Spring is here! And across the world, gardeners of every age
are getting ready to plant their gardens - whether they're growing containers
of herbs on the porch, a plot of vegetables, or a sunny bed of flowers. Nurseries, garden centers and even drugstores
are stocking up on potted plants and seedlings to sell, but those of us who
like a little more variety, and maybe want to plant a larger garden
cost-effectively, will know to pass up the potted plants and head over to the
seed rack. Buying seed to start yourself
will give you far more plants for your money, as well as offer many more
varieties - usually varieties of heirlooms and other neat flowers and
vegetables you can't find as seedlings in pots.
Plus, starting your own seeds is always so much more rewarding! And with a little patience and practice, it's
really not difficult to get the hang of!
With that in mind, I wanted
to address a series of seed starting issues, step-by-step, and pass along a few
tips.
Containers for Starting
Seeds
Unless you plan to sow
seeds directly into the ground (a perfectly viable option), planting in containers
will allow you to keep a closer eye on germination and give your seedlings a
little extra protection. Seedlings in
containers can be easily moved into a protected area if there is heavy rain or
an unseasonably hot day, then transplanted into the garden when they're big
enough to take better care of themselves. So, you're going to start your seeds in
containers... but what type of container?
Really, mostly anything you can find that's two to four inches deep will
do, as long as it's clean (so disease isn't spread to your new seedlings) and
allows drainage.
I'm a recycling, reusing,
composting fanatic (not to mention avid do-it-yourself-er), so some of my
favorite seed starting containers are also the simplest solutions:
- Reused nursery flats, pots and six pack containers: Wash and disinfect with hot soapy water and rinse in a dilute solution of water and white vinegar. (Or bleach, but bleach is pretty nasty, unnecessarily harsh stuff, both on your skin and the environment, and vinegar works fabulously as a substitute.) Rinse and save for next year or recycle them after transplanting.
- Paper egg cartons: Avoid the polystyrene (Styrofoam) ones, all the time, always. Once it's created - from chemically altered fossil fuels - the stuff sticks around forever, filling landfills and polluting ecosystems... So really, just avoid it altogether, in every form. Besides, paper egg cartons are biodegradable, so there's no need to even transplant your seedlings. Just pull or cut apart the individual cups and plant; the seedling with grow roots right through the carton, and will be even happier for not having had those little roots disturbed in transplanting!
- Yogurt cups: Wash and punch holes in the bottoms for drainage. Rinse off and recycle (or save for next year) after transplanting.
- Milk or juice jugs/cartons: Cut off the tops, punch holes in the bottoms, and plant. Cardboard cartons can be composted after transplanting, and plastic jugs saved for reuse or recycled.
- Cereal boxes: Cut out one large panel (the front or back) and tape the top flaps closed. The cardboard does start to get soggy and break down after a couple weeks, but by then the seedlings should be ready to be transplanted. And, the best news, soggy cereal boxes can be composted when you're done with them! Hooray!
Next up... How to make your own seed starting mix!
