Petals & Pedals: Tips to grow on- Starting your garden from scratch

The rogue sunflower growing underneath your bird feeder, the seeds ready for spitting contests during watermelon season, even the poppy seeds on your morning bagel, little beginnings of plant life are everyday, but we just have to look around and realize it. 

So where do we start looking for seeds to grow without supporting the giants of retail? 

Trade with your friends: Exhibit 1--those little plastic jewelry baggies are perfect for an impromptu seed swap.  I've never been able to use all the seeds that come in a pack all by my lonesome, so why not share?

Etsy does it again! Check out the seed selection from Greenthing, A Breath of French Air, and SapphireChild, who also offers some reasonably priced plants!  Do a search yourself and find many many more!

So you've got the seeds and need to decide the best way to get them started.  There are plenty of options out there (exhibit 2), including peat pots and peat pellets, plastic trays that come with mini-green house lids,   the options are endless.  I say save your money and make your own.  NatureMoms has some great ideas (including using eggshells).  This year I'm going with the toilet tube cut in half variety (exhibits 4 and 5).

1) Collect empty tubes a plenty.

2) Cut them in half lengthwise.

3) Fold the tube lengthwise and cut 3/4 inch slits on each crease. Cut two more slits, each one about halfway between your first two.  These are the tabs that will make the bottom of your seed pots.

4) Fold 'em like you do a moving box (Jena can help you with that!) so they stay closed.

Now they're ready for a loose, loamy seed starting mix.  You can make your own, or venture on down to the indie-owned hardware store and start getting to now your local business owner!

Other seed sources:  John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds, Pinetree Seeds ,  Seed Savers Exchange.

If you're looking to increase your houseplant garden, don't forget to check out your local flea market! Get creative and you might find some sort of crazy container to put it in. . .like, say, an old tea pot!

Next Friday we'll get to planting and talk suitable seed environments.

Comments, questions, suggestions of your own? 

I'll be glad to field 'em in the comments section below!

Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish thumb wants her to believe otherwise.  When mud pies aren't on the menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.

Comments

[amy]

thank you so much for this tutorial! I am going to be here all the time! My three year old and I want to GROW so much this year! yahoo!

[Samantha]

Thanks for this. Every year I want to start a garden and every time I go to research stuff I get lost in everything there is to know.

[lizzelizzel]

Spring is so much fun, if I may add...
Bottom warmth is very important for seed starting. You can warm your seed starting pots by placing them on surfaces that grow warm(like the top of an old fridge, heating pad, monitor or television)

[Casey]

Oh my!! Thank you so much for this post!! I haven't tried growing something since I was 15, and recently I started thinking about how much fun it would be to try it again. :) And it would be so much more fun/challenging/satisfying to do it in a "green" (no pun intended considering we're talking plants/gardening! lol) way!

[Krystyn]

Great post for people like me who have no idea what to do other than water a plant occasionally!

Any tips for us urban dwellers with "gardens" that are concrete boxes about 3ft x 3ft and a few inches high? I'd like to plant something nice, but there's absolutely no drainage unless it overflows.

Every loft in my row has boxes of dirt. I don't know why they bothered to make them!

[katiedL.]

hopefully some of these tips will help me have a bit more success than in years past...i think i need to work on consistency. i can't wait to try the tp roll starters!
myfolia.com is a great site to track your little seedlings along with the rest of your gardening adventures. it's just another place to geek out with plants!

[Julia]

Ha! I've never seen the tube pot before! That's cute. I often save yogurt containers and cut holes in the bottom for plants - even orchids! When you have a lot of plants at some point you lose the need to put them all in nice containers.

**Merry spring everybody!!!**