Starting from Seeds

Environmental Education Topic for March: Starting From Seeds

Yes! You CAN grow plants from seeds right inside your Club! And then transplant the seedlings outdoors into a garden, or a container garden, or you can hold a farmers market and give them away to Club kids and families.

Watching plants grow is rewarding. It takes responsibility, trial and error, and motivation. Growing edible food is empowering. And healthy. How about some science? You can discuss botany, biology, chemistry, economics, sustainability, and climate change.

But what if the seeds don't sprout?

Try different types of seeds and different conditions. If the seeds don't germinate, determine possible causes and try again. It will work!

Seed Starting Tips:

Choose Your Seeds

Do you want hardy seeds that germinate early in the spring? Will you be starting indoors? Can you give your seeds artificial light? Organic? Some seeds you will need to start indoors, such as tomatoes, other seeds do best when directly planted in the ground. Read seed packages for information about when to plant.

Some suggestions:

Indoors= arugula, tomatoes, broccoli, basil, lettuce, kale

Outdoors= chard, radishes, beets, peas, lettuce, spinach

What type of Soil?

If you are starting seeds indoors, plant them in a seed starting mix. This mix has the right type of density and nutrients for the delicate baby seed. Moisten the soil before planting.

How Deep?

Plant the seed about 2x deep as it is wide. Don't tamp the soil down hard. For very small seeds only lightly cover them, or not at all. Plant several seeds in each hole just in case. You can thin later.

In what Container?

Any that can hold about 2 inches of soil for seedling root growth. Recycled containers, old plastic pots, and seed starting trays. Even newspaper rolled into a cylinder and folded into a pot will work. Make sure that excess water can drain out. Kids can decorate containers with pens and paint.

How Much Water?

Seeds need to be kept moist so the seed coat is softened and the root and shoot can emerge. Too much water can drown the seed or promote rotting. Gently water the seed so the soil feels like a damp sponge. You can dip your hand in a bowl of water and drip it onto the seed like rain. Or poke holes in the top of a plastic soda bottle cap with a thumbtack to create a watering can. You can also use a spray bottle. Remember to assist kids with watering. They really like to water. A lot. Often too much. Using a spray bottle is just so fun! Lightly cover the containers with plastic until the seed germinates. This will help keep in moisture, especially if no one is around to water on the weekends. Once the seed germinates you can let the soil dry out a bit between watering and water deeply which will encourage strong root growth.

Light?

Using a florescent bulb hung 2-3 inches above the soil or seedling for 12 hours a day is best. Without this extra light your seedlings may become tall, spindly, weak, and pale. If you do not have access to extra light, put your seeds on a sunny windowsill and try these hardy varieties: arugula, parsley, and fava beans

Then?

Have fun! Sing to your seeds and sprouts, gently touch them imitating the wind. Can you grow up from a seed into a sprout and sway back and forth? Try it!

Decorating pots with Nature Consortium at R.V.

Plant movement at R.V.