Ready. Set. Grow!

Ready, Set, Start your seeds! We will walk you step by step on how to start your seeds using a few photos to hopefully help you out. First things first, what you need: Starter trays with plastic covers Soil (we like to blend peat moss which is soft and light for easy rooting with our nutrient rich compost) Permanent Marker Popsicle sticks Seeds Water Fill each tray cup with soil. It’s important to keep the soil light so try not to press it too much, you don’t want it to compact. Mark your popsicle stick with what veggie you’re planting. I like to do this as I plant each seed so I don’t lose track of what goes where. I like to place the popsicle sticks at the top left corner of each tray. Plant the seed. Some seeds are tiny and some (like beans) are the size of well, a bean. For the smaller seeds you can place 2-5 seeds in each cup while placing only 1 larger seed. I like to sprinkle the seeds over each cup the lightly press them into the soil. I then softly scatter more soil over top. After you’ve catalogued and filled each cup with your seedlings it’s time to water but wait…seedlings don’t like to have direct water poured over them (this also can compact the soil). Instead, pour the water into the tray so that the cups absorb the water from underneath. After you’ve filled each tray about an inch high place each tray in a well lit, warm area. We like to keep ours on our window seat in the living room. Now it’s a waiting game. Some seeds take a week or more to sprout while others sprout in a just few days. The most important thing at this point is making sure the seedlings have enough water without drowning them. We usually put water in the trays about once a day. You will know the seed has enough water when the soil is dark and moist. After the seedlings have reached a few inches tall you can transplant them into your garden being very gentle making sure to not tear the roots or the plant itself in the process. What we planted so far: Green Peas Garden Beans Pak Choy Bok Choy Chinese Broccoli Broccoli Tat Soi Spinach Chinese Kale Broccoli Raab Cauliflower Spaghetti Squash Chinese Cabbage Leeks Brussels Sprouts ***Make sure you read the back label of each seedling packet for specific directions on depth and spacing when transferred to your garden.