Is Your Refrigerator Running?
Stratification is an interesting topic in and of itself, and can approach the level of an art form as discussed in this article by Amber Hearn; she has written in depth about Seed Germination, too.
So how do gardeners know when to chill which seeds? Sometimes by trial and error, sometimes from the seed packet or catalog instructions, sometimes from a reference book or two. But to savor the magic of seed starting, do explore Tom Clothier's fabulous Garden Walk and Talk.
The section entitled simply Seeds is a treasure trove of information about the mysteries of seed starting in general and the idiosyncracies for specific seeds. There's even an extensive alphabetical listing system giving little helpful tidbits like which ones need stratification and what type of soil temperature works best for them and how long to reckon things might take to move on along.
And when all else fails, and the worst seems to have happened, get your eye-opening reality check from his Note on Seed Viability. It might or it might not have been because you did something stupid, although certainly we've all done stupid things from time to time.
Then and again, some of us would never ever doubt the sheer power of The Seed. Which begins to explain why we garden in the first place.
So. Go and make room in your refrigerator. You know you're going to need it. (And for heavens sake make SURE you label those little packages; we never quite know just what hungry non-gardeners in the household might inadvertently grab for a snack.)
Tip: Use the shortcut below to send this article to a friend so they'll know what that weird-looking stuff in your fridge really is.
Great new article coming next week -- For nearly 100 past Cottage Gardening columns, check here.
Aside:The prominent publication "Writer's Digest" is doing a special May issue listing favorite bookmarks on the internet. Won't you help support suite101.com by nominating us as a great site -- it takes about a minute. Instant Nomination. Thank you!
*Voting ends January 11.
Great new article coming next week -- For 100 more original Cottage Gardening columns, check here
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