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Comment by Carolyn Warnke WI/Zn5 on March 2, 2010 at 9:56am

I think I have finally stopped purchasing seeds and now to get serious in planting them :) I am trying for the first time to plant Viola, Lupines, Money Plant, Cumin, Portulaca, Strawberries, Leeks, Bells of Ireland, Bunny Tails, Calendula, Castor Bean, and Columbine. The challenge that I find is where each of them get planted - cooler germinating plants go in the basement and warmer germinating ones go in my indoor greenhouses in my great room. Some of them I had to stratisfy in the frig first before moving to warmth. I have a bunch of perrenial seeds from my plants that I saved last year and will try to grow them from seed also this weekend. Has anyone started their Canna's or Dahlia's in pots in their garage for a month before they can be planted outside? I heard that you can do that and wanted to know the success rate before I tried this. We had a crazy summer here in WI last year and a lot of my veggies and bulbs didn't do so well with the lack of continuous warm weather.

Comment by Alexander Horstman, Jr. on February 21, 2010 at 4:11pm

It hit 60 degrees in Charlotte today so I decided to plant my leaf lettuce, arugula, and spinach seeds. I also planted some cabbage and cauliflower seedlings but I'm keeping my fingers crossed on these :-)

Comment by debra on February 18, 2010 at 5:15pm

Thanks for posting that pic Alexander! I love it when the crocuses start blooming, definfitely makes me more optimistic about Spring! We are still covered under 2-3 ft of snow at the least in all the flowerbeds and have more coming 6 " plus for the weekend! At least my seeds inside are starting to sprout!

Comment by Alexander Horstman, Jr. on February 18, 2010 at 4:08pm

Here's a sign of hope! Today, I truly believe Spring is on its way :-)

Comment by C Doughty on February 16, 2010 at 10:57am

Thanks for the info. I saved some seeds from last year, but a lady at a greenhouse told me they don't usually work because they mix germinate (?). I will try them anyway. I can never find petunia seeds for some reason.

Comment by debra on February 15, 2010 at 2:04pm

I agree Walt. I do notice that some do better with cooler germination and try to keep all of them in the same trays based on their germination requirements.

Comment by Walt Gray AR on February 15, 2010 at 1:50pm

if you want a range for most seed, try temps from 68 to 85 with most germinating best in the 70's.

Comment by debra on February 15, 2010 at 1:26pm

Hi! I actually collect my seeds mostly from my own plants or get them from Lowes, Meijers or even the Dollar Store. I have used mail order in the past ,but have better luck with my own or store bought. I use the little greenhouses that you find in the gardening dept and seed starter mix. The mix has to be pre -moistened because it's so important that the seeds don't dry out. I pour the mix in an old metal pot and pour almost boiling water in and mix it in well the the consistency of wet sand, not enough that it sticks together. If the seeds require warm temps for germination, I use heated seed starter trays for a few days to get them going. I use fluorescent lights and get the trays as close as possible. When the seeds start to pop up, remove the lids. Also I keeps a spray bottle handy to mist the tops of the soil so it doesn't dry out. I use styrofoam or other cups with holes cut in the bottom for drainage for the faster growing larger seeds or plant that grow a long tap root and the cell packs that come with the trays for the slower growing smaller seeds. Most of the smaller seeds that say they need light to germinate should just be sprinkled on top of the soil, like petunias because they need light to germinate. Hope that helps. Glad to help if you have any more questions! :)

Comment by C Doughty on February 15, 2010 at 12:32pm

Where do you purchase your seeds? Anywhere special? Are you doing this in your greenhouse and do you have a heat/light system or is it needed this time of year? New to all this. Thanks for any info.

Comment by kathy j chapman on February 14, 2010 at 8:10pm

ps...sane is all I try to pull off during the winter. I'm a hibernater.

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