Starting Seeds? Here's a Unique Idea...

Little miracles inside these seeds.

It's that time again. Start those seeds for your garden.

My fellow blogging friend, Celia Leaman, and avid gardener shares her unique idea for starting her seeds-Wishing to start some seeds, and lacking a dedicated bottom heater, I had the brilliant idea of sowing the seeds in trays, placing them in a shallow box lid and encasing the whole thing in a large polythene bag which I slid into one side of our large king bed. My husband being away, I kept them there for a day or two, the heater turned on low. I slept in the other side! So warm and cosy, those seeds germinated in no time!

Celia's idea for sprouting seeds is very creative. Check out this previous post on how my DH sprouted seeds too.

Do you have a tip on germinating your seeds? Please let us know your secret...

Celia and I post blogs at Women Etcetera and you can too. It is a group dedicated to women over 50. The blogs are inspirational, poignant, funny, thoughtful, and sometimes controversial. Come join us. Learn more about this wonderful group of women whose "diverse pasts have brought us to this point--our mutual desires, wisdom to share, and hope for the future bring us together." Check out this site. You may want to sign up to join a local group in your area or to blog along with us.

Seed Starting

In this photo my DH placed the seeds on a wet paper towel and set them in a warm place to sprout.

Time to check the backs of your seed packages for seed starting time. Read the instructions on the back of each seed packet so will be able to transplant a strong healthy plant in the garden this spring.

Check my previous post on seed germination for helpful information for giving your seeds a good start. There are so many containers to use and methods of transplanting.

A video by Peaceful Valley is interesting, but definitely not the only way to start seeds. Watch it and you may find some interesting tips and of course feed your urge to get out the seeds and go...LOL..Be patient, you Northerners. You don't want to get too anxious and have the seeds indoors growing too large to transplant this spring. Yep, we've been there and done that!! Have fun!

Build Your Own Cold Frames

Cold frames are easy and affordable structures to kickstart your seedlings and plants. The minute the warm weather arrives, the frost date passes, you will be ready to get a jump on the growing season by planting strong plants in your vegetable garden.

Location, location, location. Choose a sunny area with good drainage. Placing the cold frame near a building or wind break will shelter the plants from cold spring winds. Oh yes, I know how those lovely spring breezes can change into strong cold, injuring/killing winds. A water source should be close enough that you can easily run a hose to the frames for watering the plants.
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Go to your Habitat for Humanity warehouse, Good Will, your uncle's garage, or wherever you can pick up some used windows. These make excellent tops for cold frames. You can set the glass panes on top of cement blocks making sure you have a way to weight them down to weather the winds. You can also build a "frame" of wood to set the window on. The wood frame allows you to add hinges to the window and attach it to the frame so you can prop open the window allowing air to circulate through the plants.

My DH suggested using 4-6 mm vinyl stapled to a frame if you cannot locate windows. Check the nurseries and lumber companies for the vinyl.

CAUTION: On a sunny day, you must take the cover off the plants or they will bake in the cold frame box. Prop the window up with a stick, but CAUTION that the wind doesn't blow the window over and break it.

Cold frames are an inexpensive way to get a head start on your garden by hardening off the plants--acclimating them for outdoor planting. After the weather turns warm, the cold frame can be taken apart and put away until you need it next year. Best of all, when you get that itch to play in the dirt and start those seeds, you can get to it earlier by protecting the tender seedlings and plants in the cold frame.

Sprouting Seeds--Awesome!

I love this photo of the tiny sprouted seeds in the container. My DH needs tweezers to handle the delicate miracles. Some day these seeds will mature into Christa tomato plants and Red Derby bibb lettuce plants, then develop the fruit that we can eat and enjoy.

It takes patience and care from you, the gardener, and rains and sunshine from Heaven. I am beginning to understand the gardeners who do this year after year. The awe and wonder of this mysterious seed producing food is always thrilling and satisfying for the body and the soul.

For more information on starting seeds for your garden, check out my post on planting seeds for your garden.

Sprouting Onion Seeds

These tiny little black seeds are the beginning of candy onions to eat this fall. We discovered these delicious candy onions while shopping at the Shipshewana, IN flea market in September. They are a mild, sweet onion good for cooking or in salads.

My always adventurous DH decided to sprout these seeds and start the plants while we are here in FL. Yes, we will baby them until we leave for Michigan in April.

In the first photo, he is scoring the hard shell of the seed in order to make it easier for the little sprout to get through the covering.

He put the scored seed on a wet paper towel in small plastic containers (including the lid from the Miracle Whip jar). My DH placed them on the wireless router and on the cable modem box (shh, don't tell the cable guys). The temperature on top of the boxes are just warm enough to coax the seeds to sprout. In the picture, you can see one container on the router right next to our electric pencil sharpener.

Within a few days, the seeds sprouted. Next he will plant the seeds in cell packs.

It's always fun to play with seeds. They are powerful little mysteries of creation.

PLANTING SEEDS FOR YOUR GARDEN

In this day of money-saving ideas, it just makes sense to start seeds for your garden rather than buying the plant set. A package of seeds will cost under $2.00 for about 20 seeds. A tomato plant in a 4 inch pot may set you back $3.00.

Germinate Seeds in Great Soil
Again I am preaching on the importance of soil or growing medium to germinate your seeds. Plant them in a flat, a paper cup, a plastic box that held a salad, or whatever you choose, but do not, do not, fill those containers with dirt from your garden. The delicate roots don't need to compete with rocks and sand and clay to grow. Make it easy for them to snuggle into a nice comfy home of sterile soil. This will make a stronger plant that will be able to transplant nicely when it is grown from a baby to a teen ager.

Timing Seeds to be Ready to Transplant
Read the back of the seed packet to see how many days it will take until you can enjoy that delicious vegetable. Then you must calculate backwards when the weather will allow you to set the seedlings outdoors. Figure from that point the date to plant the seed inside to grow it to transplant size. Some folks get the urge to plant and start their seedlings so early that soon they have a huge plant that needs to be transplanted but the weather is not favorable for growing. So especially be careful when figuring tomato and pepper plant seedlings.

Troubleshooting
Choose a light area to begin your seeds whether a bright window, grow light, cold frame, or greenhouse. If you see that the plants are growing tall and stringy, then you definitely need more light. Yellowing leaves is usually a result of keeping the soil too dry or too wet. Always, always feel the soil before watering.

Cold Frames and Greenhouses
Cold frames can be constructed as simply as a box with an old window on top of it. Just be sure that you have a way of propping open the top so that the plants won't bake in the spring sunshine.

Greenhouse kits are available in every size, but I can assure you that once you get into raising plants in the greenhouse, you will soon outgrow that greenhouse. It's just a law of nature, I think. Check out the photos here of the greenhouse that my husband constructed this year. It is made of pvc pipe which is inserted into a larger sleeve in the ground. After the plants have been transferred to the garden, he will take down the greenhouse and put it away until next spring. He put two sheets of poly on the house with a small fan to inflate the layers. This helps to keep the cold out and the warm in, and the poly is tight and not blown about in a wind. If you have questions about the construction, please contact me.

Best of luck in seed starting, germination, and transplanting. I bet you can't wait to sink your teeth into those delicious tomatoes, peppers, or your favorite vegetables.