subject: Seed Starters For Gardeners Of All Skill Levels [print this page] Youre fired up about starting a gardenYoure fired up about starting a garden. Your imagination has been set on fire by seed catalogs, and that mental conflagration has been fed by friends who seem to bring in a yearly bounty of delicious, beautiful vegetables. Oh, how you long to have bragging rights to your own harvest! So you eagerly set out and stumble right out of the gate, because, darn it, planting seeds can be hard, back-taxing work.
More than a few beginners have been scared off by the arduous task of seeding a garden, which is the least enjoyable part of the process by which food is coaxed from the soil. Sure, the Lord told us that after being banished from the primeval Garden, cultivating the land would require the sweat of the brow but does it have to ruin our knees, and inflame our sciatica, as well? Fortunately, seed starters are available, and they can save both backs and time. And they can get you over that formidable hump the prospect of stooping, bending, and otherwise contorting yourself for hours have turning over the first spade-full of soil.
With seed starters, you can minimize the tedious prelude and get right on to the growing stage of gardening. A roll-out seed starter for vegetables and other garden plants can make things much easier. Some of the best are hand-made. One sagacious fellow, for instance, discovered how to make his own seed starters from corrugated cardboard to which have been attached seed pouches and fertilizer packets. As the cardboard biodegrades, the seeds are able to germinate and take root. Minimal fuss, maximum benefit!
Heres how to roll your own roll-out seed starter.
First, segregate the vegetables and herbs you will plant during spring, summer and fall. Youll want to prepare separate groups of seed starters for each growing period. One good approach is to save seeds from the veggies and fruits you ate most frequently during the previous year; this will give you a head start.
Make sure to check germination rates and companion gardening recommendations in order to group your seeds together on an appropriate seed starter. Since lettuce and radishes (for example) have very short growing times, they shouldnt be grouped together with broccoli or tomatoes, which have much longer growing periods. And dont neglect the issue of size factor: You dont want some plants to hog sunlight from the smaller ones that would be consigned to the shade.
To assemble the seed starter, you assemble some heavy duty brown paper towels, flour, and seeds. Flour is mixed with water to make a thick paste, which is spread on flattened paper towel to a desired length. Then group the seeds in the proper spacing and proper grouping as recommended on the seed pouches. Let the towel dry, roll it up, and store it until youre ready to plant!
