Seeds- Everything You Need to Know

On this page you will find many articles about seeds, a topic list is below.  Just scroll down the page to find them.

The miracle of seeds
Selecting seeds, definitions of organic, GMO and other terms
Collecting and storing seeds
What to start from seeds
Tips for starting seeds
Special germination needs of common garden seeds
Recycling and seed starting 
How to make paper pots
What you need to know about seed starting medium/soil
Damping off - seedling disease
Why some plants grown from seed will disappoint you
How to start flower seeds in the fall
Seeds and fruit that could kill you
Starting seeds on the window sill

The miracle of seeds

Plants are so amazing.  Despite the fact that we can’t exist without them we don’t know as much about them as we should.  But we are finally realizing that plants do many of the same things animals do- we just have to realize they have a different way of doing things than animals and it’s hard for us animals to fully understand the complexity of plant life. 

Common milkweed seeds

For example we now know that plants communicate with each other, that they experience pain and other stimuli, and that they can even perform tasks which we thought only animals did like defend themselves and make decisions about allocating resources.  One of the things plants have in common with animals is that they protect and provide for their young.  In animals embryos are protected in one of two ways, in a uterus inside the animal or in an outside “egg”.  The uterus or egg provides nutrients for the embryo, sustaining them and protecting them until they are born.  After birth some animals let their young fend for themselves, but many animals protect and even feed their young for various amounts of time.

Flowering plants provide for their young in much the same way animals do.  They make various types of seeds, some surrounded by a fleshy protective “uterus” we call a fruit.  All seeds have some food packed in them for the embryo to begin life by germinating and getting a baby plant ready to grow when conditions are right.  The stored food sustains the embryo until it can begin absorbing water from the soil and making food through photosynthesis. 

All seeds require some moisture to start growing.  The seed may have a hard coat that requires lots of moisture to soften it or it may require freezing and thawing to crack the seed coat.  Some seeds require fire to crack the coat and allow moisture in. 

The embryo always puts out its tiny root system first when conditions are right for germination.  Sometimes it takes a few days for the new roots to find nutrients and water and allow the shoot (leaves and stem) to start growing but in some plants the baby root will grow for weeks or months before a shoot forms.

Some seeds have a large embryo that’s ready to start growing quickly when it hits the ground and these don’t have much stored food.  If a baby plant normally needs a long period of time before it can sustain itself after germination because of environmental factors like poor soil or low light, it will have seeds that still provide food long after germination.  These are the fleshy looking cotyledons or seed leaves one can see on the stem of seedlings until they get several true leaves. These were folded up inside the seeds.   Some plants have one – monocots- and some plants have two- dicots.  These cotyledons “nurse” (have a food supply that is slowly released) the baby plant as it begins to grow.

Plants provide their babies with many forms of nutrients, proteins, fats, carbs, depending on the species of plants and what the baby will need most to survive.  No one knows yet why plants developed so many forms of nutrients that are included in seeds in varying proportions, to nourish their young.  Even a tiny seed, like the rape seed, can have a large amount of food stored.  But those fats, carbs, oils, and proteins sure have made the human diet and lifestyle possible.  Without them most animal life would fail. (Some tiny animals might survive on non- flowering plants like mosses and algae.)

Plants further protect their babies by making hard seed coats, poisonous chemicals in the seed, chemicals that regulate germination, juicy fruits around them that keep them moist, devices which allow the seeds to disperse through the air or in the fur of animals and by other means.  Getting a baby plant away from mom is desired “tough love” in most species, so there is less competition for resources.  Dispersing seeds also allows the species to continue should the immediate environment become unsuitable for that species.

Animals that disperse seeds range from humans carrying away fruit and grains to eat later to ants that carry seeds away to eat off a protective seed coating.  Birds and many other animals eat fruits and pass the seeds through the digestive tract in their feces, often far from the parent plants.  Seeds like coconuts float on water to distant places.  Some seeds are shot out of their ripe pods a considerable distance.  Some seeds float away on special seed structures like cotton, cottonwood trees, cattails, dandelions and milkweed produce.  Other seeds have sticky barbs or other structures that stick to fur and clothing.

Cleome seed pod splitting open.

Unfortunately for plants animals have learned that the food stored for the baby plant is a good food source for them also.  Seeds and fruits, all formed by plants to feed, protect and disperse their babies to good locations to grow make up about 70% of the human diet, more in the case of those who are vegetarians.  So the next time you eat bread, enjoy your blueberry cobbler, sip coffee, or munch a chocolate bar thank a plant for sacrificing its babies.

