Melinda Myers, a.k.a. The Plant Doctor (for Birds and Blooms magazine) makes successful seed sowing look easy. As Melinda says, growing plants from seeds is a great opportunity to try new and unique varieties that aren’t available at the garden center. But you need to sow the seeds properly. Melinda observes (rightly in my case) that one might not have had seed success in the past. But she offers three tips that should get me off to a good start in the spring.
First, always use a sterilized container, either purpose-built seed trays from the garden center or from last year’s gardening, or empty plastic containers. The important thing is to sterilize them by washing them in 1 part disinfectant to 9 parts water. Or you can use biodegradable pots.
Second, you fill your seed container with sterilized container mix. Plant the seeds according to instructions and water them softly and gradually with a gentle stream so that the seeds don’t get washed away. keep the soil damp at all times.
Third, watch the environment. If the seed trays are not in a greenhouse, keep them in a warm place. Some seed trays come with plastic covers attached to help keep the plants warm. You could even consider putting down a purpose-made heating mat under the trays.
Good luck in springtime!
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