Starting Vegetables and Flowers from Seed
March is always a busy month here at my Bedford, New York farm. Spring is officially one week away and everyone is getting ready for the growing season.
As part of the preparations, we start many vegetables and flowers from seed inside my greenhouse. We begin this process soon after the New Year and sow thousands of seeds - seeds we order from our favorite sources, and seeds I find during my travels. Many of this year's seeds and other supplies are from Johnny’s Selected Seeds in central Maine. Starting from seed isn’t difficult. They can be planted closely together in seed starting trays, and then pulled apart easily when they're ready to move into larger pots or outdoors. Yesterday, Ryan started some peppers, violas and foxglove.
Here are some photos, enjoy. And remember, Daylight saving time returns this weekend, so be sure to “spring forward” one hour before you go to bed tonight.
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- Many of my seeds are from Johnny’s Selected Seeds – a privately held, employee-owned organic seed producer in Winslow, Maine. Johnny’s offers hundreds of varieties of organic vegetable, herb, flower, fruit and farm seeds, along with all sorts of gardening supplies and accessories.
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- Every year, I get a good selection of both flower seeds and vegetable seeds from Johnny’s. Once they arrive, Ryan lays them out on the large table in the head house and sorts them according to type.
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- Once they are all organized, Ryan determines what order they will be started in the trays depending on how long it takes each plant to germinate. Starting from seed and nurturing them as they grow is among Ryan’s favorite gardening jobs.
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- Then he prepares markers for the plants. On each one, Ryan writes the seed variety and places it with the seed packet.
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- Markers are available at all garden supply stores. These wooden pot labels are from Johnny’s. At just about four inches long, these wooden birch veneer labels are ideal for indoor seed starting trays or individual pots.
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- Seed starting trays are available in all sizes and formations. Select the right kind of tray based on the size of the seeds. The containers should be at least two-inches deep and have adequate drainage holes. These can be saved from year to year, so don’t throw them away after the season. Our trays are also from Johnny’s.
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- Here, Ryan uses a tray with 72 separate cells. It’s best to use a pre-made seed starting mix that contains the proper amounts of vermiculite, perlite and peat moss. Seed starting mixes are also available at garden supply stores.
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- Ryan spreads the soil mix across the trays, making sure every cell is filled. The mix should be level with the top of the tray.
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- Using fingers, a dibber, or a closed thick marker pen, make a shallow hole in each cell.
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- The depressions are not deep, just enough to hold the seed in the center of each cell.
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- Ryan places a label at one end of each row indicating the variety of seeds that will be planted. In some cases, one variety gets two rows.
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- Some seeds are very small – be very careful when pouring them out of the packet. Ryan drops the seeds into the cells directly from the envelope – about two for each cell. Germination is never guaranteed, so multiple seeds are always planted. This provides a better chance at least one will take root.
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- Seeds are usually started about two months before the last frost in the area. If you’re not sure, check online or ask garden center associates when the last frost usually occurs in your location.
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- Once the entire tray has been filled, Ryan adds soil and covers the seeds completely.
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- Here, Ryan prepares flower markers for violas and foxgloves.
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- These seeds are much smaller, so Ryan uses a hand seed sower – also from Johnny’s. This tool allows one to control the flow of seeds through five different size outlets. The funnel-shaped spout makes it easy to return unused seeds to packet.
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- Once again, Ryan adds more soil, covering all the seeds and leveling off the top of the tray. And then he lightly pats the soil down, so the seeds have good contact with the medium.
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- This tray is also all done, with the appropriate labels in place. Eventually, the seedlings will be moved into trays with larger cells and then transplanted into the flower garden or the vegetable garden.
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- Some trays go into our commercial-sized Urban Cultivator. It is kept in the head house of my main greenhouse. It weighs 545-pounds and can hold up to 16-flats at one time.
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- Ryan covers both of the newly seeded trays with humidity domes. These domes remain positioned over the seed trays until germination begins.
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- The idea is to create a mini greenhouse environment for the plants.
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- The Urban Cultivator’s pre-programmed control center adds just the right amount of water, light, humidity, and air.
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- If you love gardening as much as I do, get a copy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds catalogs. I discovered Johnny’s years ago and have been using their seeds, plants, and tools ever since. Johnny’s provides practical solutions for both the home gardener and the professional farmer and uses the expertise from great horticultural masters such as Eliot Coleman. What seeds are you starting? it’s such an exciting – we’ll all be out in the gardens before we know it.
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