New doorway to your garden

March 10, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

By Kathy Van Mullekom

McClatchy Newspapers

There’s something satisfying about growing vegetables, herbs and flowers from seeds, according to propagators.

“Whether planting seeds straight in the garden or starting them indoors, seed starting opens a new doorway to your garden,” says Lisa Ziegler of The Gardener’s Workshop, a cut-flower farm and online gardening tool and seed shop (www.shoptgw.com) in Virginia.

“No other success in the garden brings such satisfaction.

“And yet, the experience of seed starting is one that many gardeners pass on. Why? Because, as little and innocent as those seeds appear, they are full of mystery and unknowns for the first-time or failed seed starter.”

Here’s what Ziegler and two other propagators say about successfully starting plants from seed.

Lisa Ziegler of The Gardener’s Workshop

First, and foremost, buy seed from a reputable source, advises Ziegler.

“How seeds are handled and stored makes or breaks if a seed is viable when you purchase it,” she says. “Cheap dime-store seed packets often lead to squashed dreams.”

You should also know how your seeds prefer to be started: germinated indoors and transplanted outdoors as seedlings or sown directly in the garden.

“This is a common reason folks fail,” says Ziegler. “They plant seeds in the garden that perform best when started indoors or vice versa.”

She also recommends:

Determine if seeds need to be covered with soil or just placed firmly on soil surface.

Read the label to see when seeds should be planted.

Prepare soil properly.

For indoor seedlings, give them what they need most: heat, light and good food.

Wendy Iles of Hampton Grows

In March 2012, longtime gardener Wendy began sharing the process of “seed to table” with residents in Hampton, Va. She founded the nonprofit Hampton Grows and has helped put in five community and school gardens.

“I like to start short-germinating seeds, like lettuces, peas, basils, green beans and tomatoes,” she says. “Of course, anything I can start growing after a blast of winter is an early favorite. Spring peas can be started as soon as you can work the soil, and taste so sweet and crunchy right off the vine. You can start herbs in just about any sunny spot indoors. I love almost-instant gratification, and check daily for emerging seedlings.”

To make the seed-starting process easy and economical, Iles likes to show how to start seedlings in empty cardboard toilet-paper rolls:

Assemble supplies: toilet-paper rolls, seeds, potting mix, permanent marker and plant labels.

Fold in one edge of the toilet- paper roll. Fold in the opposite side. Press in corner, then opposite corner to create the bottom.

Fill with potting mix.

Tamp down the soil and add more as needed to fill to full. Make a small hole in the center.

Select your seeds. Larger seeds are easier for kids or elderly to work with.

Drop one to two seeds in each hole.

Using a Popsicle stick, cover the seeds lightly.

Recycle window blinds as plant markers. Measure the blind and cut to fit your seedling “pot.” Label the seedlings so there’s no guess work.

Set the pot in a shallow bowl of water to keep from disturbing the seeds. Keep the rolls damp, but not soaked.

“The rolls can be planted directly into the ground or in a bigger pot and are easy for small hands to manipulate without crushing the roots,” says Iles.

Denise Greene of Sassafras Farm

Denise Greene owns Sassafras Farm in Gloucester Point, Va., where she specializes in raising native plants, especially ones that provide habitat for bee, birds and butterflies.

What she grows is adaptable to most gardening regions nationwide — as annuals or perennials, depending on your cold hardiness zone.

“I put most of my seeds in a plastic bagg in moist seed mix and refrigerate them for 90 days to stratify them,” says Greene.

A few native perennial species don’t require any special treatment and are easy for beginners, she continues. Some species have a hard seed coat that requires scarification to allow them to germinate. Greene uses the boiling water technique for those.

“I put the seeds in a coffee mug, pour boiling water on them and soak them for 24 hours before planting them,” she says.