How I Failed at Seed Sowing
I want to tell you a secret….
The reason I’m offering a workshop about Winter Sowing without Plastics or Peat is because….
I struggled for YEARS to grow any plants from seed.
Seriously, my failures included MARIGOLDS one of the easiest plants to sow & grow!
I shudder at the number of seeds I’ve wasted and young plants I killed.
At the time I just couldn’t figure out WHY!
I sowed the seeds at the right depth.
Bought very expensive seeds, fancy grow lights, heat mats, trays and domes.
Plus countless bags of Jiffy seed starting mix to ‘start the seeds off right’
I even watered and fertilized regularly.
Bags and bags of expensive potting mixes were tried as I was determined that ONE might work!
Only to have SEEDS NOT GERMINATE and the ones that did were weak and spindly.
If these poor seedlings made it past transplant shock, the mature plants lacked any health & vigor. Then in Autumn the frost would take ‘em out entirely even if they were perennials!
Looking back, I can’t even tally how much money & time I spent trying to grow from seed
Most of it was spent in January! All thanks to those beautiful seed catalogues arriving just when I needed a break from Winter!
But that’s not the worst of it!
The worst part of my early attempts at growing my own veggies & flowers is:
I GAVE UP!
THAT’S RIGHT FRIEND. I let myself get so frustrated that I quit trying to grow from seed.
I’d followed the directions on the packets & books I read to only have very few successes.
(I did learn to grow fabulous Marigolds & Zinnias though HA-HA!)
To get either no plants or weak ones, after all that expense & time was so discouraging!
You see, my goal was to grow FROM SEED a family garden of veggies, herbs & flowers for my kids to enjoy. After all, the reason I wanted to sow my own veggies, herbs and flowers was to SAVE MONEY not spend it!
So what brought me back to SEED SOWING?
Native plants & a tight budget!
10 years later, I decided to garden again. This time to feed the birds & bugs aka a habitat garden.
So back into seed sowing I dove… this time WINTER SOWING.
This time I started with Winter Sowing as recommended by the Wild Seed Project .
You know where in January you sow seeds in milk jugs and seed trays. Then you put them OUTSIDE in the cold and in Spring BAM!
Those jugs turn into mini-greenhouses! Then ALL your gardening dreams come true— just like in the magazines!!!
So, I stashed milk jugs GALORE from home & friends in the hundreds. Stole my sons duct tape. I bought seeds for native plants like coreopsis plus veggies and herbs like tomatoes, pumpkins, and basil.
Some grew into actual plants! YIPPEE!
(Not that I knew what they were because the sharpie had worn off the jug!)
The others … well… they still faced damping off, fungus gnats and shock from damaged roots.
(Getting seedlings out of the jugs without damaging roots is a real struggle that no one wants to talk about ha-ha!)
Let me tell ya… I’ve learned a lot since those early days!
Like making my own “living potting soil”, “damping off” and “transplant shock”.
I’ve learned about stratification, soil microbes and water quality.
And I’ve learned the environmental costs of using plastic jugs and commercial soil mixes too!
Learning by practice and errors; I don’t struggle quite so much anymore with seed sowing and supporting young plants.
There’s still LOTS of errors~ but I keep learning!
Learn as you grow…
With all the growing for the farm, I still feel like a Rookie at Spring training!
But hey we’re always Rookie gardeners right?
Growing from seed
Have you also struggled with seed sowing and growing healthy young plants too?
Or are you just starting to sow your own seeds for the first time?
Not sure if you quite got it right?
I’ve been there…
Even now, a plant will send me right back to the very beginning!
(I’m looking at you New York Asters!!! ha-ha!)
Looking back, I realize how helpful it would have been to have a LIVE workshop where I could learn AND get all my questions answered.
Just an informal gardening chat with someone ‘in the know’ AND other gardeners.
A chat about HOW to grow from seed without breaking the bank OR killing the planet with plastics and peat.
Wouldn’t that be great?
I think so too! That’s why I’ve created a gardening workshop to help you grow stronger healthier plants this Spring!
Join me online for an informal workshop ‘Winter Sowing without Plastics & Peat’!
But this workshop is about more than Winter Sowing without plastics and peat
It’s a fun way to meet other gardeners on a cold Winter’s day!
We’ll also chat about how to improve germination rates, soil health, and growing out your transplants.
AND how to make LIVING potting soil for those young seedlings to grow in!
WARNING:
This workshop will inspire you to grow plants from seed!
Plus EPIC GARDEN CHATS & LAUGHS happen in these informal gatherings.
Why?
Because Gardeners LOVE to share & hear new ideas about growing plants especially for wildlife!
