Even though I am still ordering seeds, I am beginning to sow some that need an early start. At this point in the process, I need to organize seeds by the germination requirements, or I risk missing an important date, such as, when to remove a tray of Cuphea seeds from the fridge, or when to subject Tropaeolum seeds to 40\u00ba temperatures.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
Even though I started ordering seeds in late December, there are still many to be ordered, but suddenly it’s March 1st, and I am a little late with my seed sowing, so it’s time to catch up. I did sow some little treasures in January and February that needed a good, head start such as pink heirloom Italian Cardoon, some snapdragons and even some florist Gloxinia ( Sinningia speciosa), which are so hard to find anymore. Along with some onions, heirloom red celery and leeks, that’s about it for seeds sown by Matt so far. Most of these need warm soil temperatures (above 80\u00ba F) in which to germinate well, but now that they are all up nd growing, I’ve relocated them to the cooler greenhouse, which makes room under my lighting system for more trays.<\/p>\n
Click below for my list: \n<\/p>\n
Here is my seed organization process:<\/p>\n
\n1. ORGANIZE SEED PACKETS AS YOU GET THEM<\/h4>\n
As orders arrive via the mailman, I create bundles of packets organized by sowing date. Tomatoes go all all together with a rubber band, so that I can keep track of how many I have ordered ( I already have doubles), Peppers and Eggplant, all together as these must be sown earlier, cucumber and beans, bundled together, as they will be sown directly into the garden once the soil temperature reached 60\u00ba in June. Annuals, greenhouse shrubs and plant, perennials, South African seeds, each are organized by sowing date or temperature requirements.( Cuphea species for example, may each need a different germination regimen, some require heat, others, a pre-chill dry in the fridge, others, may need a damp chill for 2 weeks, a brief warm period, and then cold again ). I say this only to remind you all that a seed packet may not provide all of the information you may need. Which leads me to my second bit of advice:<\/p>\n
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Sweet peas are best when started early, if you live in the north, they should be started in bright, cold windows in February and pinched, in zones 7 and higher, they could be sown in the autumn outdoors, and allowed to grow slowly.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n2. DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK ( it can be fun)<\/h4>\n
\nWith hundreds if not thousands of blogs, Pinterest boards and Google+ posts on tricks about how to germinate seeds on paper towels or on a sponge, the best advice I can give you if to first do your own research first, before you rely on a a single post. Be especially weary of Pinterest pins that will advise you that “you can grow spinach on a paper towel on your window sill, and things like that. Common sense, my friend. Common sense.<\/div>\n
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\nI start my research with Google, trusting those university sites and specialty plant societies first. Use your gut, and always approach such research as a learning process, being wary of cute, seemingly too easy or novelty ways of growing things, as most likely, well…you know what I am going to say. Novelty methods are always a great way to get kids interested in gardening, but I would save the carrot tops and celery bases for kids kitchen projects, but not for raising your own food.<\/div>\n