Seed Starting 201, the Next Level

OK, you have your setup ready. Now select your seeds. Plants that must start this early to be ready in mid-May include geraniums, begonias, pansies, browallia, larkspur, Lisianthus, flowering vinca and most perennials that can be persuaded to bloom the first year from seed. Just a week or two later you can start petunias, dianthus, impatiens, portulaca, snapdragons, stocks and verbena. Particulars on the annuals can be found here. The information you need to decide which perennials will bloom this year from an early seeding is not as easily found on the web (if you have found it let me know). In the print version of the Park Seed catalog the information is available in their combination index and culture guide, but is not on their web site. The catalog is free though and here is the link for requesting it.

Once you have decided what you are going to grow and assembled the seeds, you need to plant and grow them in the manner they demand. The annuals are straight forward, plant, water, remove the cover when they have germinated, etc., but the perennials often need more attention to get them started. This is because perennials from temperate regions have developed ways to prevent their seeds from germinating when it is too cold for them too grow. Many of them need a period of cold (winter) for the seed to be ready to sprout. By stratifying the seeds we can fulfill that cold requirement. Some seeds even have double dormancies requiring cold, followed by warmth, followed by another cold period. Stratifying may be as simple as putting the seed packet in the refrigerator for a period of time or as complex as planting the seeds, watering and then alternating the cold and warm environments. The only thing really complicated about it all is finding the information on the seeds you want to grow. Here is a direct link to the best database on the web for seed information. The technique of stratification is well described in this article from Horticulture magazine and Barbara Martin's article from Suite101.com last year can tell you how to do it in your refrigerator.

Remember that the warmer temperatures used for seed germination (after any necessary stratification) are not best for the growing plant. That makes it wise to group your seeds by

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