Grow: A new series for the green-thumb-impaired

2Lisa Ashby • 29th Jan 2010 • Projects, Gardening, Projects • garden, gardening, seed starting, seeds, spring

A while back, I promised a series about gardening for those that are new to gardening or that had tried it a few times, like me, with little success. I had no idea I’d be writing my first post in January, but that’s also probably a small part of why I failed the first time.

Did you know that most people start planning their spring gardens in November and December? And depending on when your last spring frost date is (ours is March 17th) and whether or not you use a greenhouse, you’ll probably be planting flowers a couple of months before that date and vegetables shortly afterwards. The key is getting them started as early as possible so that you have the largest possible harvest. (Funny thing is, I never even considered the weather any other times I tried to grow a garden. The planning is pretty intense but for an organizational nerd like me, it looks like a lot of fun.)

I met with Ryan the second week of January to start planting flower seeds. It was cold. In fact, it was so cold that it took me about 3 hours after I left that day to thaw out. I learned a lot, though – little things that may be intuitive to others but certainly not to me. I had a few aha! moments, and I felt right at home playing in the dirt.

Here are a few tips I learned on starting seeds:

• Seeds like fine soil and even the tiniest particle of wood or mulch will prevent a seed from sprouting. Instead of spending the big bucks on special seed-starting mix, take the regular stuff and sift it with a old fryer basket. Save the mulch so you can use it elsewhere, and use the sifted soil for your seeds.
• Fill your cellpacks or containers with the mix and press it in lightly. Thoroughly water the soil, then plant the seeds. (I know this sounds like common sense, but I always did it the other way around which causes tiny seeds to wash away.)
• A dull wooden pencil is the perfect seed-planting tool. Use it to create a little pocket in the soil for your seed, and use it to pick up the tiniest of seeds to place them in the dirt. Trust me, it’s much easier than using your fingers.
• Check the seed package to see how deep the seed needs to be planted. If it says “light required”, sow it directly on the surface. If it should be 1/8″ deep, just poke a small hole in the dirt and place the seed in it. You’ll be surprised how shallow 1/8″ actually is.
• You only have to plant one seed for each plant you want to grow. If you’re using good seeds and sowing them with care, they will grow just fine.

I totally forgot to take my camera, but I will remember to bring it next time. I’m so excited about the weeks to come and can’t wait to play in the dirt again!

I will continue this series on Fridays – probably not every week right away, but consistently. Subscribe via RSS or email for updates.

Image Credit: hijukal