#14 The Madman Revisits Seed Starting

Here it is March 7 and the madman is itching to get going. Ten inches of snow will delay the pruning again. But, he keeps checking the calendar – not yet, not yet. He is so ready to get his hands into the dirt (he calls it soil)-you should see the size of the sandbox he had as a kid. He would love to start all his seeds, but he knows that the best advice he can give himself is DON’T START THEM. It is simply too early.

Why the Madman Starts His Own Seeds

The madman likes to start his own seeds because he gets to choose what he is growing. Early in his growing career, the madman learned that local gardening centers don’t always share his enthusiasm for unusual varieties. Gardening centers make selections based on what will grow well in the area and what will sell. One year, he had his heart set on an 18” pixie hybrid tomato that he read about in a gardening magazine (remember, this was before the internet). No local grower offered this variety.

 He had already been experimenting with growing citrus and conifers from seed (remember post #4?). After all, how hard could it be to grow that pixie hybrid tomato himself? The next growing season he had his pixie hybrid tomato seeds and he was off to the races. He has been growing his own vegetables ever since.

Seeds are Ready to Plant

Between the seed catalogs and the Hartford Flower and Garden Show, the madman has accumulated his seed packets – they are categorized and ready to go. He knows which seeds are planted when based on germination time, length of growing season and date to transplant. Some have to be started early, some go directly into the garden. He has checked his journal from last year and noticed that no major changes are necessary.

Sooner is not Better

At the beginning the madman felt that getting plants going early was a good thing. We now know that getting plants going at the right time is a better thing. Plants, like people, don’t do well under stress, but for plants stress is a little different. He remembers the tomatoes he started one January because he wanted to have the first ripe tomato on the block. Big mistake. Those plants taught him the meaning of stress (theirs and his).  

Their stress was reaching for light, not enough food and not enough air circulation. And, talk about competition among plant neighbors. His stress was keeping those leggy tomatoes alive long enough to bury them about 12” into the garden. Those plants were definitely not healthy, and the madman never tried to start tomato seeds this early again.

Knowing the Last Frost Date

So, we have done the math – seed planting season is still a few weeks away. We base the calculation on the last frost date. At one time we used the last full moon of May as our guide to the last frost, based on a discussion with an old herbalist. Think about it, there is a great deal of variation – if there is only 1 full moon, planting is early and if there are two, planting can be real late. Too risky for the madman; he decided to use May 15 as his date.

Here in Connecticut the last frost date is rather variable. Our cottage in Winsted has a last frost date around June 1. Our son in Oakdale has a last frost date around May 11. Remember, there is no exact science to the last frost date, it varies from year to year.  Mother Nature always has the final say. To find your date, check out the chart at PlantMaps.

What to Plant – When? And Where?

Some seeds, like beans and nasturtiums, are put directly in the ground after this elusive last frost date. But, other seeds need a long growing season to produce and have to be started early. How early depends upon the seed. For example, tomatoes need about an eight week head start, while the madman’s prize Trinidad Scorpion peppers need closer to 12 weeks. If you don’t want to do the math, many seed companies are happy to do it for you-a real good one is Johnny’s’ Select Seeds. Check it out.

Gathering Needed Supplies

All the seed starting stuff is ready to go. We have the potting soil, planting containers, labels, plastic bags, heat mat and, of course, seeds.

The madman uses a loose potting soil that will drain easily. He learned the hard way not to use inexpensive garden soil. This soil is too heavy and delicate seedlings will have a hard time poking through. He recently attended a lecture by Petra Page-Mann of Fruition Seeds – she suggested mixing a little fertilizer into the seed starting mix. He likes this suggestion because it sounds like a good idea to give the seedlings more food for a little boost.

Planting containers vary for the madman. They must be squeaky clean and offer good drainage. We use 4-pack and 6-pak containers (left over from nursery purchases), square and rectangular plastic flats, 4” square pots – the exact container depends on what seeds he’s planting. Jiffy pots and cow pots are a real good option but we have not used them recently. Since he re-uses pots whenever possible, he cleans them with a bleach/ivory liquid mix-this will kill any bacteria or fungus that might try to sneak in.

