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This class will cover the advantages of starting your own seeds indoors and under cover outdoors. Participants will learn proper seed-starting techniques and find out how to foster the right conditions for growing seedlings to transplant size. Participants will take home seeds that they start in the class.
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Seed-StartingIndependence Gardens
Portland, OR
Download the handout that goes along with
this slideshow!h!p://bit.ly/xnpYix
January 2012© Independence Gardens LLC
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Topics We’ll Cover• What is a seed?• How does it work, & what
does it need?• Why start seeds indoors?• When/where/how to plant• Making a seed-starting setup• Best seeds for seed-starting
and where to get them• Seedling care
What We’ll Cover TodayPreview
Got Questions? Please ask as we go along.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Seed: A mature fertilized plant ovule consisting of an embryo and its food source and having a protective coat or testaOr…: A potential plant, dormant until it experiences the right conditions, when it uses the energy it has stored to grow until it can photosynthesize
What is a seed?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
How does it work?
• Cotyledons (cot-ull-EE-
dons) come !rst• "en, look for “true” (foliage) leaves• Germ time
depends on plant, seed quality, etc. Plant parts exercise!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Cost– It’s generally cheaper to start your own
• Save and share seed; store seed properly so you can use it for a few years
• Timing– It’s easy to get a jump-start on the season, stagger plantings, and
grow mega-veggies!
• Reliability– It’s hard to know where your starts were before they came to
you…unless you grew them
Why start seeds indoors?
Alternatives: Starting seeds outside with season-extenders (cloches and cold frames) or #oating row covers (reemay); buying plants as starts to transplant later in the season.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
What does a seed need?
• Growing medium– Soilless seed-starting mix is recommended
• Garden soil is heavy and can harbor disease organisms– Seed must be in !rm contact with the soil all around it
• Warmth– Consistency is key (avoid #uctuations)– Most cool-season veggies will germinate at room temp– On the other hand, warm-season plants (tomatoes, peppers,
cukes, eggplant, okra, squashes, or melons) need temps of 75°-90° to germinate, and a$er that, like to hang out between 60° and 75°
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
What (else) does a seed need?• Moisture
– Water from below so soil is damp, not soaking
– Damping-off ( ) is a fungal problem associated with soil that is too wet!
• Light– As soon as it emerges– 14 hrs./day (in 2011, the !rst day this
happens without supplemental light: April 25)
– Automation: light timers are lovely• Air#ow
– Plants get “leggy” ( ) if there’s not enough air movement/light’s far away
• Space & time
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Find your last frost date
~April 15, in Portland• Count backward an appropriate length of time!
– Varies by plant; check seed packet and planting calendar
When to plant
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Last frost date is 4/15• Broccoli is safe to set out 4 weeks before to 2-3
weeks a$er last frost date• It takes 6 to 8 weeks to get to transplant size• 4 weeks before 4/15 is 3/18 & 3 weeks a$er is 5/6
= Plant (3/18 minus 8 wks.) to (5/6 minus 6 wks.)= Sow seeds indoors 1/21-3/25
• Our best advice: STAGGER YOUR PLANTINGS
When to plant example: broccoli
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Choose your own container– Needs to be well-drained, so poke drainage holes if the
setup doesn’t have them already– Err on the side of shallow
• You can transplant to a larger container before transplanting out to the garden ( “up-po&ing,” or “po&ing up”)
– Sanitize pots if you are reusing
• 10% bleach solution/15 min.
Where to plant
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Use materials you have on hand– Bookshelves– Utility shelves– Shop lights
Make a seed-starting setup
• Lights – Light sets
2-4 in. above growing tips
– Moveable to !t different varieties
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Depends on the size of the seed: plant at a depth ~2x the seed diameter– Dig: make a hole, drop in the seed, and cover it up– Drill: the !nger-poke method
• For larger seeds: put the seed atop unpacked soil, and poke it in up to your !rst knuckle
– Dump: the sprinkle method • For smaller seeds: shake a few out of
the seed packet onto the soil
– Other methods ()
How to plant: dig, drill, dump!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
• Brassicas– Kale– Cabbage– Chinese cabbage– Broccoli– Cauli#ower– Brussels sprouts
Your best bets
• Nightshades– Tomatoes– Peppers– Eggplants
NOTE: You can try to start just about anything early indoors!just try to take extra-good care of them…and hedge your bets by planting some outside, too.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Not your best bets
• Root vegetables– Radishes– Carrots– Beets– Turnips– Parsnips
• Peas• Beans• Corn• Dill
• Cucurbits– Cucumbers– Squash
• Winter (e.g. pumpkins) and summer (e.g. zucchini)
– Melons
• Fussy greens– Spinach– Swiss chard
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Caring for your plant-babies
• Light– 2-4 in. above plants, 14 hrs./day
• Water– From below
• Organic fertilizer– A$er true leaves appear
• Brushing or fanning– Make ‘em stocky!
• "inning– Do it (down to 1 plant/cell)
• Hardening off– Acclimatize
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
And !nally…
• Focus on organic, heirloom, and especially local varieties – Healthy seeds, diverse characteristics, suited for
cultivation here• An insider’s tip on where to get seeds this season:
–www.SabinGardens.org
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Next steps for you!
• Take the handouts home and !ll out the date ranges for planting
– Just your favorites to save time/energy
• Look through your seeds/seed catalogues and select your top picks
• Make a plan: put your seeding dates on your garden calendar
• Logistics: set up your seed-starting area before you need it
• Put your plan into action!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Questions?
Tuesday, January 31, 2012