Sowing Seeds Indoors, Continued…

Sowing Indoors, Medium Seed

1. Shake or tap seed packet so that seeds go to the bottom of the packet. Cut the seed packet open across the marked line at the top. A clean cut makes smooth sowing easier.

2. Pick up the packet with one hand, thumb on one side and fingers on the other. Press at the edges so that the packet stays open, and crease the packet at the center of the lower lip to make a trough. To sow seed evenly along the length of the furrow, hold packet level over one corner of the flat, close to the surface of the medium at the end of the first furrow. Move the packet slowly along the furrow, while tapping the packet lightly with a pencil or your finger. A few seeds should roll out into the furrow with each tap. If too many seeds fall too close together, simply separate them with the point of the pencil. If you are doing this for the first time, it may pay to practice sowing over a creased piece of paper first, to see if you are sowing your seeds the proper distance apart.

3. To cover the seeds, pinch the furrows closed. A good rule of thumb is to make sure the seeds are covered to twice their thickness.

NOTE: Seeds that need light to germinate should not be covered. Your seed packet will tell you if this is the case.

4. To water the flat, place it in a pan of water at room temperature (cold water can slow germination), until the top of the medium is very moist. Bottom watering in this manner helps to prevent seeds being washed away by the force of sprayed water.

5. Cover the planted flat with a sheet of clear plastic wrap (such as is used to cover food dishes) or enclose it in a clear plastic bag. Make sure plastic does not touch surface of sowing medium. Place flat where the seeds are to germinate.

Sowing Indoors, Tiny Seed

1. Prepare the flats as previously described . . . with a pencil, press shallow furrows one inch apart parallel to the long side of the flat.

2. For extra protection and easier handling, we package tiny seeds specially in a see-through glassine inner envelope, which you will find tucked inside our regular PARKSPAK®. Remove the glassine envelope from the PARKSPAK®. Handle it gently by the edges, as some tiny seeds can be easily crushed or broken. Hold the glassine envelope as shown in the illustration below, and tap the end with your fingernail until you can see the seed inside collect along the side crease of the envelope. Then snip off the end with scissors.

3. Press the edges lightly between your fingers to hold open the mouth of the envelope. Sow seeds thinly by tapping the glassine gently with your finger. Seed should roll along the crease and out of the envelope in a single thin line.

4. Because tiny seeds may be too small to break through a layer of germinating medium, they should not be covered with medium. This also applies to seeds that require light for germination (this fact
is noted on the seed packet). Sow seeds into the rows, but DO NOT COVER THE SEEDS. Instead, cover the flat with a sheet of clear plastic, or enclose in a clear plastic bag. Some tiny seeds are pelleted. They are covered in a fine clay coating. Moisten the germinating medium thoroughly so that the moisture can loosed the clay coating.

5. Water from the bottom to prevent seeds from being washed under the medium. Many tiny seeds need warmth to germinate (this fact is noted on the packet). Check the flats every day for proper moisture, watering only as much as needed to keep the surface moist, and making sure to water from the bottom.

6. Keep the flat out of direct sunlight until the seeds begin sprouting, then remove the plastic covering. Move to filtered sunlight on a windowsill. Or place under a growing lamp, as soon as seedlings appear.

Sowing Indoors, Large Seed

1. Hold the top end of the packet between thumb and forefinger, shake seed to bottom end of packet, and cut or tear off the top of the packet.

2. Pour the seeds out into your hand; use your finger or a pencil to poke each seed ¼ inch deep into the prepared grow mix in the flat. Space 1 inch apart in rows 1 inch apart.

3. Sprinkle dry growing mix evenly over the seed if cover is required (see packet instructions). Seed should be covered to twice its own thickness. Fast germinating large seed should not be covered with plastic; those that germinate slowly do benefit from a plastic cover, applied so it does not touch surface of growing medium.

4. To bottom-water the seed flat, place it in a pan of water at room temperature until the surface of the medium is thoroughly moist.

5. Place flat where seed is to germinate.

6. As soon as seedlings emerge, remove plastic covering (if used) and move flat to brighter light.

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)