Remember this handful of tips when you start your seeds indoors, and you will sprout success!

• Light:  Normal household or window light is not adequate for starting seedlings indoors.  Fluorescent tubes work great – use a double tube set-up, preferably with one being a cool-white and one a warm white.  Keep tubes no more than 3 inches away from the seedlings.  Seedlings should receive 16 hours of light per day, with the remainder of the day in darkness (that is important).  If you’ve grown tall, skinny seedlings in the past, then you are not giving them enough light.
• Moisture: Keep seedlings moist but NOT soggy.  If they dry out just once, seedlings will die.  Too much moisture can cause fungal diseases to take hold.
• Soil:  Use only seedling mix with its finer texture; it has great aeration and moisture retention.  We recommend Black Gold seedling mix.
• Containers:  Almost any container can be used to start seeds, including old milk containers or egg cartons.  Just be sure to have good drainage.  We have a good assortment of peat pots; the advantage with these: they can be directly transplanted out - peat pot and all - which minimizes stress on the plants.
• Hardening off:  Your seedlings have been raised in the cushy home environment.  Before you plant them outside, you will need to ‘harden them off’ for about a week, so that they gradually toughen up to the outdoor environment.  Take the containers outside and place in a filtered sun/shade location away from harsh winds during the day.  Gradually increase time outdoors.

Our season of classes started off with a roar this weekend!  Thank you everyone for your understanding as we use a temporary location for our ‘classroom’ until our new space is finished.  At least it was warm and dry, and maybe that’s all we need from a classroom in January…

Ernie Carlson from Botanical Interests Seeds gave a  great talk on what we should be thinking about now for seed-starting.  Over the next few days, I’ll post some seed-starting pointers, for those of you who missed the class.  And if you’d like copies of his handouts, they can be found at http://www.botanicalinterests.com/gardening_tips.php.  There is a handy chart, “Indoor Spring Sowing Guide,” which lists how many weeks in advance to start seeds indoors, before it is safe to plant outside.  A very useful reference.

Before starting seeds indoors, however, you need to know when our last frost occurs.  Most resources will  confirm that in the Portland metro area, we are usually safely out of frost danger after April 26.  Naturally, that is dependent upon where you live – higher elevations will be later, and unique micro-climates can vary widely.  So be aware, if you are planting out some tender things towards the end of April and into early May, be aware of the weather forecast, and protect your fragile babies if needed.

But for seed-starting indoors, that date is your general guideline.  Use the Indoor Spring Sowing Guide with that date in mind, as you plan.  For instance,  let’s say you want to start some kale seeds – and the chart says to start them indoors 6 weeks before average last spring frost.  So, looking at the calendar, you will want to start those seeds about March 15th.  Make sense?  When grown under the right conditions and from the correct starting date, your seedlings should be ready to plant out when the weather is just right for them!

Next time we’ll talk about the best materials to use, and the all-important LIGHT issue.

Our 2010 series of classes  begins soon, and we are as excited as ever to bring you all the information you will need to enjoy being a savvy, knowledgeable, and creative gardener.  This will be another great year for our educational programming – we’ve got some great speakers scheduled for you to meet.  Keep checking this blog for updated information on scheduled classes, or pick up a class brochure when you are in the store.

Our first class is coming up on Saturday, January 30 at 11 am.  Ernie Carlson from Botanical Interests will share his best tips for seed starting.  Whether you are growing vegetables or flowers, this is the most economical way to have those favorites you love to grow.   It is also a great strategy for trying new varieties.   Make plans now to get a jump on the season!

This is a free class; however space is limited, so please register to save your space – call us at 503-649-4568, or email events@farmingtongardens.com, with your name and phone number.

