The Growing Community Naturally organization continues to offer opportunities for local persons to learn and expand their gardening skills. I am offering information on my approach to starting seedlings before the ground is ready.
I’m preparing to grow plants under fluorescent lights on a table in our basement.
I have filled six trays with pots of greenhouse dirt which had thawed before our last below-zero snowfall, and have watered that dirt in an effort to get weeds to sprout and grow before I pull up those weeds, feed them to the chickens, then plant tomato, cabbage and other assorted seeds in late March and early April.
Many seeds planted are saved from my garden the prior year. Some gardeners buy seeds from organic catalogues in late December or early January, buy potting soil, make their own seedling soil with sphagnum peat moss vermiculite and perlite, use sterile trays and pots, set grow lights on timers, use spray bottles to mist their seedlings, and label the plants clearly in each pot. You will determine your own style and may even plant seeds in milk or egg cartons while learning that gardening involves time, money, work and pure pleasure.
Planting seeds directly into the garden in late spring can also lead to success. I’ve had good luck with tomatoes, carrots, beets, corn, beans, parsnips, celery, peas, lettuce, mustard greens, potatoes… that’s a short list. I’ve even used cold frames with some success.
And some seeds left behind in the fall know when to sprout and flourish if weeded and protected… peas, tomatoes, cilantro, mustard and lettuce are a few examples.
Enjoy gardening! And come to Green Your Spring on Saturday, May 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Boulder Elementary School Gym to meet with other gardeners and buy plants that local gardeners have started. It will be a great opportunity to talk gardening.
This is the first of a series of stories on gardening provided by local organization Growing Community Naturally.
