For us gardeners, the process of seed germination is quite magical. It starts for me each January, when my garden is covered with snow and working in the yard feels like a distant memory. My mailbox is deluged with seed catalogs, and I dreamily flip through about a dozen to see what's in store for me. Envisioning what the seeds from each packet will become, I see the colors, smell the scents and touch the leaves. I dog-ear pages with specimens that catch my eye. I feel extravagant as I begin to tally up the cost of all of my orders. But then I remind myself that the cost per plant is so minuscule that it would be criminal not to buy them.
Once the seeds arrive, the preparation begins. First, wash and sanitize all containers (a dab of bleach in soapy water does the trick). Separate the seed packets into piles based on the time needed to reach maturity, whether they are early or late sowers, and whether you plan to sow the seeds directly outside or get a head start by sowing indoors in early spring. (If you sow them indoors, then take them out to the garden as fledgling plants -- usually four to eight weeks later, after any chance of frost has passed -- the blooms will appear weeks or even months earlier.)
Annuals that are easily sown directly in the ground:
Basil, cosmos, cleome, hyacinth beans, larkspur, marigold, morning glory, nasturtium, pole beans, poppies, sunflowers, sweet alyssum, sweet pea, peas
Annuals to start indoors:
Calendula, celosia, cucumbers, eggplant, globe amaranth, marigolds, nicotiana, peppers, pumpkins, salvia, tithonia, tomatoes, zinnias, zucchini
Easy perennials to grow from seed:
Chrysanthemum, columbine, coneflower, foxglove, gaillardia, helenium, hollyhock, linaria, lysimachia, oriental poppies, salvia, Shasta daisy, verbascum
If you have a window with a true southern exposure, you can successfully germinate sun-loving seeds such as cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, cosmos and sunflowers. Just move the seeds away from the windows at night or put newspaper between the window and the seeds to ward off the cold. To maintain high humidity, either cover the container with a plastic bag or use the clear plastic domes sold with sowing flats.
You also can rig up a germinating room using fluorescent lights. A few years ago, I bought 12 fluorescent lighting fixtures, each 4 feet long. I attached them to 2-by-4-inch pieces of wood that are about 8 feet long and hung from chains; that way, the height of the lighting unit can be adjusted as the seeds turn into seedlings and, eventually, plants. This system gives the seeds the optimal 14 to 16 hours of light per day. Keep the lights 2 inches above the pre-germinated seeds, and when they become seedlings, raise the lights to 4 inches. I set up this system in my basement, but you can use any room in the house.
Buy a premade sowing medium. The package will be labeled "seed starting mix" and will be a composite of vermiculite, peat moss and perlite. Fill the containers to the top with sowing mix, tamp it down to compress the feather-like texture, and then add more sowing mix to bring it to the top again.
The number of seeds you plant in each container depends on their size. With large seeds such as sunflowers and sweet peas, I limit myself to three or four to a 2-by-2-inch container; with tiny poppy and nicotiana seeds, I allow up to 100 per pot. Simply press larger seeds into the soil until they're slightly covered; sprinkle smaller seeds on top of the soil. Then water the containers from the bottom and cover with a plastic dome or bag to conserve humidity.
At its essence, the Zen of germinating seeds is about taking delight in all of the rituals of selecting, ordering, preparing, planting, tending and then waiting. When all the seeds are sown, I pause and give thanks. It reminds me of when I used to tuck my children under the covers and feel that all was good and right in my world.
Soon I see that what was a dormant seed has nuzzled its way through the earth and sprouted into a green stem with two leaves ready to unfurl, and I'm filled with joy and awe. No matter how many years I do it, I always have an emotional response to this life-affirming process.
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