One sure way to brighten up the remaining winter days is to start some flower and vegetable seedlings soon for beauty and delicious eating later this year. Some plants (like Brussels sprouts and artichokes) need a long season to complete their growth. Others (like tomatoes and peppers) produce much earlier crops if they are started indoors or in a coldframe. You don't need a lot of space. Enough seedlings for a good-sized garden can be grown on a south-facing windowsill.
Because it's almost time to start onions indoors, as well as slow-growing herbs and flowers, we'll need these seeds soon. In early March, we'll plant lettuce, pepper, broccoli, cabbage and parsley seeds inside. Toward the end of next month, tomatoes, basil, more lettuce and peppers can be started. We're working on our seed orders right now.
Seeds are critical to our success as gardeners and farmers, not to mention to the continuation of life itself! They are elegant packages of genetic information and stored food, just waiting for the conditions found in warm, moist soil to begin to germinate on their way to becoming edible and visual delights created from sunshine, air, water and Earth.
You can buy seeds almost anywhere these days, from garden centers to supermarkets or even discount stores. Seeds, however, are alive and need care to maintain their viability, so we prefer to order by mail directly from seed companies, especially the smaller, independent ones in this region. They carry open-pollinated and heirloom varieties and encourage the use of organic techniques. This year, many of their catalogs express concern about genetically-modified seeds and consolidation in the global seed industry. These small seed companies themselves and the increasing availability of organically-grown seeds are the good news in the seed business.
Before ordering, we check last year's leftovers. The average seed packet for vegetables such as summer squash and peppers contains enough seeds for several years worth of plants. If these seeds are stored in a cool, dry place, many of them will still be good a year, or even two years, later. Typically, as they get older, fewer of the seeds will germinate, so we can compensate by planting them more thickly. Several types of seeds, such as parsnips and onions don't keep well at all. These seeds go into the compost.
Of course, once we start ordering seeds, it's hard to restrain ourselves. There are so many delicious vegetables, beautiful flowers and fragrant herbs from which to choose.
For good growth indoors, try to mimic springtime conditions in the garden. This implies warmer soil and perhaps extra light. We sow seeds in recycled containers filled with our best compost. After a gentle soaking, cover the flats with plastic and put them in a warm, dark place to germinate. Check them every day. As soon as the sprouts poke through the soil, remove the plastic and place the flats in bright light. Careful watering and good air movement help to prevent diseases. Chamomile tea helps to protect damage from the fungus that causes "damping off."
If you would like the names of our favorite seed sources and more information about starting seedlings, send a stamped, self addressed envelope to Seeds, WSHU, 5151 Park Avenue, Fairfield, CT 06432.
Begin the adventure. Connect with the Earth. Start seedlings soon!
This is Bill Duesing, Living on the Earth
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