Sowing Seeds Indoors

Though most seeds are reliably started indoors, many types are easily started outdoors where they are to grow.

Planning

Good timing in sowing seeds is a key to having transplants of the right size to set out in the right weather. Three important things to know are:
1. The first and last expected frost dates for your area.
2. The kind of weather liked best by the young plants of the types you’re growing.
3. The number of weeks from sowing to setting-out size.

When to Sow

You can ask your local county extension agent for the frost dates and other Seasonal Benchmarks for your area. You can also find this information in publications like the Farmer’s Almanac, and on many Internet Websites by searching for “US Frost Free Dates.” We have provided a place for you to write these down in the chart at right. Some seeds need warm temperatures (about 70° F) or even warmer to germinate. Others need cool temperatures (about 55° F) or freezing to germinate well. Young plants may prefer a different temperature to grow on than the seed did to germinate. Remember that the germination temperatures we talk about refer to soil temperature. Indoors, soil temperatures will approximate the average of day and night temperature for the location. Outdoors, soil temperatures will be slightly below this average in spring and slightly above it in fall.

To find out when you ought to sow, first pick out the right date for setting out in your area; then count back the number of weeks to grow garden-size transplants. Sort your seed packets into groups by their germination temperature requirements, so you will know which ones can be sown together. Before you sow, pick some good locations around your house to set seed trays and to continue growing the seedlings after germination. To find out how many seed trays to prepare, decide first how many plants of each kind you need, and sow twice that many seeds. For each 50 square inches of tray surface area, you may broadcast sow:

• Up to 50 large seeds            • Up to 100 small seeds            • Up to 150 tiny seeds

   One or two varieties may be sown in each seed tray; just make sure to label them. You should sow rather thinly in the tray, allowing enough space so seedlings won’t grow together and get overcrowded before they’re ready to transplant (and to make transplanting easier). If you are starting seeds in individual cups, plugs, or cells, plant 2 seeds per cell.

It may be helpful to use a planning paper like the example given below: (Example: Lexington, VA)

Okra 'Green Fingers'

Have you tried growing Okra lately?  Our new ‘Green Fingers’ Okra shown here is a great plant for gumbo or pickling.  The spineless pods only get 3″-4″ long and bear best in the heat of summer.  The Okra ‘Red Spray’ is also 55 days and has beautiful red pods that turn a deeper shade when they are cooked.  Red Spray’s pods can get as long as 5 1/2″, so if you are considering pickling both varieties for Christmas gifts you would pick them a bit young, which is ok with this variety. 

Okra 'Red Spray'

Growing Okra is easy.  The plants are very tolerant of clay soils and heat.  If your summer growing season is short and spring is cool, start seeds indoors 4-6 weeks before planting out, at temperatures of 72-75 degrees.  If the summer is growing season is long and spring is warm, start seeds outdoors after all danger of frost is past and the ground is warm.  While everything else in the garden is looking a bit drawn out the Okra will be happy and producing bunches of flowers and edible pods.

Bob inspecting seedlings in his Bio Dome

Today we say farewell to one of our finest.
Mr Bob Hill has been a horticulturist at Park Seed for 11 years. Many of you may have spoken with him if you called in to our customer service with questions about your plants and how to help them thrive.

We wish him the best on his new adventure called “retirement” and would like to share with you a few words from him & those that worked closest with him.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bio Dome Instructions

1. Remove the Park-Start or Bio Dome Styrofoam blocks from the plastic wrap, keeping upright so that the plugs do not fall out. The plugs are ready to sow as they are.  If sponges have dried, they will have shrunk in size and will need to be re-moistened.  You can accomplish this by filling the green under tray with water and allowing the Styrofoam block to sit in the water until the sponges have absorbed enough moisture.

2. For most seed types, place two seeds into the pre-dibbled hole at the top of each plug. Very tiny seeds should be sown on the surface of the plug, not in the hole. Seeds do not need covering in the Park-Starts or Bio Dome plugs. Each plug provides the optimum environment for germination.

