Have you spent hours
of tender loving care planting seeds while dreaming of the beautiful lush green
plants they will grow to be?
How did you feel
when you realized nothing was going to grow?
Disappointed?
Frustrated?
That is exactly how
Tony and I felt last year. So much
wasted time, resources, and money with nothing to show for it.
By the time we realized we weren't going to be
successful, it was too late to start over.
Grrrr!
We ended up going to
our local nursery and bought seedlings for our garden.
I did some research and this year we are trying again
armed with our new found knowledge: Germinating Seeds
What does
germinating seeds mean, you ask? To
germinate means to cause to sprout, grow or develop. So how do we know our seeds are going to even
grow? We are going to jump start their
growing by soaking the seeds. Thus
eliminating the guessing game of which seeds will grow and which won't.
Various areas on the
internet suggested using tea, coffee and other liquids to soak your seeds
in. I want to be as organic as possible
so I used what nature provides, rainwater.
However, not everyone collects rainwater so use tap water or bottled
water.
- Using a ramekin, place the seeds of the plant you want to grow.
- Fill the ramekin with enough rainwater (tap or bottled water) to fully cover the seeds.
- Make sure to label and place a plant marker in each ramekin.
- Let seeds soak up to 24 hours but no longer than 48 hours.
- Plant as directed.
Yes, it is THAT
simple.
For larger seeds or
seeds with thicker/harder shells, damage the shell of the seed. Scarring the shell makes it easier for water
to penetrate the seed. This is called
scarification. Scarring can be done by
cracking the shell open or using a knife to nick it.
Try germinating your
seeds BEFORE planting and let us know how it worked for you.
Next time, we talk about DIY Greenhouses.