We’ve been having some pretty chilly nights still – and to top it off, I’ve heard that our spring will be unseasonably cooler than normal till June.  That is going to make growing any of the warm-season crops especially challenging this year.  Darn.  I’m talking about tomatoes, peppers, melons, cucumbers, squashes, and eggplant.  Fortunately, all of these are good candidates for using our Gardeneer Season Starters.  These early season plant protectors are pyramid-shaped and water-filled — they surround the plant, absorbing heat from the sun during the day, and giving it off during the night.  Think of it as a blanket for your favorite veggies!  You are able to plant up to six weeks earlier with this protection, which also means you HARVEST weeks earlier too.   Take good care of them and they will last several seasons.  We have one on display here – come in and feel how much warmer it is inside!

Everyone seems to be thinking about seeds these days. That is verified by reporting from seed companies, some of whom report a whopping 40% increase in sales. Even Mark Bittman, on his New York Times foodie blog “Bitten”, has posted about seeds on more than one occasion recently.   So I’m guessing there is a lot of seed-starting going on out there.

It sounds like many of us struggle with a similar issue: mainly the storage of leftover seeds and whether they are still viable. That viability does vary among different types of seed and is very much influenced by the manner of storage. Please store unused seeds in an airtight container – toss in one of those silica gel packets that seem to be inserted into so much packaging these days. They will absorb moisture.  However, if you are ready to purge your seed stash and start fresh this year, we would be happy to take your partial packages of seed – just bring them in.  We get requests all the time from non-profit organizations and schools starting vegetable gardens, and I know they would be happy to take hand-me-down seed.  Waste not, want not, my grandma always said.

I posted about CowPots not long ago, and have noticed they are flying off the shelves here.  I would love-love-love for those of you trying them out to let us know how they are working for you.  Just comment on this posting.

We have tons of seed here right now, from several different companies.  Here’s a quick run-down:

• New Dimension Seed – these are imported from China and are carefully selected to thrive in our climate.  The founder of the company, Sue Berge, will be here on Saturday at 1 PM to talk about her great Asian veggies, and how to use them in the kitchen.
• Seeds of Change – these are certified organic seeds.  This company promotes biodiversity and sustainable agriculture, and all their seeds are open pollinated – this means you can collect seed for next year and be confident you will get the same crop you did this year.  They have new packaging this year as well, an environmentally friendly packet which is resealable to keep leftover seed fresh.
• Ed Hume Seeds – this Washington State company provides us with a wide selection of veggies, herbs and flowers which thrive in our Pacific Northwest climate.  A limited number of these are certified organic.
• Weeks Seeds – This company specializes in unusual and giant varieties – they hold several world records.  If you are looking for seed for an award-winning pumpkin or sunflower, this is the selection to discover.

Oh, and we also have heat mats, peat pots, seedling soil mix and  inoculant (a nitrogen-gathering dust you apply to beans and pea seed to insure bigger yields and better quality).   Happy Seeding!

As our weather stays cold for the next several weeks, and we huddle around the fire, many of us begin plans for our spring gardens.  As you make plans for seed starting, I wanted to give you a heads-up about a new product, due to arrive in January, which we are excited about!  CowPots are a green alternative to plastic pots for seed starting, and have many terrific advantages.  But first, what are they made of?  They were invented by dairy farmers in Connecticut, who were looking for creative ways to use the abundant, nutrient-rich manure produced on their farm.  These clever guys have created a pot that:

• grows sturdier, healthier plants
• goes directly into the soil with the plant; it fully decomposes with no throw-away
• encourages root development
• avoids plant stress
• adds soil-conditioning natural nutrients to your garden
• is convenient and time-saving
• is easy to handle, odor-free, non-toxic
• 100% Made in the U.S.A.
• reduces non-recyclable plastics
• reduces dependence on foreign oil
• reduces municipal waste
• promotes recycling of agricultural waste to horticultural benefit
• made from a highly renewable resource
• nutrient-rich

Wow – no wonder they are talking about these pots on NBC’s Today Show, Larry King Live, Dirty Jobs, and more.  They will cost a little more than the everyday plastic starter pots, but when you factor in all the benefits your little seedlings will receive with the built-in nutrients, it starts looking pretty good.  Not to mention the bonus points you get for ’green’ and ‘sustainable’.  I can’t wait to try them out.

P.S.  If you’d like more detailed information on this product, visit their website: http://www.cowpots.com/