3. Sowing the seeds

The first seeds I planted were Lobelia. These are very tiny seeds, and I used the whole packet between 16 pellets. I covered them with the clear plastic cover, put a towel over them and put them on top of the fridge, where it stays fairly warm even at night. The packet said the germination time was 10-15 days, but I had sprouts in 3 days. Hundreds of sprouts in each pellet - I guess I sort of over-did it. After a few days I spent a good hour or two carefully thinning each pellet out to 4 or 5 seedlings. I think I threw out a few hundred new, baby seedlings. Lesson 2: only sow 4 or 5 seeds per pellet.

Well, I was pleased with my success. Over the next few weeks I followed my schedule, planting up flats of both pellets, and small pots of planting mix. I was more careful to not put so many seeds in each pot, but I was still scared that some of the seedlings wouldn't make it to planting time, so I made sure that I planted more then I'd actually need. How many did it take to make me feel secure? Well, lets just say that we've been eating so many tomatoes over the last couple of weeks that I'm turning orange, and if I were to dry out all of the parsley that is flourishing in the garden we would have enough to garnish the plates of every meal served in Canada for the next 2 years. Lesson 3: only start as many plants as you actually need, with maybe one extra for luck. Don't overdo it.

I did develop a preference for the peat pellets. What a cool invention. The are just the right size, they dry out at a uniform rate, and they can easily be watered by pouring water into the flat and letting them absorb it. In contrast, the small pots I used with loose potting mix were more difficult to care for. They took longer to dry out, but the tops became too dry for the seeds while the bottom of the mix was still wet. I found I had to mist them from the top to keep the seedlings moist. I lost a few of the seedlings in the pots, but not one of the ones in the peat pellets. I'm sold. Lesson 4: use peat pellets to start seedlings.

..next..

1. My first time starting plants from seeds
2. Planting medium and schedule
3. Sowing the seeds
4. Light, sowing outside, and the final results

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