3. Place the germination units in a favorable location as indicated on the seed packet.

4. Re-moisten plugs by sprinkling lightly over the top of the Styrofoam block, or by partially filliing the under-tray with 1/4″ to 1/2″ inch of water.  Do not flood with heavy top wtering, which may dislodge seeds.

5. Place clear plastic dome on green under-tray at this time, closing vents to retain high-humidity.  Open these vents only after seedlings have emerged and are just above the surface of the plugs.  Keep moist until seedlings emerge by retaining 1/4″ to 1/2″ inch water level in the under-tray.  Because of their composition, the Bio-Sponges retain just the right amount of water, so there is no need to provide additional moisture. 

6. After seedlings emerge, provide more light by moving Bio Dome to a bright window, under lights,  or protected area outside.  Mix a weak fertilizer solution, following directions on the free fertilizer packet included with your order.  Water with this fertilizer solution as often as necessary to keep plugs moist by simply retaining the 1/4″ to 1/2″ inch level in the under-tray.

7.  If you have double-sown, keep only the stronger seedling in each plug. Remove the other seedling by cutting the stem at the top of the plug with sharp scissors.

8. You may now remove the clear plastic dome to allow more fresh air to circulate around the seedlings and to harden them to the environment before transplanting.  Increase the light levels to prevent the seedlings from stretching and producing a weak plant. Brighter light will help keep the seedling short and stout.

9. Transplant seedlings when they have 2 or more sets of true leaves.  Another way to tell if your plugs are ready to transplant is to push a plug up from the bottom and check to see if it has white roots reaching to the bottom of the plug.  To remove plugs for transplanting, first water if they are dry, then push the plug up from the bottom and transplant to desired location.  Whether transplanting into a container or directly into the ground, do not allow the planted plugs to to be exposed to the air.  Be sure they are slightly covered with soil.

10. If weather or timing delays your transplanting of young plants, prop the trays up on one side at an angle (about 1/2″-1″inch) to allow air circulation beneath them.  This helps to build a stronger root system.  You will need to apply the fertilizer solution to the top of the Styrofoam blocks as seedlings dry out, while it is propped up.

11. The Park Bio Done Seed Starter is also an excellent system for rooting  jumbo cuttings.  Use the system the same as you would for starting seeds, making sure the Bio Sponges are moist by placing 1/4″ to 1/2″ inch of water in the green under-tray.  Stick cuttings into the dibbled holes.  Apply a light misting with a mist bottle over the cuttings if they should wilt during the rooting process.  The clear dome should be left on at all times with the vents closed to retain humidity until cuttings are rooted and don’t wilt.  Once cuttings have rooted, you can open vents or completely remove the dome if the Bio Starter is placed in a protected area.  Push the rooted cuttings up from the bottom to check on rooting progress, when they are ready to be transplanted, plant in a desired location.

 Deer-resistant Plants

The following list includes many plants that deer do not prefer to eat. Certain plants may be sampled but not destroyed by deer. Take note that a large population of hungry deer will eat almost any plant available.

PERENNIALS GROUND COVERS VINES

Ah yes, Labor Day is here, the kids are going back to school, autumn is (almost) in the air…. it’s time for the annual Find the Tomato Contest on Park Seed! For those of you who haven’t participated in the past, it’s very simple:

We’ve placed this drawing of a tomato somewhere on our website. If you should happen to run across it, click on it. You’ll be taken to a screen where you will be given instructions on entering our drawing for a $25 Park Seed Gift Certificate! On Wednesday, September 28, we will randomly select one random winner from all who have spotted the wily little veggie fruit, and send them their gift certificate. Good luck and happy hunting!

I love the reds, oranges, pinks, and whites of many great sun gardens.  There’s something about cool blues, greens, and lavenders, though, that just seems to explode in a bright, hot summer garden.  Cool colors draw the eye and add fantastic contrast, especially in hotter areas.  They have a pleasant calming effect, and they very often shimmer beautifully in the low light of a summer evening, be it moon or fire.