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Selecting your seeds

Before you can start seeds you have to have seeds.  New gardeners are often confused by all the advice thrown at them by other gardeners.  Buy organic, choose hybrids for vigor, choose heirlooms for best taste, you must choose open pollinated, buy seeds grown in your growing zone, don’t buy GMO seeds and so on.  Here’s some definitions and information that may help you sort through all that advice.

Defining organic

One of the problems with the organic growing movement is how people define organic.  If you take the word organic for what it means in the agricultural sense - growing things without synthetic chemicals, both pesticides and fertilizers, then certainly hybrid seeds can be grown organically.  Any type of seeds can be produced organically.  The parents of hybrid seeds can be grown organically so the word hybrid should not determine the organic status of any seed.

Recently some people have begun to assert that the label organic should also mean seeds that were produced by plants that were not “genetically modified” as well as being grown without synthetic chemicals.  But technically GMO seeds could be produced and grown organically.  Its unlikely home gardeners will have to face this problem however, see the definition of GMO below.

It can be hard to raise good quality parent plants without pesticides.  This is especially true of some vegetables we grow from seed because the parent plants must grow until their second year to produce seeds.  Organic seed generally sells for more than conventionally grown seed, although the costs have come down on popular items.  If you don’t see that seeds are labeled “organically grown” they are probably conventionally grown, and that means at least some pesticides or synthetic fertilizers were used on the parent plants.

Can you grow organic food or flowers if the seeds weren’t grown organically?

Some organic purists, and people who want to be certified as growing organically, insist that the parent plants that produce the seeds they are going to grow were also grown without any synthetic chemicals. However if no seed treatments are applied to the seeds of plants that were not grown organically then you can grow organic produce or flowers from those seeds if you follow organic practices.

The problem with “non-organic seeds” is if the seeds themselves were treated with one of the neonicotinoid pesticides.  Many types of seeds are treated with these products to prevent insect damage in storage.  Since the seeds take up these pesticides the neonicotinoids also protect the seedlings as they begin to grow.  As the plants get older, if no neonicotinoid pesticides have been applied since the seed treatment the amount of the pesticide in plant tissues continues to decline.  However studies have shown that a small amount of pesticides can remain in plant parts, including pollen and nectar for at least a year.

Neonicotinoid pesticides are very safe for humans, other mammals and birds and that is why their use is so popular.  The problem is that along with harmful insects neonicotinoids can kill or weaken pollinators and other helpful insects.  There is ongoing research on this subject, but it seems that seed treatments or treating seedlings and nursery starts with neonicotinoids can affect pollinators when those plants bloom, weeks or months later.

Plants grown from seed treated with neonicotinoids will not harm you, only pollinators and other insects.  If you are going to plant things that you consume before they bloom, such as lettuce, carrots, beets, broccoli and so on then the infinitesimal amount of pesticide left from a seed treatment should not be any problem. If you used organic growing practices your food is very, very close to organic, although legally you may not be able to label it as such.

Plants like trees or shrubs that will take several years to bloom from seed will not have any pesticide residue left to harm bees. Whether you choose to grow neonicotinoid treated seeds for plants like beans, sunflowers, squash and flowering plants attractive to bees that bloom the first year, is a personal choice.  At this time research suggests there may be some damage to pollinators with some species of plants whose seeds were treated.

There are occasionally other types of seed treatments.  Fungicides are sometimes applied to seeds to prevent rotting in cold wet soil.  These do not persist long in plant tissue, and if you follow organic gardening practices the plants produced from the seeds are, for all purposes, organic and not harmful to you or pollinators.  Seeds are sometimes treated or inoculated with natural soil mycorrhizae and microbes.  Since the products occur in natural conditions they should be considered organic.  Seeds that are pelleted for easy handling are generally coated with a clay product that is totally organic and safe. 

If you are worried about planting seeds that could harm pollinators or want totally organic seeds there are now many companies that offer either organic seed or seed produced conventionally that is not treated with neonicotinoids.

Defining GMO

The term genetically modified should be applied to plants or animals whose genes are altered in some way that can’t happen naturally such as when we use a virus to put animal genes into plants or genes from plant species that can’t cross naturally with each other.  These genes will then carry into future generations if similar plants are bred together and could be carried to other similar plants in a natural cross.

