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!

Yardsmarts of www.yardsmarts.com give a compact little video (1 min 43 secs) that should leave you in no doubt as to how to fill in that bare patch in your lawn or establish a lawn in a bare yard. The principles are the same no matter the size area you want to seed.

The Yardsmarts commentator recommends spring or fall for planting in the Northern US states which are cooler and summer for the Southern states. You go out and buy a sack (or sacks) of good quality grass seed. Before leaving the store, read the label. Weed seed (there is always some mixed into the grass seed) should amount to no more than 0.2%.

Right, so you go home and prepare the soil by raking it. Then you spread the seed either by hand or using a small spreader (for small areas) or a broadcast spreader (for large areas). The idea is to get about 15 seeds per square inch. Then you tamp or rake the seeds into the soil (small area) or heavy roller (larger area).

Then you need to spread straw or peat moss over the area to keep the seeds in place while they germinate and keep the soil moist. Finally you water the area gently and keep it watered whil the lawn is getting established. Water it twice a day if necessary. You don’t want it to dry out.

Here is a professionally produced short video (48 seconds) that reveals interesting information to help you germinate seeds successfully.

First, you should work very cleanly. Wear gloves when working with seeds, and make sure your container is spotless, too.

Second, soak the seeds for 24 to 48 hours in clean water in a clean glass bowl before planting.

Third, when you have planted the seeds in seed sowing compost in a seed tray container (cover the seeds gently with a little soil), and watered the tray lightly, you should cover the container with clingfilm.

Fourth, keep checking that the soil is moist but not waterlogged.

Fifth, only once the seedlings have appeared, should you remove the clingfilm and place the tray in a sunny area.