You CAN do this!
MATERIALS:
- containers or flats
- seeds
- planting mix
- watering can/spray bottle
- newspapers
- labels and permanent markers
1. CONTAINERS: Time to re-cycle those plastic yogurt cups, eggshells, cardboard boxes and tubes, empty fruit cup and milk cartons from your kids’ lunches etc. They don’t have to be pretty… just clean! Be sure to wash them in water with some bleach and air dry. Poke a few holes in the bottoms, too. “Plugs” are easy to make from newspaper strips wrapped and taped into small pots. It’s a fun way to re-cycle and the whole thing goes into the ground at planting time. Directions can be found on the Projects page.
2. SEED STARTING MIX: Commercial starter mix is a combination of perlite, vermiculite and sphagnum/peat moss. It’s heated at a high temperature to kill fungi, weeds and bacteria. It’s lighter than soil, holds moisture and the top layer doesn’t “crust” over . Inexpensive, ($3 for an 8 qt. bag) you can find it at garden and home improvement stores or your local *Mart*. Don’t purchase topsoil, potting soil or potting mixes that have “miracle fertilizers” in them, organic starter mix is all you need. Harvesting of peat moss from bogs has proven to be unsustainable and it also destroys natural habitats. Why not make your own starter mix? Mix roughly 1 part coir (available at pet stores) to two parts perlite and vermiculite. You may also mix vermicompost (worm compost) and coir in equal parts for a nutrient rich organic mix.
3.LABELS: Be creative and use what you already have around. Popsicle sticks, clothespins, toothpicks with “flags” taped on etc. If you buy labels, use a wax pencil so you can wipe them clean and re-use them. Be sure to print clearly and label only one packet of seeds at a time. You wouldn’t want to mix them up! (Like I do… every year!)
4.SEEDS: Seed sources offer heirloom, hybrid and organic seeds. Heirloom seeds are treasures! They’re old varieties that have been (and can be) saved and passed down through generations. You can find a list of a few of the varieties I’ve grown here. Organic seeds are harvested from plants that aren’t grown in or treated with synthetic chemicals and pesticides. They are not bio-engineered. Hybrid seeds are created by combining desired characteristics (size, disease resistance) from different parent plants. Planting saved seed from hybrid plants will NOT grow plants true to the parent. In order to grow a similar hybrid plant next year buy new seeds. Seed sources are listed here.