There are many field crops on the market that have been genetically modified, wheat, corn, soybeans and such.  But very, very few garden plants have been altered in this manner.  Your hybrid sweet corn, cabbage, marigolds and so on generally are the result of good old fashioned plant sex.  The very few genetically modified garden crops are expensive and generally available only to large commercial growers.  

The contamination of plants by stray pollen from genetically modified plants can happen to all varieties of plants not just hybrids.  But in garden seed that possibility is remote at best.

Defining hybrid

A hybrid seed is the result of crossing two purebred varieties of plants.  This usually happens in the old fashioned way, by insects or wind carrying pollen from one type of plant to another.  Plant sex.  If you plant a row of Blue Lake beans next to a row of Straight Arrow beans and bees carry pollen from one to another, the beans produced on those plants are hybrids.  The purebred parents and the resulting seeds can be grown without synthetic chemicals so yes, hybrid seeds can be organic.   

Hybrids happen between plants all the time, without man interfering at all.  Every time you plant 6 varieties of tomatoes in the same garden you are creating hybrid tomato seeds.  You probably don’t save and grow the seeds the next year and there is a good reason for that.   Those six types of tomatoes combined and produced all kinds of hybrids or crosses. Some of the combinations are great, some mediocre and some awful.  If you planted those seeds next year you wouldn’t know what you would get, although it certainly would be tomatoes.

When man discovers two purebred varieties of plants that when crossed produce something good, he may set out to deliberately re-create it by hand pollinating the plants or by removing the anthers (pollen producing parts) from one variety so it can only be reproduced by another variety grown nearby for that purpose.  He can discover which plants combine well by experimenting with hand crosses and carefully keeping records of the results.  Then when he finds combinations or hybrids he likes, he can re-create the cross.

Hybrids usually have something known as hybrid vigor.  The offspring of that first cross of 2 purebred parents are generally more vigorous and healthy than the offspring of pure bred parents.  This happens because when we mate purebred animals or plants to another of the same pure breed generation after generation we start concentrating certain genetic material and genetic variability, the thing that lets plants or animals adapt to changing conditions, is lost. Over time a purebred strain tends to become less able to reproduce successfully, loses vigor and is more susceptible to disease.

Just as we know what we are getting when we mate a purebred plant to a purebred like it, when we save the seed and plant them, we can know what to expect when we cross 2 different varieties of the same plant.  Thus we can name these crosses and people can confidently plant them and know what to expect.  Sometimes we can even successfully cross two distantly related species, such as the plum and the apricot and get good results.

If you save the seeds from hybrid plants the third generation will recombine genes in many ways and you will get all kinds of plants, and probably not ones like the parents.  But you could get something better than the parents, you never know.   Most home gardeners don’t save food plant seeds from their own plants to grow the next year anyway.  They don’t have room to separate plant varieties and can’t generally control what the neighbors are planting and plants can spread their pollen some distance with the help of the wind and insects. 

If you don’t save seeds to plant the next year then don’t worry whether you choose hybrid or open pollinated seeds.  There are far more varieties of hybrid vegetables and flowers on the market than open pollinated.  You have a better chance to find highly productive, disease resistant seeds among hybrids.  Whether seeds are hybrid or open pollinated does not influence their flavor or nutrition, despite many strident claims.  Some hybrids can also be considered heirlooms, since they have been around for a very long time.

Defining open pollinated

Purebred varieties of plants are called open pollinated.  The only advantage they have is that you can save the seeds and if you have carefully isolated that variety of plant from similar plants, the seeds you save and plant next year will produce plants like the parents.  Open pollinated plants don’t always taste better than hybrids nor are they more nutritious.  They may be less vigorous than hybrids and more susceptible to disease.

It’s a great thing to save old breeds of open pollinated plants. We need the purebred lines to produce new and better varieties of plants and preserve genetic diversity.  But if you are just a gardener trying to grow good, safe food you don’t need to worry about whether your seeds are open pollinated or hybrid.  If you don’t use synthetic chemicals in your garden then you are growing organically, regardless of what seeds you planted.

So choose the hybrid seeds that appeal to you and don’t worry that you are violating some great organic principal.  If you look, you can find hybrid seed that was grown organically if that’s important to you. Expect to pay more than for hybrid seeds grown conventionally.   If people choose organically grown seed more often then more will be grown and fewer pesticides will be used over all.  But if you follow good organic garden practices any seed you buy that hasn’t been treated with neonicotinoids can be grown organically.

