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"The clear
song of a bird, the fresh scent of rain, the beauty of a flower...nature offers us gifts every day if we only take the time
to notice them. Pause and let the sun warm you, enjoy the breeze, listen with new ears, see with new eyes. Lose yourself in
nature...and find yourself at home."
-Marjolein Bastin
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Tips on Growing Plants from Seed
 - Order early- Seed companies get busy in late winter.
Many fill their orders first come-first served. Order early to get the best selection.
- Choose a good place-Choose a place that is out of the way and will not get drafts and is warm. On
top of the refrigerator may be a good choice. Also, you can build or purchase a shelving unit specially designed for
this purpose.
- Container- There are a wide variety of container
choices. You can use peat pots, planting trays, or you can make your own from newspaper, toilet paper rolls, or paper egg
trays. They are now coming out with dung pots to replace the peat pots, since they are not as environmentally friendly. Make
sure your container has good drainage, or poke holes in the bottom.
- Soil-It
is best to use a special "seed starting" potting mix that can be purchased at your local gardening store. Regular
potting soil will work if you can not find the other. Do not use your garden soil for this purpose, since it may have
weeds or disease. The soil needs to be light and fluffy, and have a very small particle size.
- Light- Seedlings will need approximately 12-16 hours of light per day. If you use
artificial light, you can add a timer to assist.
- Water- Make
sure the seedlings do not dry out. Keep the soil mixture moist by watering from the bottom and/or misting from the top. It
is a good idea to cover the seeds with a plastic top or cover to keep the moisture in.
- Time- Check the time the seeds need to sprout (on the seed packet) and mature so you do not plant
to early.
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How to Plant your Seed
- Fill your container with the potting mixture.
- Sprinkle the seeds according to the planting instructions. Some will need to be covered with soil slightly, some
will need to be poked in deeper. A non-sharpened pencil works great for this.
- Keep
the soil moist.
- Cover the trays with a lid or plastic wrap until the germinate.
- Keep the seeds in light, and turn them every other day so they will grow upwards.
This is especially important if you place them in a window sill. The plants will grow toward the sunlight.
- Thin the seedlings when they are about 2-3" tall and have their first true leaves. You can also
transplant the "extras", but just be careful of their fragile root systems. Thinning will allow the seedlings room
to grow.
- Once a week, feed the seedlings fertilizer or compost tea, diluted
to 1/2 strength.
- Once the danger of frost has passed, you will need to harden
off the seedlings. To do this, set the seedlings outside in the shade for 2-3 hours per day the first week. The next week,
set them out longer and longer, and gradually expose them to the sun and wind.
- After
the two weeks, you should be ready to plant your seedlings outside. Check the soil to make sure it is not too wet.
- Enjoy your works of art!
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