednesday 08 July 2009 - 15:20:39 by patiofarmer |
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