From the Ground Up: Seed Starting (Part 2)

Today was wickedly warm. Like 70*. Considering that last weekend it was hovering around 40* for the high, this is practically sweltering! And, spring is totally in the air. My eyes are itching & my nose is running. Oh, and my crocuses have flowered & daffodil leaves are popping up everywhere.

A serendipitous day for seed starting, no? After you've considered everything that needs considering:

Method One.

Step 1: Sanitize containers. Use a 9-parts water, 1-part bleach solution. I then rinsed the containers (I'm using old pots plants came in, yogurt cups and a mushroom container. The last 2 the handy husband punched holes in the bottom for drainage). Cleanliness is key!

Step 2: Wet the potting mix. Easy peasy.

Step 3: Write the name of the seeds & the date you're planting on a tag. Before you forget! I'm using wooden ones, but sanitized Popsicle sticks or even a toothpick with a label flag would work.

Step 4: Plant! Put you moistened soil into the container. Press it down to get out the air pockets. either spread seeds all around the container (if you're using a large one) or place 2-3 only in the pot (if you're using a smaller pot & don't plan on transplanting later). I've done both, but shown here is the latter.

(Notice the 3 little seeds in the middle?)

Step 5: Sprinkle! Sprinkle a bit of dry potting mix over you seeds. Then spray (to moisten) with a misting spray bottle. Next, sprinkle a bit of milled sphagnum moss to keep fungus at bay.

Step 6: Place pots in a waterproof tray, stack and place on seed warming mat. I've got 2 trays, so I covered them in plastic wrap & stacked them so that I just need one mat. At the seed starting class I took, the instructor assured us this would work. Instead of plastic wrap, you could use any vegetable plastic bags (the kind you get from the grocery store for separating produce) on single post.

Step 7: Wait. Once the seeds start to sprout, remove the plastic wrap. And once they get their first set of true leaves, transplant. That's a topic for another post! Cross your fingers for me that my babies emerge!!

Method Two.

Another method to starting seeds that works well for peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, & anything of that family is this damp-paper-towel-sushi-in-a-plastic-bag method.

Step 1: Damp paper towel. Fold into quarters, and sprinkle on seeds. Don't forget to label!(Sorry for the poor photo!)

Step 2: Roll up in zip top bag.

Step 3: Wait. When seedlings emerge, transplant into pots similar to the process of Method One, Step 4. Notice that I still put the paper-towel-sushi-in-a-bag on the heated trays.