The Miracle of Green Sprouts..

“He who plants beneath the sod, expresses faith and a belief in God.” – Author unknown

The above quote is one of my favorites. To me, it summarizes one of the reasons I love to garden. Anyone who has ever started their own seeds knows what I mean. There is just something special about that little green sprout finally peeking through the ground. Especially when you have almost given up hope that it will. Imagine watering and caring for a potted tray or two of soil and seeds under grow lights. You water and wait. Wait and water. Even though the seed packets will usually give you an idea of how long the wait will be, it seems like it takes forever. Then finally, you see a little green head trying to poke its way through the soil. Success! Keep in mind that this is usually occurring when the outside world is gray and winter conditions linger. The sun shines intermittently for short periods of time only and the temperatures are cold. You crave green plants and any connection to Mother Nature (and Spring’s warmth) so you plant a few seeds. Only to discover that they don’t germinate over night. But when they do…it is heavenly. It is also confirmation of the knowledge that the natural world will survive. Green plants will sprout each spring no matter what. Even though man’s world is chaotic at times, nature will continue to thrive. How calming is that thought? What better reason is there to plant seeds than this? Helping nature and nature’s plants and critters to endure and provide hope. Hope for the present and hope for the future.

Now is the time to begin planting your seeds inside in preparation for the spring season. Are you ready? If you do not know how or where to start, don’t fret. I will provide some basic guidelines to help. So how do you get started? First of all, you will need a good quality seed starting mix, seeds and some type of pot or container and cover. Recycled egg cartons can work but you must first poke holes in the bottom for drainage. The egg carton lid can then be placed underneath the egg carton ‘pot’ to catch the drainage water. Other recycled containers can also be used; yogurt containers, square milk containers, styrofoam cups, etc. Just keep in mind the need for drainage holes so the plants do not drown and match the size of container to the location where you will be growing them. The seedlings will need light to grow and prosper so narrow pots that fit in a south windowsill may be a good option. You will also need some sort of clear plastic bag or dome to be placed over the top of the planted seeds to keep moisture from evaporating. This will be removed once the seedlings have grown some to avoid having too much water in the soil. Heat mats are also available to help keep your soil level constantly warm. They are placed underneath the pots and plugged in. There are advantages and disadvantages to using heat mats. I, personally, like to use them but the small plants do become accustomed to the heat and can be more difficult to ‘harden off’ once they are large enough to be re-potted. Of course additional seed-starting supplies are also available via catalogs, in stores and on-line. But for the average home gardener, these supplies are not necessary.

Each seed packet should tell you how many weeks the seeds need to be planted before the last frost date. They will also tell you if the seeds need to be cold-treated (placed in the refrigerator), nicked (to help break through a hard shell) or soaked in water before planting. Read the packet carefully and follow the instructions.

Now you are ready to plant your seeds. Spread newspaper over the surface you will be planting on first. This will allow easier clean up when finished. Make sure your pots have drainage holes or poke the holes now. Fill each pot about 3/4 of the way to the top and water if the soil isn’t already moist. The soil should be moist but not saturated. (Water can also be added to the bag of seed starting mix and mixed in before placing the soil in pots. Be careful to add just enough water to dampen the soil and mix with your hands or a trowel.) Next, plant the seeds according to the package directions. Some seeds need light to germinate so they are planted on top of the soil. Some need to be lightly covered so they can be sprinkled with a light layer of potting mix. Some seeds can be pushed into the soil and covered. The general rule of thumb is to match the plant depth with the size of the seeds. In other words, if the seed is very small, it should either be placed on top of the soil or lightly covered. But if the seed is large, it should be planted deeper. If you are planting in small seed cells, plant 1-2 seeds per cell. The bigger the pot, the more seeds you can plant together. Just remember, each seedling will need room to grow if you want healthy plants. Once planted, lightly mist the surface of the soil with a squirt bottle filled with water. Label the pot with the name of the plant and date (masking tape placed on the side of the pot or a popsicle stick placed in the soil work well) and cover with a plastic bag or dome. Place the pot in the windowsill or under grow lights (if you have them). Check every day or so and do not let the soil dry out. An added caution is to be careful not to over-water the seedlings. (Too much water is just as disastrous to seedlings as too little water.) The seed packet will describe the length of time until germination. This is the time you should start seeing green sprouts emerge from the soil. Once the sprouts emerges and the first set of ‘true’ leaves emerge, (these are the first leaves grown after those that emerged initially from the soil) the cover can be removed. Remember, the seedlings will dry out much more quickly without the cover so you will need to water them more. A water-soluble fertilizer can then be added to the watering routine. Fish emulsion or Epsom salts work great for herb plants but other organic fertilizers are available on the market too. Once the plants become larger, they will need to be divided and placed into separate pots. This can be accomplished easily as long as the roots are minimally disturbed.

I know that learning how to garden can seem overwhelming at first. How well I remember the early days when heavy clay soil was new to me. Many, many plants died while I was trying to figure it all out. Keep in mind that the loss of plants is just part of the learning experience and that eventually things will begin to grow and even thrive. Gardening is a lifelong adventure that truly IS rewarding for those who are brave enough to take a chance. So have some faith, get your hands in the dirt and plant your own little sprouts today. I guarantee you will be glad you did!

Thanks for reading along. Seed starting, another of life’s simple pleasures…