Hello Gardeners
Hope you are enjoying our new snow! Even if you aren’t a winter lover, I’m sure you appreciate how much the snow helps your garden and all the other plants around us. Not only does the snow provide moisture when it melts, buts it helps insulate the soil from deep freezing temperatures which could harm a plant’s roots. I enjoy how the snow covered the landscape and brightened up the dreary browns and greys we’ve had most of this winter.
Update on the Next Seed Packaging Event
I added over 1,200 seed packets to the seed library last month! Thank you to all the volunteers who helped package seeds and donated seeds. These added seeds were mostly vegetable and herbs seeds, but also some annuals and native plant seeds. I have more seeds to packages, especially tomatoes, peppers and annuals. I’m planning on another seed packaging event for a Saturday, but holding off for a specific day until I can be reasonably assured it won’t snow or ice on that day. I’ll send an email out to everyone when that day occurs.
How to Start Seeds Indoors
The last email I sent I wrote about planning your seed starting adventure. Today I’ll tackle how to actually start seeds indoors. Here are some dates you’ll need to plan your start date for seeds:
May 10 – there’s a 50% chance of frost on this date
May 25 – there’s only a 10% chance of frost on this date
Most seed packets will tell you to start certain seeds nn number weeks before average last date of frost. You can use the May 10th date and count backwards the number of weeks. So, for example,
Tomatoes – start 4-6 weeks before average last date of frost means start sometime between March 29 – April12.
Peppers – start 6-8 weeks before average last date of frost means start sometime between March 15- March 29.
Annuals and herbs – start 4-12 weeks before average last date of frost, depending on the type of plant, means start sometime between Feb 15 – April 12.
Of course, you can start your seeds earlier, but it means you may have to transplant them more often, pay for more weeks of artificial light and risk growing tall, leggy plants which do poorly once outside.
Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants you need to start indoors as they have a longer growing season than what we have in Minnesota. Other vegetables fall somewhere between starting early to produce an earlier crop to direct sowing seeds in the garden at appropriate times. Please check the seed packet or look online using one of the resources at the end of this email for specifics for each type of plant.
Here are some basic steps to get your seeds started:
1. Prepare trays or small pots with soil, either seed starting soil or other potting soil.
2. Plant seeds, using the depth recommended on packet. Many seeds need light to germinate or are very tiny, so they only are placed on the surface.
3. Water gently. A spray bottle is a good choice as it won’t wash away your seeds.
4. Cover with a clear plastic cover or plastic wrap to hold in moisture.
5. Place under grow lights for about 12 hours per day.
6. Examine everyday and water if needed to keep evenly moist.
7. Once seedlings emerge, remove clear cover so plants aren’t too moist to prevent damping off or other fungal diseases.
8. Transplant to a larger container after each seedling has 2 sets of true leaves. Cotyledons or ‘seed leaves’ are not true leaves. They are part of the seed which provides food for the growing plant.
9. Continue to provide 12-16 hours of light, but not more as plants need darkness as well to grow. Keep the lights close to the plants to help prevent tall, leggy plants. You want short, stocky plants which will grow better outside.
10. Some seedlings grow fast and will need to be transplanted again into larger containers. Especially plants, such as tomatoes, will probably need a second transplanting. I also provide my plants with artificial wind via a small fan that circulates the air around the plants. Not only does it help prevent diseases it helps the stems grow stronger.
11. Once, the temperatures are warm enough for the little plant to be outside (peppers, tomatoes and eggplants need day and nighttime temperatures at least 50+ degrees) start to harden off your seedlings. This involves bringing your plants outside in a sheltered location for a few hours every day. Start with 1-2 hours and slowly add time each day. Bring them in after their time outside or if it storms or is very windy. You may think this is not an important step, but if you take your little plants from their spa-like conditions inside and plant them outside without this gradual hardening off, they will suffer a major setback or even die in the cold, cruel real world!
12. Water immediately after transplanting and continue to water every day for a week or two as needed to keep the root area moist until the plant is established.
13. Mulch around each plant with hay, straw, newspapers or other biodegradable mulch. Mulch helps retain water and prevent weeds.
