Sunday, March 6, 2011

Seed Starting

I got antsy last weekend and started some spinach, arugula and yellowleaf lettuce seeds in hopes of having some fresh greens before I can get them from the garden. I didn't water them correctly (I have a spray bottle now) so the germination was a bit uneven, but I'm hoping that will be fixed this week.

Today I planted onions (36), two kinds of swiss chard (12), parsley (24) and chamomile. The new seeds are on a warming mat under the lights, and they look quite happy. These all should actually be started next weekend, but I'll be out of town.


When I first started gardening (2 years ago), I had no idea how to start seeds. Now I'm feeling a bit more confident. For other neophytes out there, here's a quick example of the different shapes and sizes seeds come in.







So you get a sense of scale, here's the paper I wrote on, next to a seed packet.


Next up: I'll be starting peppers and tomatoes on March 20.

1 comment:

  1. I love your growing rack. That's on our "to-do" list for next winter! Last year & this year we're making due with decent windows indoors and early moves to outdoor living w/macgyver cold frames (worked well last year) and a small shelf that's a plastic-encased cheater "greenhouse" (new this year!). But IMO lights indoors is the way to go, or at least one of the best ways to go.. I just have to fit that project into my schedule someday!

    It's great that your lettuces are up and running, they thrive in our good ol' brisk northern springtime weather. Oh, the joy of backyard salads! Thank you for extra motivation. I'm going to go start my seeds ASAP tonight.

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