Choosing Your Seeds

So many to choose from!  I think I'll plant a little of everything!   The majority of my seeds are herbs, and vegetables, but I do have a few annuals and perennials in my collection also.  This is just my seeds that I purchased.  I also have collected lots of seeds from my plants last year that I gathered in the fall.  They came in handy for a few of my customers who are always looking for seeds for science projects that I was able to help them out with.  

Amoung my collection I came upon Sweet Pea seeds.  They are large seeds as you can see, so they will be easy to sow.    So lets get started.   I  turn to an old "Fine Gardening" 10th Anniversary Issue magazine from 1998 that had a wonderful article entitled "Seed Starting Made Easy".   We'll see!       First thing I've learned is that you can "trick" your seeds to get them to germinate faster.  Check the packaging as to germination guidelines.   Most seeds can be soaked for 24 hours which will expose the seed embryo to moisture, causing it to soften and plump up.  Simply pour hot tap water into a shallow container and empty the packet of seeds into the water.  Spread them out and allow them to soak for no more than 24 hours.  Be sure you're ready to plant them when they come out of the water, or they might rot.  This is, by far, the easiest method to do.  The other two methods are "stratification" and "scarification"

"Stratification" - tricking the seeds into thinking they are experiencing winter by supplying them with a period of moist cold.  How do you do this?   Presoak your seeds as mentioned above.  Fill a zip-lock plastic sandwich bag with half way with moist seed starting mix and place the seeds on top of the soil.  Add another inch of soil mixture, close it up and place it in the refrigerater.  Check the bag weekly for signs of sprouting.  When you see the roots emerging, carefully remove them and place them in into pots in a warm spot and treat them as you would other seedlings. 

"Scarification" on the other hand is the process of nicking the seed coat with a knife or sandpaper so that moisture can get to the seed embryo quicker.  Obviously, these seeds are larger in size!  You can use your fingernail to dent it.  If the seed is too large or thick, you can use a knife or rat-tail file.  Don't be too zealous, you only need to remove just a small slice or section of the seed coat.  Another method of nicking the seed is place a piece of sandpaper in a jar so that it covers the entire jar.  Place the seeds in the jar, close the lid and start shaking the jar so the seeds rub against it and get abraded as you shake it vigorously.    You MUST do this just prior to planting or you risk the seeds drying out. 

This is a lot to take in, but I'm going one step at a time.