14. Continue to water and weed as necessary. And most of all—enjoy your harvest!
During the next seed packaging I’ll go over starting seeds in more details. Feel free to ask any question via my email (wblseedlibrary@gmail.com).
As a bonus, if you read to the end of this email, you’ll get a funny for the day.
Did you know there are seeds lists of the available seeds online?
To be sure, these are not updated daily, not even weekly, I’m afraid as it is a time-consuming process. I usually update them once a month during the height of the growing season.
Here are the links:
Native plant seeds: Native Plant List
Vegetable and Herb List: Vegetable and Herb List
Flower seeds: Flowers
There’s still time to start native plant seeds!
Most native plant seeds need 30-60 days of stratification, so if you start now or very soon, you’ll have enough time to get these little seeds on their way to producing great plants!
Many native plant seeds need a period of stratification before they will germinate. Stratification is a period of a cold, moist environment (i.e. winter) before the seed will germinate. This is nature’s way of preventing seeds from germinating in the fall when there may only be a few weeks for the seedling to grow.
Stratification can be done many ways.
1. Direct sow seeds in the ground this fall. They will germinate next spring.
2. Use the winter sowing method using plastic jugs or containers. In this method you use empty milk/water jugs or empty plastic container with a clear cover, such as take out chicken containers or large yogurt containers. Start by punching holes all over the bottom, sides and top of the containers. If you are using a plastic jug, cut along the equator of the jug leaving a small bit uncut by the handle. Place about 3” of potting soil (not garden soil) in the bottom of the container. Plant the seeds. Put the cover on the container and place outside in a sheltered area that will receive sun and rain/snow for the winter. Early next spring check the container and water if necessary. Soon you will have seedling emerging. Later in the spring or early summer you can plant these seedlings directly in your garden as they will not need to be hardened off.
3. You can also do winter sowing using damp fine sand or damp coffee filters and a Ziploc bag. Place the seed in the sand or on the coffee filter. Place in a ziplock bag and store in your refrigerator for the number of days needed to stratify. (All the seed library packets specify the stratification time.) After the stratification time has elapsed plant the seeds in trays or small containers to germinate inside your home. These seedlings will need to be hardened off before planting in your garden late spring.
SEED DONATIONS NEEDED!
The WBL seed library is a “self-serve’ seed library, but it is not “self-replenishing”!
Though I received many, many packets of commercial seeds, I am missing locally grown seeds of tomatoes, beans, peas, lettuce and annuals. These are actually better than commercial seeds as locally harvested seeds have grown in our environment and will likely produce a better crop than seeds grown in other locations across the United States.
If you saved any open pollinated (not hybrid) varieties of tomato, bean, peas, lettuce, annuals or native plant seeds, please drop them off at the seed library table in the plastic bin.
Upcoming Events:
Mounds View Yard and Garden Expo
Saturday March 1, 10am - 2pm, at the Mounds View Event Center
Educational content will include gardening, backyard foraging, chickens, beekeeping, etc.
Resources:
https://joegardener.com/podcasts/ - Joe Gardener website has lots of basic info on growing plants as well as information on other garden topic. The podcasts usually last about an hour, or you can read the text online.
https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden - The University of Minnesota’s website on everything about your yard and garden. How to grow information as well as problems with pests and diseases.
https://www.growyourownfeast.com/vegetable-gardening-by-state/vegetable-gardening-in-minnesota/ - Lots of great information on when, what and how to grow vegetables in Minnesota.
https://www.prairiemoon.com/ - Prairie Moon Nursery is all about native plants! Find seed, plant and bare root plants as well as information about how to grow Minnesota natives.
Reward Time
As a reward for reading this entire email I’ll leave you with two ‘Dad Jokes’ provided to me by one of our community gardeners.
What do cartographers give their sweethearts on Valentine’s Day?
- A Compass Rose
Did you hear about one flower who went on a date with another flower?
- It’s a budding romance
Pam
Contact info for the Seed Library:
Email: wblseedlibrary@gmail.com
Blog site: WBL Seed Library
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