Defining heirloom

The definition of heirloom varies from company to company, gardener to gardener.  Some insist only open pollinated plants (see above) can be heirlooms.  Some use a hundred years as a distinct variety as the definition, some use 50 years- it’s all over the map.  But the common thing is that the plant variety has been around for fifty years or more.

There are certain groups of people that will tell you that heirloom or heritage varieties are the only ones you should grow because they taste better or are more nutritious or are more fragrant or attractive to bees.  But that is just nonsense. 

Some heritage/heirloom varieties may taste better than some modern varieties but taste is highly selective anyway.  There are perfectly delicious modern varieties of plants like tomatoes and beans too.  Some of these modern varieties are more nutritious than older ones.  And modern varieties are often more disease resistant, which keeps you from having to use pesticides as often to produce a good crop.  Modern varieties, especially hybrids, often produce more food in the same space and they adapt to various climates and conditions better than some heirlooms.

In flowers some new varieties may have lost their scent, some may have doubled their flowers, changed the flower color or modified the flower so it’s not as attractive to bees, but many modern varieties are also more fragrant, or more attractive to pollinators also.  Just like vegetables, modern flower varieties are often more disease resistant or have other good traits older varieties don’t have.   You have a choice of what to plant. 

There is a great need to keep diversity in the genetics of all crops, whether or not they are flowers or vegetables.  It can be great fun to grow plants your grandmother grew.  It’s wonderful to include some heirloom varieties of vegetables, fruits and flowers in your garden, even more wonderful if you can save seeds and pass them along.  But don’t feel guilty or deprived if you don’t use all heirloom plants in your garden.

Just because a variety of plant is old or open pollinated doesn’t mean its superior to modern varieties.  Some are, many aren’t.  People have been improving plants for thousands of years.  There are trade-offs for many choices.  An outhouse may save water and be more environmentally friendly than a flush toilet.  But given the choice most people will pick the flush toilet.

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 Collecting and storing seeds

As the gardener strolls through the garden in late summer and fall he or she may notice a lot of seed pods hanging on various garden plants, maybe on some plants you never dreamed you could start from seeds.   Wilderness hikers and people touring public gardens may also notice various seeds that they would like to collect.  (Use some sense in these instances, many parks prohibit removing any plant material, and you should ask permission from someone in charge of a public garden before collecting seeds.)  Gardeners want to help plant babies grow.  But collecting the seeds won’t help you grow new plants if you don’t know when to collect the seeds and how to store them.

Seeds are plant embryos and the plant kingdom has devised many ways to protect the baby plant inside until the time is right for it to start growing.  Some plants use a hard seed coat, some use chemicals and some program their seeds to require periods of cold, alternating heat and cold periods or periods of moist and dry conditions before the seed germinates.   Some seeds are ready to germinate the minute they hit moist soil, others require months or years of dormancy before they awaken.  Some plants even have seeds with a variable dormancy, some sprout quickly; other seeds from the same plant delay their sprouting for various periods of time.  This is to ensure that if conditions are poor when the first batch of a plants seeds sprout, later sprouters may have better conditions.

Acorns are the seed of oaks.

This article explores collecting, and storing seed.  The basics of growing seeds after they have germinated has been covered in other articles.  Also the special germination needs of some seed will be covered in another article.  

Make sure they are ready

In most cases you want to collect the seed when the seed pod or fruit surrounding the seeds is fully ripe.  Since we eat some fruits before they are fully ripe, like cucumbers, you must know what a ripe fruit looks like for that plant and wait to harvest the seeds.  Corn should turn dry and hard on the stalk before saving seeds.  Melons should be mushy ripe and the seeds black or dark brown for watermelon before harvest.  Peppers must be fully ripe- and they can be many colors when ripe- and soft.  Most seed pods or seed heads turn brown and dry when the seeds are ready to harvest. The opening of pods means the seeds are ripe.

Collect seeds on a warm, sunny dry day if at all possible.  It’s best to collect most types of seed before a heavy frost or freeze but collection after that can still work for many seeds.  The trick in collecting seed pods and seedheads to get the seeds is to not let them split or otherwise disperse the seeds before you collect them, but still be mature.  Keep a close eye on ripening pods and seedheads.  On a warm day a closed pod in the morning may have shot off the seeds or dropped them on the ground by evening. If seed pods and seedheads are almost dry and nearly ready to harvest you can cut them and put them in paper bags in a warm dry place to finish drying.  Separate the varieties and species because they may drop the seeds.  Label your bags! Or you can surround seed heads or pods with paper bags and tie them right on the living plant.   

