Growing from Seed

Growing plants from seed has potential that many people fail to appreciate.   Seed are close to the heart of what makes life work in our world.   It also is the way to get individual original plants, and cheaply.   Here are three sets of seeds I'm growing now, before I plant most of the starter plants for my garden.

Some of the most practical seeds to plant early are onions.   This allows me to pick the best varieties.  I've had good luck starting them under florescent lights in the basement, putting them out on my front stoop to harden up, and plant them out as soon in the spring as I can - this year it might even be late March but generally it's April or May.   They are frost tolerant and once they're established in the garden, will produce big onions.

Coleus have always been fun to grow - they have endlessly colorful leaves and are easy to propagate.   Growing them this way gives a great variety and a low price.  These aren't particularly practical - I'm not sure what to do with all of them - but it's fun.

Growing apples from seed isn't practical - you almost surely won't end up with grocery-store-quality fruit.   Many of these I'll use for 'root stock', small seedlings that I graft on known proven varieties.    One of these trays is the seed from crab apples, makinge trees with small fruit favored by birds.   Apple seed have a dormancy that needs to be broken before they will sprout.   I wrap the little flats in a plastic bag and leave them in my unheated garage for several months. About this time of year they will start coming up.  I bring them inside and a few days later, they look like this.

I've grown trees from seed since I was a boy.  The principle problem is that trees take years to reach full  size.  Planting trees is a long term if gratifying project.

This is just the opening salvo to this season's seed planting.   Growing vegetables and flowers can be practical and even a bit joyful for people like me.