Back in January, I wrote a post about getting ready for spring time in the garden. In that post I told you about using spinach containers as mini greenhouses. We started seeds with the gardening students at Ruston Junior High using these containers as well as aluminum cake pans with lids and egg cartons. Our goal is to help the kids realize that gardening doesn't have to be expensive and that gardening is a fundamental part of the Recycle/Reuse frame of mind.
Later, I started my own seeds and those mini greenhouses worked like a charm!! I have them set up on the island in the kitchen. Seeds need a temperature range between 65-75 degrees to germinate, and even though I have a greenhouse, it doesn't have a heater. So being in the house is best for the seeds at this point. Also, the seeds need to be kept moist, so being in the kitchen makes it easier for me to remember to mist them on a regular basis. (Misting should be done with distilled water.)
The LSU AgCenter says that "the medium used for starting seeds should be sterile, easily drained. and finely textured." I bought a commercially prepared mix at our local garden center. I put about three inches of the medium in each container and then soaked it. (Remember that holes must be put in the bottom of each container! The medium should be very damp, not soaking. ) Then I carefully spread the seeds on top of the medium. The salvia seeds need light to germinate so they were left uncovered. The zinnia, marigold, cosmos, and arugula seeds needed to be lightly covered. (Usually the seed packet will tell you how to cover your seeds, but if not, you can look it up on the Internet.)
I wanted to use vermiculite to cover the seeds, but couldn't find any in all of Ruston, so I asked Donna, our MG seed guru, if I could use perlite. She said yes, but the only kind I could find was perlite with fertilizer. I wasn't sure if you could use fertilizer this early in the germination process and spent a couple of anxious days over this question, but all of the seeds have germinated so I guess the answer is "Yes".
After the seeds germinate, they need light! But tomorrow is the beginning of an ice storm here in North Louisiana, so the seedlings will have to stay a while longer in the kitchen. I have three pendant lights over the island but decided to raise the seeds closer to the light.
Seedlings are not transplanted until they have their first "true" leaves. The first leaf like structures are called cotyledons and are not true leaves. The second pair of green leafy structures are the true leaves. Then each seedling needs to be carefully "scooped" up and transplanted into individual containers filled with the same medium until it is warm enough to plant them in the garden. At this point light is very important, as is fertilizer. The AgCenter recommends a 20-20-20 water soluble fertilizer mixed half strength once a week.
Many gardeners have left over containers they have accumulated through the years, but if you don't, individual containers can be made out of toilet paper and paper towel rolls. Here is a picture from Pinterest:
My seeds have germinated, but I have yet to transplant them and grow them into beautiful little plants ready for the garden in about five weeks. I have a long way to go before I can claim complete success, but for now, "Houston, we have lift off!"
Love ya'll,
Shelli (The Seed Novice)
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