Pincushion Flower Fama Deep Blue

For brilliant blues that stand up to serious heat, you can’t beat Pincushion Flower Fama Deep Blue.  It’s a heavy bloomer with large, bright blue flowers that make long-lasting cuts.  It grows well in full sun, and thrives all summer, even into zone 9. 

Pair it with it’s white counterpart Pincushion Flower Fama White , or let the blue play off the vivid yellow of Rudbeckia Goldsturm Strain.

There is still plenty of time left in the year for your vegetable garden. Planting is better in the fall – the days are cool, but the ground is still warm. Your plants can get all the light they need without getting burned up and dried out in the hot summer heat.

Starting seeds in the fall?

Yes you can! Peas, greens, broccoli and many more great veggies thrive in the cool fall planting season. Start them now and you can have a full crop of delicious fresh produce by September or October. You can start the seeds indoors while the weather is still hot, and move them outside in a couple weeks.

Keep your summer garden going.

You can keep your other veggies going much longer by following a few simple tips. Keep weeds, diseases, and pests out of your garden – they add stress that shortens your growing season. Stop them early and keep your garden growing longer. Water regularly – irregular watering will lead to cracked bitter fruits and lower production. And, most importantly, pick ripened fruit – if your tomatoes, peppers, or cucumbers get too ripe they will trigger the plant to end production for the season, and you will see a dramatic drop in production.

Perennial ground-covers can make life in the garden easier. Ground-covers offer a beautiful, organic method for handling many common garden problems. Understanding and properly applying ground-covers can significantly improve your overall landscape design.

• Most popular ground-cover plants spread vigorously – they can be used to bare spots in your yard, even hillsides and dry spots under trees.
• Deep-rooted ground-covers can help you contain an erosion proble, holding the earth solidly in place. Short-rooted ground-covers break up the ground, allowing trees and shrubs to receive moisture and nutrients more easily.
• Ground-covers regulate soil moisture and temperature, reducing the need for mulch. They also crowd out and smother weeds.
• Short, tread-able ground-covers can be used as a low-maintenance, interesting alternative to traditional lawn grass.

Browse through Park Seed’s full selection of ground-cover plants to find what works best for you. Not only do they solve man practical garden problems, but lying down a nice leaf background to your beautiful blooming plants can really tie the whole garden together adding depth, creating strong finished look that you might expect in a professional botanical garden.

Perennial shade gardens are really pretty easy. Just plan ahead and choose shade-loving plants that you are familiar with. The biggest mistake that people make is not properly researching their plants’ needs before they start planting.

1. Choose your shade garden plot and plants wisely.
   Is your plot in full shade or part shade? Some plants have very finicky light requirements – research your plants’ before purchasing or planting. What kind of soil do you have? Are you planting under trees? Your shade plants are going to have to compete with your trees for nutrients and moisture, and they may needs extra attention in the future. Soil under conifers tends to be more acidic, and it may need to be amended to adjust the pH before plants will thrive. Any shady spot will do, but some will require a little more prep work than others.
2. Design your shade garden layout before you start planting.
   Certain plants need a little bit more sunlight than others and may need to be planted near the edge of your shady area. Position your bright-blooming shade plants like Daylilies, Columbines, and Lenten Roses so that the flowers will stand out against your deeper colored foliage-interest plants like Heucheras, Hostas, and Ferns. You don’t want your flowering plants hidden in the shadows – they should twinkle and highlight all the interesting things that you have going on throughout.
3. Give your shade garden the special care and attention it needs.
   Pull weeds and saplings that will compete with your plants. Use mulch to regulate soil moisture and temperature and to deter weeds. Water deeply once a week, possibly more if your garden is in the shade of trees. Use rich compost and manure or an all-purpose fertilizer to ensure that your plants have plenty of nutrients.

Shade gardens can be one of the most attractive, peaceful places in the garden. Along the edge of the woods, a small grove of trees in your lawn, or in a corner along a north facing wall: your shade garden will be an oasis from the summer heat. Accentuate with a bench, a flagstone path, a frog pond, or maybe a bird bath to make your new space more comfortable, and spend your summer relaxing in the shade.