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February 14, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Seed Starting Basics

How to

It’s still too early to start seeds indoors but that didn’t prevent a large group of eager seed-starters from attending the Just Food Co-op class Saturday. Sara Morrison, a home gardening consultant, offered a thorough and practical overview of why and how to start seeds indoors.

Sara noted that if you plan to grow only a few tomatoes or peppers, indoor seed starting may not be worth the bother. Instead, pick up some plant starts at the local nursery. (Or, for more interesting offerings, try farmers’ markets in early spring when the farmers have lots of plants they don’t have room to grow.) However, if you are planning a more substantial garden, seed starting is a way to increase the variety of offerings, save money, and control the kinds of plants you are growing. And, when it comes right down to it, you can get a pack of seeds that will produce bushels of food for less than the price of a latte.

seeds in pots

Seed starting is a fun way to try new varieties of vegetables.

Here are some of the most important take-aways from Sara’s class:

  • Study your seed catalogs. Make sure the seeds you buy are appropriate for our zone. If they have a long growing season, you’ll need to start them indoors or forget about growing them. The catalogs will also give you information about days to harvest, the kind of plant you are growing (bush beans or climbers? indeterminate tomatoes or determinate?), and whether the varieties are heirlooms, hybrids, or something else. I would add, read the seed packages and keep them for reference during the growing season.
  • If you are new to seed starting, don’t spend a bundle on it. A simple florescent light will provide most of the light you need. You don’t need fancy pots or a special table just for seed starting. Basics you need are: sterile soil, seeds, something to put them in with drainage holes, a light source, and a small fan to keep the air moving once the plants are growing.
  • Make sure your seeds are cozy for germination. Tomatoes, peppers, and many herbs want soil between 75 and 85 degrees to germinate. If you have hot-water radiators, near the radiators is a great place to start plants. You may find that the lights create enough heat to start many plants in a moderately warm (65ish) room. If you are starting seeds in a cold basement, get a heat mat.
  • Pay attention to your seedlings. My results with seed starting improved dramatically when I set the seeds up near my home office. It just became part of my day to check whether they needed water, the lights adjusted, or just a little pep talk.
  • Water gently and sparingly. If possible, try to water from the bottom, by placing your seedlings in a pan.

For a more complete review of seed-starting procedures, check out this overview from North Dakota State University.

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It’s National Gardening Day! I’m not much for It’s National Gardening Day! I’m not much for special days (sorry, siblings, I missed that one last week) but any excuse to post a picture of a gorgeous peony, I’ll take! 

Peonies are a huge part of Minnesota’s horticultural heritage. They aren’t native but our cold climate is perfect for peonies. They’ve been hybridized in Minnesota for over 150 years, and the state still has several peony breeders based here. If you ever get a chance to go to a peony open day in June, jump on it. Seeing rows and rows of peonies all blooming at once is a northern gardener’s joy. 

Peonies will last forever, too. Plant one in the right place and it will outlive you by decades. What’s your favorite plant? 
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This week’s podcast and blog post are about grow This week’s podcast and blog post are about growing summer bulbs. I grow lilies in containers, 1) because they look great and 2) because the rabbits 🐇 can’t get them as easily there. Growing bulbs in containers means you can move them around the garden for extra color where you need it. 

Bulbs aren’t that tricky to grow, though you will have to pull dahlias, gladiolus and canna lilies for the winter. Lilies can stay in the ground. This winter, I left some in their pots and held  them in the unheated garage. They survived and are already putting up foliage. 