Sometimes gardeners have a hard time distinguishing the actual seeds from the seed pods, or remnants of flowers and fruit.   Put the ripe seed heads or pods in paper bags close and shake them.  You may see loose seeds in the bottom.  In most cases a ripe pod or seed head will split or otherwise open or drop its seeds, but in some cases even ripe pods must be opened.  Some flowers like Echinacea, rudbeckia, zinnia and others with daisy like flowers will have a bit of dried petal attached to the seed. Even when dry some of these flower heads must be pulled apart to separate the seeds. 

Sometimes fruit needs to rot

In some cases for seeds to be properly stored and then sprout, the fruit must first rot or ferment.  While you can cut open a very ripe tomato and extract the seeds for storage, it’s better to let the tomato turn to a rotting, fermenting mush before separating out the seeds, drying them and saving them.  Germination rates will be higher.  Rotting fruit keeps seeds moist for a while.  And chemicals caused by the decomposition process may be necessary in some cases to soften the seed coat.  The most common garden plant that really needs fermentation is the tomato. 

Eating a tomato or some other fruits and then extracting the seeds from your feces would also be a way to prepare them for storage, but fermenting them seems a bit nicer and easier to do.   Many seeds are prepared for germination in nature by passing through some animal’s digestion system.  You can ferment or rot fruits in a nicer way though.  Simply place a ripe fruit in an open container and let it sit for a while.  You can cut the fruit in pieces if needed.   Label the container if you have several varieties of something like tomatoes to ferment.  You’ll want to put the containers somewhere where you don’t smell them and the flies they attract won’t bother you.  Make sure animals can’t eat them. 

Let the fruit rot until it’s a watery, smelly unrecognizable mass.  Then put the contents in a fine wire mesh strainer and gently rinse with clean water until clean seeds are left in the strainer.  Spread the seeds on a piece of screen and let them dry in a warm, dark place until they look and feel thoroughly dry before storing.   If you spread the seeds on newspaper or paper towels they often stick to the paper as they dry and can be hard to remove.

Storing seeds

When you do have the seeds separated from pods and fruit let them dry for a few more days in a warm dark location.  Almost all garden seeds need to be thoroughly dry before storing them so they don’t mold or rot.  Clean out pieces of stem, pod and other debris before storing.  It’s best to place seeds in paper packages, even a twist of tissue or fold of newspaper, before placing them in sealed glass or plastic containers.  This absorbs moisture.  You can add a bit of powdered milk wrapped in tissue to each container to absorb moisture too.  Once again- label containers, there’s nothing worse than forgetting what kinds of seeds you carefully saved.

After your seeds are packaged store the seeds of most common garden plants in the refrigerator crisper drawer or another cool dry dark spot.  Most plants grown in temperate climates, both annuals and perennials need a period of cold dormancy before they germinate.  Even if they don’t they will store better in a cool location.  Some tropical plant seeds may do better in warmer storage and some seeds may actually need freezing temperatures to properly prepare them for germination.  A few types of seed need to be stored moist.   There’s a link below to an article that discusses the special dormancy and germination needs of some plants.

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What to start from seed

Any plant that produces viable seed can be started from seed.  But be aware that some seeds won’t look like the parent plant when grown, especially if they are seeds saved from hybrid plants or from plants like apples, which don’t allow pollination from a similar variety.  Some plants resent transplanting and are best started where they are to grow and some will do fine started in pots or flats. And other plants started from seed will take a long time to grow or to produce flowers and food so they are generally purchased as plants, although you can start them from seeds if you like.

In the vegetable garden these seeds are generally started in the ground; carrots, beets, leaf and romaine lettuce, spinach, beans, corn, and peas. These plants are started indoors or purchased as small plants; tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, head lettuce and most herbs.  Dill can be planted directly in the ground and will mature.

Cucumbers, pumpkins and melons can be started inside if they are started just a few weeks before going outside. They should only have one or two sets of true leaves when planted in the garden after all frost danger has passed. Larger plants of these varieties are stressed by transplanting and may not grow well for a while.  These seeds can also be planted outside after frost has passed and the soil is warm and will do well.

Onions can be started as seeds inside, purchased as plants, or started in the ground outside from “sets” which are small onion bulbs.  Garlic is generally planted from “cloves”, small segments of the garlic bulb. Shallots are planted as small bulbs. Chives can be started from seed inside or purchased as plants.  Potatoes are started from small tubers or pieces of cut tubers.  Jerusalem artichokes are started from tubers.

