Seed-starting Basics

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The ideal planting-out day is cloudy and damp. As you set each plant in its hole in the ground, water it in and then cover the roots with fine loose soil — never with rough chunks of ground or mud. On a bright, sunny day, you might want to cover the seedlings with berry baskets or a span of fabric row cover for shade.

Now that your weeks of careful tending have produced healthy new plants, let yourself gloat a bit. You and your plants have grown into spring, and more good days lie ahead.

— Former Mother Earth News editor Nancy Bubel is the author of The New Seed Starters Handbook. To order, see Page 110 or go toMother Earth Shopping.

THE AWESOME SEED

Take a moment to consider those seeds you’re about to plant: those flakes, wisps, grains, orbs and particles. No matter how tiny — and some flower seeds are as fine as dust — each seed is a living entity. Within a protective outer coat, the seed contains an embryo that will grow into a seedling, a supply of stored nutrients along with enzymes that convert the stored food into a usable form, and genetic directions for its development. And yes, seeds even “breathe” — that is, they take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. When seeds are planted in warm, moist soil, they absorb water, thus activating enzymes that start the sprouting process. Seeds are programmed to grow; we just help them along.

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