Today Ms Monkey will be showing you how to sow medium size seeds. I have to say that the size thing is all a bit arbitrary, in my head they are medium sized. If you want to argue about it, I will listen, smile pleasantly, whilst feigning interest and then ignore you!
So for today's lesson we will be sowing Lycopersicon lycopersicum 'Sub Arctic Plenty' (that's outdoor tomato to all you not fluent in Latin. We will do a session on Latin; which will be as clear as mud) and Allium schoenoprasum (chives.....for the rest of this lesson I will use common names....but I will feel ill in so doing!)
Step one: seed selection
Now I would have to say that brand doesn't really matter. Most seeds will have been rigorously tested to ensure a good germination rate. Check that your seeds are within date and as I have previously mentioned; try not to use old seeds, they may have a poor germination rate and those dogeared packets that you opened a couple of years ago and they were so successful? Yeah, bin them. By now they will probably be harbouring all sorts of nasty fungi! It's also worth having a little read on the back for any 'small print'. If it says "grows into 40m tree, suitable as specimen plant" and you have an 8ft square balcony, there may be an issue... If it says 'challenging', you might want to walk away...you will probably need to do all sorts of seed treatments and 'other halves' often tend to get upset about bags of damp sand, cluttering up the fridge, airing cupboard etc.
Step two: Equipment
Any receptacle will do, margarine pots....sorry, soft spread that isn't margarine or butter but is only one molecule away from plastic.....worrying, yes?? Where was I? Oh yes...margarine pots, fruit punnets, flower pots etc. As long as it's clean. I use these trays because I can fit two to a propagator....which leads us on to:
A while ago I took the decision to invest in some slightly more robust propagators. I've had them for about five years and use them several times a year. They are just starting to go a bit cloudy, but I reckon they will last at least this year. There are cheaper, light weight models out there, that can be purchased for less than a pound, check out your local pound shop, but for me they are a good investment....not least because every single moggie I own wants to sleep on them and there is nothing more frustrating than loosing your seedlings to 'cat nap attack'!
Pot tampers are not strictly necessary but will give you a lovely level surface to sow seed on. These can be purchased for stupid amounts of money or knocked up from wood off-cuts, you have lying around. A sieve is also a useful bit of kit for seed sowing....I don't own one, well I do, but it's green and in the garden somewhere....why do they make garden tools green? I mean honestly, neon pink would be garish but I wouldn't end up having to constantly buy new secateurs and trowels every year. Nor would I have to continually sharpen dints out of the lawn mower blades when beloved son mows them up (although beloved son doesn't seem to notice bright orange electric cable either....we go through a lot of electrical tape and fuses in this house, I can tell you!)
Good, quality compost. This is the one area I would spend a little money on. Check that your compost is suitable for seed sowing. There are a variety of composts out there (but that's another session!) A good multi-purpose compost should see you right, although there are specialist composts for seed sowing (one presumes that these negate the use of a sieve.....but one only presumes). I get mine off the milkman....I kid you not! It's a peat free compost, with fine particle size and it comes with milk, eggs and fresh orange juice! Seriously, it costs about the same as the garden centre compost but I don't waste my petrol fetching it and I don't have to do any heavy lifting (apart from the getting it to the workshop bit, but I have child labour for that)
Bucket of bleach..I warned you we would come back to this! Before starting everything needs to sterilised....except the seeds and the compost. Now I use a bleach solution; at roughly 1:10 bleach and water. No need to spend loads of money on posh bleaches. Bleach is bleach, let's face it. OK, some of it's thick, but we want thin bleach on this occasion. On a quick note, you will notice that my bucket resides on a raised table....OK so I run the risk of bleaching my jeans in the event of a topple (not necessarily a bad thing for an old goth like myself..I can claim it as a fashion statement....you'll just end up throwing them away, or saving them to wear 'round the garden' until the Health Visitor, Social Worker, Probation Officer, Vicar....[delete as applicable]...pops round and spends their entire visit looking at your shameful trews and not meeting your eye....). Where was I...oh yes, save your back; try and keep bending to the minimum. Use your knees, especially when lifting....unless, like me, you find your knees are knackered, again, child labour is marvellous....
Step three: Boring bit over, let's get our hands dirty
Heap your tray with more compost than you need and then gently tap it on your work surface. Again add more compost, without firming until it is brimming.
Firm down your compost and try to get it even.....bet you wish you had a tamper now! Be quite firm with this, you are trying to remove large air filled holes. If the roots hit large holes, THEY WILL DIE.....sorry to be melodramatic....letting my goth out again! OK, they may not die but it won't do them any favours, when looking for nutrients. Air pruning is often used by the horticulture trade to encourage root branching.....but let's not run before we can walk!
Your tray should now look like this...you will note that the compost has now been compacted to about 1cm below the tray edge. Your trays should always look like this (practise, practise, practise. A rough approximation will do....I'm just anal)
Next you will need your seeds, these are tomatoes.....................and these are the chives (the chives are a tiny bit smaller)
Use all of the seeds.....there is no point saving any until next year, as once the packet has been opened the viability will just keep dropping. You can always cull any excess (they're not puppies or kittens, they are seedlings....harden those hearts! You can always compost them), or give them away to friends/neighbours/random people in the street. You will often find that there will be a lot less seeds in a packet that contains an F1 Hybrid or new cultivar. This is because of the costs invested in breeding these varieties, but they are almost guaranteed to be true to type and no other company will be producing them (plant breeders' rights are very complicated and maybe we'll have a conversation about it.....when I've run out of other, more interesting things to talk about!),
Ta-dah! There is little point in me showing you the pictures of the chive seeds...as they are black seeds on black compost (How very goth!).
Now both of these seeds like to germinate in the dark, and so a scattering of compost...about 6mm deep will suffice. Now would be a really good time to use that sieve.....if you have one.....and if you can find it! Alternatively, go through your compost; removing any large lumps, stones or twigs....damn that green sieve!! Do not compact this, just ensure that your seeds are covered.
Label your seeds as you go. Make sure you include the name, cultivar or variety (If you are growing more than one of the same. It can get annoying if one is ten foot tall and the other is ground cover.....nothing worse than trying to see the back of your border through temperate rainforest when you cock it up!) and the date of sowing. The seed packet will tell you how long it will take for your seeds to germinate (not in all cases, this is most frustrating....Perhaps they are low on ink?) and will allow you to make decisions about when to throw in the towel if nothing seems to be happening (did you forget the bleaching bit?).
Now water your seeds...Even if using a fine rose, you are going to wash seeds in all directions if you water from above. Put your trays in the sink and let the water soak upwards. I use warm water, after all, who wants a cold bath? Leave them to soak until you can see the top of the planting media is wet. then let them stand for a minute bfore transfering them to your nursery spot. No particular reason behind this; except that it saves compost laden water dripping all over your foot or floor...and Ms Monkey doesn't like cleaning at the best of times and she's not going to do it after you've been through!
Now an important note....don't go throwing those empty seeds packets away. Stick them in a box, draw, old sock...whatever? These packets contain valuable information about things such as planting distances, light requirements and general after care. Don't go thinking 'I'll remember'...you won't! Now I don't mind if you come running to me saying "Ms Monkey...at what spacing should I plant my cabbages?" I will tell you....but I might be ever so slightly condescending....and we wouldn't want that, would we?
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| Snug as bugs in rugs |
Part the third will look at planting large seeds in modules.
Right, I'm off for a nice cup of tea and maybe a slice of cake....
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