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Starting Seeds

Get a jump on the growing season by starting your favorite or hard-to-find plants indoors.

Start with some clean containers.  Either purchase some or recycle or even make your own from newspaper.  Fill with a well-drained potting mix or a sterile seed starting mix.  Once the containers are filled, check the back of your seed packets. They contain all the information on when and how to plant your seeds.

Simply place the seeds on the soil surface and cover with about twice the seed diameter of soil and be sure to water them well.  Cover the container with plastic or one of the pre-fab domes; that helps hold moisture and humidity in and speed up germination.

It’s time to move them to a sunny location or better yet, under artificial lights.  As soon as those seedlings sprout through the soil, you’re well on your way to a beautiful garden season.

Just a bit more information:  Many of us save our left-over seeds from one season to the next--maybe longer.  If you are worried about the seeds viability, I have a simple test to help take the worry out of planting saved seeds.

Take 10 seeds from the packet and roll in a moist paper towel.  Place the paper towel in a plastic bag and seal.  Place this in a warm, out-of-the-way location where you won’t forget.  Check the seeds in five to seven days.  Remove them from the plastic bag, unroll the toweling and see what sprouted.  If all the seeds sprout, you can plant as directed on the package.  If only half the seeds sprout, double up your planting.  If none have sprouted, give them a few more days in the bag.  If there is still no sign of life, it is time to invest in fresh seeds.  Some plants take longer to germinate (sprout).  Check the back of the seed packet and extend the waiting period as needed.

Don’t let the sprouts go to waste.  Plant the sprouted test seeds in your containers or outdoors in the garden if the conditions are right. 

Visit our TV6 Family Garden page to follow our garden's growth. 

For more gardening tips, podcasts and more, visit www.melindamyers.com

About Melinda Myers
Melinda Myers, best known for her gardener friendly and practical approach to gardening, has more than 25 years of horticulture experience in both hands-on and instructional settings.  She has a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in horticulture from University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a certified arborist and was a horticulture instructor with tenure.

Outside the classroom, Melinda shares her expertise through a variety of media outlets.  She has written 20 books, including Can’t Miss Small Space Gardening, and the Birds & Blooms’ Ultimate Gardening Guide.  She hosts “Great Lakes Gardener,” seen on PBS stations throughout the United States, and “Melinda’s Garden Moments,” which air on network television stations throughout the country. She appears regularly as a guest expert on various national and local television and radio shows.  She also writes the twice monthly “Gardeners’ Questions” newspaper column and is a contributing editor and columnist for Birds & Blooms and Backyard Living magazines.  In addition, she hosted “The Plant Doctor” radio program for over 20 years.

For her work, community service and media presence, Melinda has received recognition and numerous awards, including the 2003 Garden Globe Award for radio talent and the Quill and Trowel Award for her television work, both from the Garden Writers Association.  She has also received the Garden Communicator’s Award from the American Nursery and Landscape Association and the Gold Leaf Award for Arbor Day from the International Society of Arboriculture.

For more information, visit Myers’ web site www.melindamyers.com. The site features regularly updated garden tips, podcasts, a garden club, an e-newsletter, books, appearance information, “Great Lakes Gardener” television schedule and more.