Check the 🔗 in bio for links to my interview with Mike Heger as well as the blog post on growing bulbs in containers. 
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#bulbs #summerbulbs #lilies #liliesinpots #containergardening #summergarden #garden #mygarden #monalisalily #mynortherngarden #gardeninspo
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In bloom at the big box store: Columbine! These lo In bloom at the big box store: Columbine! These look pretty but most of the in ground columbines are just greening up in Minnesota. That’s one thing to remember when shopping for perennial plants now. If it’s in bloom, it’s a spring plant and will probably be green all summer. Nothing wrong with lots of spring bloom in the garden, but plan for the whole season by picking things that bloom in July, August, even the fall, too. 
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#columbine #plantshopping #gardentips #minnesota #mngarden #coldclimategardening #zone4b #springblooms #garden #perennials #perennialgarden #perennialflowers
So many things are suddenly blooming! . . . #spri So many things are suddenly blooming! 
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#spring #springinmn #bulbs #forsythia #irisreticulata #squill #earlyspring #garden #gardeninspo
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Uff da! This seems really early for daffodils 🌼 Uff da! This seems really early for daffodils 🌼 in Minnesota. Last year, I posted my first daffodil photo on April 12, and it was in snow ❄️! No snow this year, and this tracks with the info I heard earlier this week that we are 10 to 14 days ahead of schedule. I’m enjoying the warmth but can’t shake the memory of 2019’s mid-April blizzard. The joys of cold climate gardening! 
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This weeks podcast is about rain gardens with Madd This weeks podcast is about rain gardens with Maddie Poling of @sacredspacegardensmn while rain gardens are great for water filtration, they also can be incredible pollinator gardens, especially if you plant lots of milkweed. Link to the entire episode is in bio. 
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#growitminnesota #raingardens #pollinators #pollinatorplants #milkweed #growitandtheywillcome #coldclimate #coldclimategardening #minnesota #mngarden #gardenpodcast #mnpodcast
Fun news 🗞! I have an essay in the upcoming iss Fun news 🗞! I have an essay in the upcoming issue of Gardening for Health, a special interest publication of Better Homes & Gardens. It’ll be on newsstands and in grocery stores, home centers, drugstores and more starting tomorrow. The essay is about why gardening matters, for our health, our spirits and our communities. I haven’t seen the layout yet, but I’ll be prowling my local Barnes & Noble tomorrow! Can’t wait to see it. 
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#gardenwriter #gardensmatter #gardeningforhealth #bhgspring #bhggarden #bhgspecialinterestpublications
Wondering what winter burn looks like on shrubs? C Wondering what winter burn looks like on shrubs? Check it out. I’ve got three of these dwarf Alberta spruce. This is the worst case. One has no burn, the third just a bit. This one faces south so it gets the most sun and wind. After it starts growing this spring, I’ll trim off the burn. May need some wrapping next winter. 
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#whatswrongwithmyplant #winterburn #evergreen #albertaspruce #dwarfshrubs #dwarfspruce #garden #mygarden #mynortherngarden #gardeninspo
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A pair of crocus cuties. This spring is coming on A pair of crocus cuties. This spring is coming on fast, though we know Mother Nature can slam on the brakes anytime she wants. Enjoy the early blooms and have a great weekend! 
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#crocus #springiscoming #minnesotaspring #springbulb #flowergarden #growflowers
#flowersofinstagram #plants #garden #mygarden #mynortherngarden #gardeninspo
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My conversation with Amy from @milkweed.and.daisie My conversation with Amy from @milkweed.and.daisies on the @growitmn podcast got me thinking about annuals that are easy to grow from seed. There are a lot! She grows some I haven’t had in years, like hollyhocks and snapdragons, plus plenty of my favorites. Seven really easy options are listed in a new blog post (🔗 is bio) on the My Northern Garden blog. Cosmos, zinnia and sunflowers may be the easiest of  all. 

The sunflower 🌻 pictured is The Joker. The zinnia photo is one I took of the zinnia beds at the @ballseedgardens I’m not sure about the cosmos, which are from a tour garden. 

Plant any of these annuals in sun and let them grow. Suggestions for annuals to try this year? I’d love to hear them! 
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#annualflowers #cosmos #sunflowers #zinnias #growfromseed #growyourownflowers #coldclimategardening #minnesotagardening #northerngardener #zone4b #mnpodcast #gardenpodcast
The 3+ inches of snow from a couple of days ago is The 3+ inches of snow from a couple of days ago is melting, and the crocus continue to bloom. Hang in there, little flower, spring is on the way. 
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#bulbs #springiscoming #springbulb #minnesota #crocus #meltingsnow #garden #mygarden #mynortherngarden #gardeninspo
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Crocus so soon! I was taking apart the holiday pot Crocus so soon! I was taking apart the holiday pot and noticed three crocus blooms in my south-facing front bed. This is a full week earlier than last year, and that felt early to me. They’ll probably get snowed on come Monday. 🌨🌸
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