Label, Label, Label

For the madman, a good labeling system is crucial. As we mentioned before, it is not a good idea to trust one’s memory when starting seeds. You can easily tell the difference between an eggplant and a tomato. But, when plants are 4” high you really can’t tell the difference between tomato varieties and if you think you are planting a beefsteak tomato variety but in fact you are putting in a cherry tomato, you are in for a big surprise – by the time you realize this, it will be too late to do anything about it.

The madman has tried a variety of labels over the years – popsicle sticks, tongue depressors, craft sticks, masking tape. But, he has had the most success with ¾” x 4” pre-cut plastic labels. They are inexpensive, easy to use and can be wiped clean for a number of seasons.

The plastic bags and the heat mats he uses are optional. He has found that with the conditions in our basement, both are important to his seed starting operation. Some experts do not recommend plastic bags or grow domes to cover newly planted seeds – they increase humidity, but decrease air circulation which can lead to the dreaded damping off disease. The madman constantly monitors his seeds so he can pull the plastic off as soon as the first seed pops.

The Fun of Seeds

Seeds are fascinating. When we go into classrooms to talk about planting we always bring a bean seed. The madman holds one up and says, “Contained in this little seed is everything you need to grow a plant. All you need to add is moisture, soil, the right temperature and light.” Moisture breaks the seed coat and a root (technically called a radical) begins to grow. About the same time, a shoot heads toward the light. The first set of leaves (cotyledons) will feed the plant until true leaves appear and begin to soak up sunlight starting the process of photosynthesis (making food).

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Here’s a fun activity to try with your kids (grandkids love it, too). Take a few dry kidney bean seeds and two paper towels. Soak the towels, put one in the bottom of a flat pan. Put the seeds in next, then cover with the other wet paper towel. Keep the pan moist and check the seeds every day. Before you know it, your kidney beans will sprout, much to the delight of your kids.

Starting the process

 Let’s put this all together. The madman has his list of what seed to plant when. He has already planted some long season pepper seeds – this is an exception to his DON’T PLANT rule. Since deadly hot peppers require such a long growing season, he starts them early and then spends three months keeping them WARM, keeping them moist, keeping them HAPPY (thank goodness for the greenhouse). The pansies he started in December are also out in the greenhouse, doing rather well.

Two Seed Starting Methods

The madman uses two systems to germinate his seeds – I’ll be darned if I can figure out which seeds get started by which method, but I just leave him alone.

                Method #1 is a relatively new system suggested by friend and fellow master gardener John Carlson. He puts seeds in a yogurt cup containing water and places them on an 80˚ heat mat. He drops a label containing the plant name and date started into the cup. The idea was to break down the hard seed coat before planting in a seed starting mix. Quite by accident, the madman noticed that some of the seeds readily germinated. Using sterile tweezers, he plucks sprouted seeds from the water and plants them in moistened potting mix. This allows him to plant individual seeds into small 6-pak cells.

                Method #2 is the old stand-by. The madman places seeds directly on moistened potting mix and gently covers them with a thin layer of either potting mix or vermiculite. The container is gently misted with water and labeled. He slides the whole thing into a clear plastic bag and gently blows into the bag to keep the top off the soil. Then, he sets the finished product on the heat mat.

The Problems of a New Furnace

Early on the madman didn’t need a heating mat. Our 1732 home had an old coal-converted-to-oil furnace that was so inefficient that its top was always warm – an excellent place to start seeds. After his friend Bill convinced him to spring for a new efficient furnace, he lost that convenient hot spot. Since seeds do sprout best with bottom heat, he purchased a heat mat. With this seed starting method, he makes sure the bag is removed as soon as the first seed has popped.

If he doesn’t forget, all this is documented in his current journal; or at least noted on the calendar. This information will come in handy in the future.

He’s checking his seeds again so I will start the cocoa.