It is always a good time to think about saving your seeds safely. My seeds are used year after year with great results . . . I store mine in oversized index card containers, but I love this idea! Click here to go to an article all about saving seeds.
Every year I say I'd like to grow my own lettuce from seed, but never get around to it. I was reminded again by an article on the Birds and Blooms website. Growing from seed really takes little effort. You just need the right place to get them going Click here for the article from Birds and Blooms . . . the photo source is from that article.
Although I love to go shopping for beautiful blooming plants, there is something about the challenge and wonder of nature that growing from seeds and cuttings brings. My love for propagating plants goes back to my childhood days! Click here for a very informative article on seeds and cuttings, excellent for a beginning gardener, but also informative for the seasoned gardener. The article is from one of my new discoveries, Empress of Dirt.
It is that time of year when we can't wait to plant our seeds and get a head start on Spring. I've been looking for inexpensive ways to start seeds and especially love it is something that can be recycled. Would you believe these seed starters were made out of junk mail that you would normally toss in the garbage? How about using newspaper instead of throwing them away? Ingenious idea! Chris at 365 Days of DIY came up with this awesome idea. Click here for the tutorial with photos.
Don't throw away those toilet paper or paper towel rolls! This has got to be one of the best ideas I've seen for recycling items for starting seedlings. My favorite is egg cartons!
How to make it:
1. Using scissors, cut six to eight small slits in the end of your toilet paper roll (if using a paper towel roll, cut the roll into three pieces before beginning this step).
2. Fold the strips down so they overlap.
3. Fill carefully with wet soil, and set in a baking sheet.
4. Plant one seed per roll. After germination, just plant the whole thing in your garden! If you don’t mind transplanting your seedlings, you can use all kinds of recyclables for germination: Takeout containers, plastic cups, soda bottles and shoe boxes – just to name a few.
Moving our clocks forward is around the corner which means so is spring! Here in Florida, there is already a change in the air and it has been very pleasant to get out there and do pre-spring clean up.
Get an early start on spring by starting your seeds indoors. There are so many methods and don't necessarily have to be expensive. Utilizing egg cartons is my favorite method for seed starting. The following article from HGTV Gardens has some other great ideas.
In the past I purchased my seeds from the popular catalog companies, which can get rather pricey. Last year, I ordered lots of seed from Amazon.com which saved me quite a bit of money. Check them out! Even better . . . do a search on free seeds and you will find lots of offers for limited amounts of free seeds.
Join a seed swapping group and get tons of seed for the price of postage unless you find a local seed swapping group that organizes get togethers. In the past I've even swapped plants with other gardeners with great rewards of getting a ton of new plants for free and making some awesome gardening friends. Back in the day, we hosted some awesome plant and seed swaps complete with BBQ grill going and everyone bringing a cover dish. Loads of fun!
Gardening doesn't have to be fancy or expensive. Just use your imagination and do your research!
I'm so ready for spring!!!
Winter Sowing
Satisfy the itch to garden in January by starting seeds—outdoors. Winter sowing techniques are super easy and reliable.
by Julie A. Martens, HGTV Gardens
"Get your hands dirty this winter by starting seeds outdoors using a practice called winter sowing. This method forgoes supplemental lighting and pricey seed-starting kits and lets nature’s rhythms coax seeds to sprout. Winter sowing is simple and yields sturdy seedlings that are ready to grow. If you have avoided starting seeds because you lack space or sunny windows, check out winter sowing.
To get started with winter sowing, you’ll need supplies you probably have around the house. Plastic containers, like milk jugs, 2-liter bottles or clear-lidded clamshell-type containers serve as a mini-greenhouse for the seeds. Use a box cutter or pen knife to cut around the middle of the container. Leave roughly a one-half inch section uncut to act as a hinge. What you’re doing is creating a hinged container that opens. Clamshell containers don’t require cutting.
Punch drainage holes in the bottom of the container. Use a lighter to heat the tip of the screwdriver to make punching through plastic easier. The container forms a mini-greenhouse for your seeds. Cut slits in the lid of the container to provide ventilation and prevent heat build-up. If your container has a lid (milk jug, 2-liter bottle), remove it.
Fill the container with 2 to 3 inches of soil. Winter sowing works best with a soil a mix that’s light and drains well. Bagged commercial peat moss and perlite mixes work great. Avoid mixes that feature water retention agents or moisture control properties. Wet soil thoroughly, place seeds on the surface, and add additional soil as needed to cover seeds. Pat the soil lightly to ensure good seed to soil contact, and close your container. Use a piece of duct tape to hold the container closed. Be sure to label containers with planting date and seed."
