Starting Seeds - For Fun, Food, and Profit!

Last week the Farmers Market ad hoc steering committee met (Sid Moffat, Mike Denker, George Figdor, Mardell Gunn, and myself). We were trying to nail down dates. Worried that June 14 might be too early for the first market, but too late for “starts,” we looked at vendor sales data. Wow. One vendor grossed $80 selling starts as late as June 24. Another, also selling starts the same date, grossed $70. See the side bar for the 2008 Market dates.

So, don’t worry about planting too many seeds. Take your surplus to the Haines Farmers Market and recoup seed and soil money.

Sometimes lovingly planted seeds don’t sprout. What’s that all about? And what can be done to minimize that particular source of heartache.

My new favorite seed company, Denali Seed, posts some “Growing Tips” that might help. But they don’t spare feelings. “Poor germination, “ they write, “though usually blamed by the grower on the seed, is probably not the fault of the seed.” Darn. That means it’s probably my fault.

But here are some “dos” and “don’ts” that I’m trying hard to apply this year: pay attention to moisture; pay attention to planting depth (including to cover with soil or not); and pay attention to temperature. Optimizing these three dimensions will help the seed germinate quickly, because, as counter intuitive as this may be, “the longer the seed is in the soil before it sprouts, the more prone it is to rot and disease. “

Moisture: There is an embryo inside the seed. It needs both moisture and oxygen in order to break out of its dormancy. That’s why successful gardeners keep seed flats moist at all times. It's also why you are instructed to “press the seed into the soil.” Pressing assures contact between the seed and the moist soil. Seed packets are not labeled with this warning, but it might help if they were: “If the embryo of the seed becomes dry after it has swollen with moisture, the seed will die.”

Some seeds are encased in a really hard coat. In nature, this hard coat is scratched off by soil action. When you want to plant seeds with hard coats, you soak them first. Have you ever forgotten those peas you set soaking? Think of those years when your pea patch really didn’t germinate very well. I don’t know about you, but I blamed in on the peas, the weather, and the pea pulling blue jays. Given the warning below, I think it was probably my own fault – again. “Soak seed in warm water for a period of 8 to 24 hours, NO LONGER, then plant …IMMEDIATELY. Allowing the seed to stand in water for longer periods will starve the embryo for oxygen which kills the embryo.”

Flats can be covered with black plastic or newspaper to help preserve moisture during germination. If the seed requires light to germinate, cover with clear plastic. BUT be sure to check daily in order to remove the covering as soon as the seedlings sprout. That means, if you are going away for a few days, uncover your flats BEFORE you go!

Planting depth: Not all seeds get covered with soil, but for those that do, the rule of thumb is a depth of two times the seed diameter. If you plant the seed too deep, the stored energy in the seed runs out before the seedling reaches the soil surface. Have you ever measured the diameters of your seeds? Let’s see, that’s 2 mm of soil covering for the basil and pansies….that's a very very thin layer of dirt!

Some seeds actually require light to germinate. Lettuce and celery are in this category.

Temperature: For me, this is a problem. I keep my house quite cool. It’s only 68 F in the kitchen, about 5 feet from the wood stove. This time of year, I put seed flats on a shelf in front of a large bank of windows on the 3rd floor, but on average it’s still cooler than the recommended 68 – 70 F for germination - unless we are having an awesomely sunny day – unlike today. (Today it is gently but relentlessly snowing. )

The good news is that there are plants that actually start best at about 50- 55 F, including my signature lettuce. The Alaska Cooperative Extension Service lists the following flowers and veggies as cool starters: Petunia, Snapdragon, Sweet Alyssum, African Daisy, Ageratum, Larkspur, Nasturtium, Bachelor Button, Candytuft, Clarkia, Marigold, Phlox, Nemophila, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. I’ve started Lobelia and Verbena because they are slow growers, but I put those flats over a vent that wicks warm air from the stove up to the third floor, so maybe they will be OK. Sometimes an Alaskan gardener just has to push the envelope.