Starting Flower Seeds Indoors
Here at my farm, patches of snow and ice cover the ground, but inside my greenhouse there's a flurry of spring activity. My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, is already starting flower seeds in preparation for the coming growing season.
We sow thousands of seeds every year - all those wonderful seeds I enjoy purchasing during my travels and seeds we order from our favorite sources. Our first trays include a selection of lupines, delphiniums, and campanulas.
Here are some photos.
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- Every new year starts with seeds. Seeds are available online, at garden centers, and through friends and family. Some of my favorite seed sources include Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, and Vilmorin.
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- Ryan chooses all the necessary seed starting trays. These can be saved from year to year, so don’t throw them away after the season. Seed starting trays are available in all sizes and formations depending on seed needs.
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- He fills several trays with a pre-made seed starting mix that contains the proper amounts of vermiculite, perlite, and peat moss.
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- Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix comes in handy, light eight quart bags. Because we seeds so many trays, I like to keep a goodly amount of potting mix in the head house ready to use. I store soil mixes in large stainless steel bakery ingredient bins – so durable and useful.
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- I use Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix, which is specially formulated for fast root development.
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- Using a finger or the end of a closed thick marker pen, Ryan makes a shallow hole in each cell of the tray.
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- The hole just needs to be big enough for the seed to be dropped in and then covered with more potting mix.
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- Small wooden markers identify the specific flowers and varieties, so we can keep track of the kinds that grow best in my gardens.
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- Ryan prepares markers for the lupines, writing down the flower name and variety. The bag on the left contains seeds from flowers we’ve grown in the past.
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- Lupine seeds are oval shaped, shiny, and light brown in color. They are also a good size, making them easy to see and handle.
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- Here, Ryan drops the seeds into the cells by hand – about two for each cell. Germination is never guaranteed, so multiple seeds are always planted. This provides a better chance at least one will take root.
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- Once the entire tray has been filled, Ryan adds more potting mix to cover the seeds.
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- He carefully levels the mix over the tray. And then he lightly pats the soil down, so the seeds have good contact with the soil.
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- Seeds will germinate in about seven to 10 days in optimal temperature and lighting environments, which is 50 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit under bright light. Then they will get selectively thinned so the stronger seeds are left to continue growing.
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- Our favorite greenhouse kitty, Blackie, loves to watch all the activity in the greenhouse.
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- Next, Ryan prepares markers for delphiniums. Delphinium seeds are good to start indoors about six to eight weeks before the last frost.
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- Delphinium seeds are very small, brown, and triangular in shape – be careful when pouring them out of the packet.
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- Again, Ryan drops a couple seeds into each cell of the tray.
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- And these are pelleted campanula medium seeds. These campanulas are also known as Canterbury Bells, those tall biennials with showy cup-and-saucer shaped flowers. Pelleting is a process where seeds are coated so they are easier to see and handle when sowing.
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- Next, Ryan covers the campanula seed tray with a layer of vermiculite. Vermiculite is a mica-like mineral often used as a soil amendment. It is mined out of the ground, exfoliated, treated with high heat and pressure to force it to expand. The porous surface is great for retaining moisture and nutrients.
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- All the trays are given a good and thorough drink.
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- And then some trays go into a commercial-sized Urban Cultivator, which can hold up to 16-trays. The Urban Cultivator’s pre-programmed control center adds just the right amount of water, light, humidity, and air for the seeds to germinate.
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- And look, after just three days, a lupine has already poked through the soil. We’re off to a great start. And then it’s back to starting more seeds, but we have many more trays to go. Seeds are usually started about two months before the last frost – we will be planting seeds well into March.
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