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The e-mail said simply: “Have you ordered your seeds yet?” and I knew then and there I had better get a grip on the real business of sowing. I mean, I had sown here and there. I do a few packets of Morning Glory every season. But really “sowing?” I needed some help.
To pre-sprout a seed is to get a little root called a “radicle” to pop out. Then you know it’s a “good seed” and can bank your efforts on it.
Pre-sprouting is really easy. If you’ve got some cucumber seeds, sunflowers, tomatoes or morning glories, you can fold them into a moistened bit of toilet paper and set them in a comfortably warm area. However, your particular seed might like it a bit cool, so you’ll have to do some research.
Once a radicle has appeared, you can pop the wee seed into a clean plastic pot filled with fresh potting soil. These will need warm lights and tending once they’ve gotten going, so be prepared to give up some space for their care.
I’ve always had a handle on this pre-sprouting business. But what about those impossibly tiny seeds that seem to blow away with the slightest breath? Good ol’ Canadian Gardening magazine. Count on them to move past the basics and into what they classify as “intermediate” sowing.
Ever try to toss out a few petunia seeds? Well I sure have. Moments after, I had forgotten where I had thrown them and ended up turning the soil in the very same spot to make way for something more hardy.
From what I gather, you can prevent this by mixing your seeds with white horticultural sand and shake it out over the soil. Now you can see where your seeds are. Another genius move is to put these seeds in a spray bottle with water and spray them onto the soil. Now you’re feeding two birds with one grain of rice.
You know those uppity seeds that need all kinds of attention? The high-maintenance crew that feign dissatisfaction the moment something is “off?”
It’s all in the handling, I tell you. These seeds aren’t merely posturing! They’ve got hard shells that, if left to nature, would be soaked by the rain, or eaten and excreted by animals. These seeds are victims of circumstance.
Feel for them — and then take out a pin and scratch up that hard coat. You want to replicate what nature might put it through. This process is called scarifying. You can poke it, scratch it, scrape it, nick it, clip it and abrade it. But make sure you keep to the surface, so you don’t threaten the embryo.
Soak them next to encourage the radicle. Beets, carrots and a variety of legumes respond well to this method.
And no, it’s not too early to be talking “seeds.” In fact, there is a seed expo approaching March 4 at Market Square. I go every year to buy my favourite seeds from Yan and Sherry from Piebird farms. Yan has the best seed packets ever. You’ll have to go and see for yourself. Happy sowing.
Anne Boulton is an avid gardener who lives in Sudbury. Contact her at [email protected] or visit her blog at boultonanne.typepad.com/greenboots.
Posted by Laurel Myers
