Starting Hollyhock Seeds
Being a lover on cottage garden, I really like hollyhocks. I have double ones in the garden in pink and in yellow and I have some mini ones as well. When I saw seeds for ‘The Watchman’ I thought they would be lovely. Last year I tried to start the seeds without any luck, I seeded a whole flat and not a one germinated. Hollyhock seeds need light to germinate, which makes it tough sometimes because they can get blown or washed away if you have the flats outside (which is probably what happened to mine).
I thought that if I tried to start them like other flat seeds that need light, like amaryllis and tulips, I might have better luck. I floated them in warm water in a small ramekin in my kitchen window a few days ago. I noticed yesterday that a few of them were germinating already! When most of them germinate I’ll transfer them to flats with some soil. Looks like next year I’ll have some dark hollyhocks blooming in my cottage garden!
Do you have any interesting seed starting techniques you’ve had luck with?
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The First Tomato Seedling of 2010
Exciting things are happening in the Chiot’s Run basement seed starting headquarters. On Saturday morning while working in the basement, I spotted the first tomato seedling of 2010. Can you guess what kind it is?*
This is when that new macro lens Mr Chiots got me for Christmas comes in handy, I never would have been able to get this close with my other lens. It’s a thing of beauty, since I was working in the basement so I caught it before it even fully emerged from the soil and stood up. I had just checked them that morning and didn’t see anything, later that afternoon there was a tiny speck of green.
I still haven’t started all of my tomato seeds yet, that will happen this week when I can leave the flats on the front porch to warm (it’s supposed to be in the high 60’s). Of course I ended up with more variates than I wanted to grow, but fewer than last year. I’ll give you the full list when I start them.
Do you have any tomatoes growing yet?
*It’s a San Marzano
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First Seeds Planted this Season
We’ve had some beautiful sunny warm days this week that have awakened my gardening spirit. I spent some time on the front porch in the sun starting a few flats of seeds. The first seeds of the 2010 gardening season. What did I plant? Onions, of course.
Onions take a long time to germinate and they can be planted outside earlier than many other plants. So typically onions are the first seeds to start in late winter. Many people prefer using onion sets since they’re easier, but I like the variety offered by onion seeds. I planted 2 different varieties of heirloom onions this week.
Jaune Paille Des Vertus (onion) – Introduced about 1793, this old onion is now hard to find. It is also called Brown Spanish by French seed house Vilmorin; in 1885 they said, “The winter supply of Paris and of a great part of Europe consists chiefly of this variety, which may be often seen hanging up in dwelling-houses in long hanks formed by interlacing and plaiting the withered leaves together.” The roots are flattened and 3″-4″ across, the skin is a brownish yellow and the flesh is flavorful. This antique is known for its keeping qualities that made it a standard in Europe for over 200 years.
Yellow of Parma (onion) – Long-day type–Large, golden onions are oblong-globe shaped. This late onion makes an excellent keeper; a rare and hard-to-find Italian variety.
I waited a little longer this year to start onions. Last year I had onion seedling that needed to be planted outside and nowhere to put them due to weather and too wet conditions. (this is a photo from April 10, 2009)
Later this spring (as soon as I get the seeds and the ground thaws), I’ll be direct sowing a few other varieties of onions in the garden as. I’m going to compare the effects of starting the seeds indoors or direct sowing in the garden. If direct sowing works well, that will sure save me some time each spring.
Any seeds being starting for your 2010 gardens? Which ones?
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Shelf Life of Seeds
After receiving a few questions about the shelf life of various seeds I figured I’d research a bit and come up with a list for you for you. Obviously different kinds of seeds have a different shelf life. Other things come into play as well, like humidity and temperature. You want to create the best possible environment for your seeds to have optimum shelf life. The garage or garden shed wouldn’t be the best storage place, unlike all the lovely magazine photos show.
There are a few things you can do to help increase the shelf life of your seeds. Keep them in a cool place, about 50 degrees and keep the humidity lower than 50%. One way to help with the humidity is to keep some of those little silica packs from purchasing shoes/bags in your seed box/jar. Some people choose to store their seeds in the fridge or freezer. I have read that storing in the fridge can double the shelf life and storing in the freezer can extend shelf life by 4-5 times. I’m thinking of making a little seed vault with a few varieties of seeds and stashing it in my freezer in a vacuum sealed bag, more about that later.
The seeds with the shortest shelf life are: onions, beans, peas, corn, grains. The ones with the longest shelf life are:
Brassicaceae (cruciferous family) broccoli, cabbage, radish
Solanaceae (nightshade family) tomatoes, peppers, eggplant
Cucurbitaceae (melon family) zucchini, watermelon, pumpkin
I have noticed that onions seeds lose about 50% germination by the second year and peas seem to lose germination rates quickly as well. It’s a good strategy to use most of those up each year or store them in the freezer when you’re not planting. Tomato seeds seem to last forever, I’ve never had trouble with reduced germination on tomatoes even with seed older than 5 years old.
Have you ever noticed changes in seed germination from improper storage or older seeds?
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The First Seedling of the Season
I haven’t officially started and seeds yet. My light tables aren’t put together in the basement yet, I haven’t even ordered all of my seeds yet -yikes. Am I behind? Not really, I’ve been deliberately trying to restrain myself from starting things too early. Seedlings do so much better when you can get them planted outside when they’re the right size. So starting them too early often doesn’t do any good and may actually be bad for the plant in the long run. I will be starting some lettuce this week, I think by the time they’re big enough the cold frame will be warm enough to transplant them. I think spring will come a littler later this year so I’m holding off as long as I can to get the seed starting going.
I did “unofficially” start a few seeds for the Amsterdam Seasoning Celery I got from Renee’s Garden. A few days ago, I sprinkled them in a post I had by the back door that nothing was growing in (failed attempt to propagate a houseplant). The first seed germinated yesterday! I think this will make an excelling winter gardening plant. Fresh celery taste all winter long from a pot in the dining room! I can’t wait to see how this herb does. Celery sseedling are the tiniest of all I think, I should have put a penny by this so you can see how small they are.
Have you been starting seeds yet?
