Wednesday 23 July 2014

Getting Ready to Plant Seeds

Propagating seedlings from seed is a very rewarding practice.  I still get very excited on the mornings I walk out to the potting shed and discover little green shoots pushing their heads through the soil.  Knowing, with some love and attention, that these new, fragile seedlings will one day grow into nutritious vegetables for my family dinner table.


I purchase my seeds from :
All of these suppliers offer organic, open-pollinated, heirloom seeds at a very reasonable price, posted straight to my door.  The majority of my seeds I get from Green Harvest.  They are located in the South East Queensland hinterland as is my property.  The seeds from them, are of course then,  fully acclimatised to my area - making them stronger and more suited to my environmental conditions.

A good quality "seed raising mix" is essential for good germination and although there are many recipes out there to make your own I still purchase SEARLES  in larger quantity bags which I find extremely economical.


Seeds can be planted in any containers that you have on hand.  Egg cartons, old butter or yoghurt containers, the bottom of cardboard milk cartons, anything really that you can puncture some drain holes in the bottom of and that will hold the seed raising mix.   A "Yates" propagating tray and lid is another piece of equipment that I use all the time as well.  The lid reduces airflow and allows the soil to retain moisture until the seeds germinate.  Many other recycled objects, such as softdrink bottles and other plastic containers, can be used for this purpose but if you are going to be germinating a lot of seeds, investing in a proper set up is well worth the money. 


I do, however, use an old softdrink bottle as my watering device.  I have used a very small drill bit and drilled holes in the lid.  This allows a very fine shower of water to moisten the potting soil very gently without disturbing the newly planted seed.  

Once you have gathered all the necessary equipment you are now ready to start planting. 






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