In the flower garden annual flowers like zinnias, marigolds, nasturtium, cosmos, sunflowers, morning glories, and snapdragons can be started directly in the ground or in pots or flats if you wish about 6 weeks before the last frost. Annuals or tender perennials that take a long time to bloom are generally started about February inside or purchased as plants.  These include petunias, impatiens, verbena, calibracoli, begonias, fuchsia, and coleus. 

Most garden perennials can be started by seeds but gardeners will find it much easier to buy plants to set out.  These include things like daylilies, hosta, echinacea, monarda, phlox, heuchera, daisies, coreopsis, hollyhocks, mums, hellebores.  Iris are started from rhizomes (root like pieces).  Canna’s, lilies, dahlias, callas, glads, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, snowdrops, all could be started from seed, but most gardeners will want to start with bulbs or corms of these because they will take 2 or more years to bloom from seed.

Roses should not be started from seed unless you are an experienced breeder.  They will not look like the parent plant and many roses are not hardy unless grafted on to a hardy rootstock.  Trees and shrubs can be started from seed but many need to be started from cuttings if you want certain varieties and are best purchased as plants.  All fruits should be started as plants.  Most fruit trees and many grapes are grafted.  

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Seed starting tips

If you are a gardener who is ready to get growing and you are thinking of starting seeds for your garden indoors, here are some things you need to know.

Don’t buy too many seeds. 

Seed catalogs are very tempting and it’s easy to go overboard on seed purchases.  Seeds store easily in a small space, seedlings need much more room.  If your seedlings are too crowded they may not get the light, air circulation and water they need and will suffer.  Consider how much space you have to grow seedlings until they can go outside and chose accordingly.

If you want just a few plants of many varieties maybe a gardening friend will share an order of seeds with you.  Buy the smallest packages of seeds that are available and remember most seeds can be saved for one or two years if properly stored, so you don’t have to plant them all.

Light

Light is the most critical factor in producing healthy seedlings grown indoors.  Seedlings that don’t get the proper light will become spindly and weak and are more prone to disease. Southern facing windowsills may work for some plants, but aren’t ideal.  Most windows facing other directions won’t produce healthy seedlings.

Small greenhouses are ideal for starting seeds but if you start before April in Michigan you will need to have a heat source for chilly nights and cloudy days.  In April seeds can usually be started in unheated greenhouses or cold frames.

If you don’t have a greenhouse you will probably need to grow your seedlings with artificial light, at least as a supplement.  Florescent lights are ideal for beginners starting seeds indoors. LED and CFL bulbs are also good choices but more expensive.  Use grow light bulbs or combine warm and cool type bulbs for the right wavelengths of light to promote healthy growth. Seedlings should have 10 -12 hours of darkness each night.

Artificial light sources need to be close to the seedlings.  They need to be about 6 inches above the plants at all times, so they will need to be adjustable, so you can move them as the plants grow.  Many people hang the light fixtures on chains that can be raised.  Another way to adjust lighting is to be able to lower the shelves the plants sit on.

If you decide to use a south window, rotate the plants every few days so they don’t lean toward one side.  Surrounding the seedlings with reflective material such as foil covered board will optimize the light.

Use clean pots or flats. 

If you are re-using plastic pots or flats they must be scrubbed in hot, soapy water, then soaked in a solution of 1 part household bleach to 3 parts water for a few minutes, then rinsed well.  This helps prevent disease which can linger on pots and flats from a previous year. Any re-cycled food containers or other things must be washed in hot soapy water, to remove food residue which can start mold and bacteria growing. 

Pots made from paper, peat pots, and other porous material that can’t be washed should be fine unless they have been in contact with plants.  Do not re-use these materials after plants have been grown in them. 

Use sterile seed starting medium.

The best thing for starting seeds is sterile seed starting medium, which can be purchased in most garden shops. It’s not soil but a combination of peat, vermiculite and other things which are lightweight, and get seedlings off to a good start. Some have fertilizer added. 

Home garden soil, compost, recycled potting soil and other things can harbor disease organisms, especially the dreaded dampening off fungal disease.  If you must use them you can sterilize them by moistening the soil, spreading it in a thin layer on a pan and baking in the oven at the lowest heat setting for 30 minutes.  This will smell. Microwaves should not be used.  Cool the soil before using.  Shift this cooled mix through a screen to make it fine enough for seeds.

Always moisten the medium before placing it in the pot or flat.  If you try to water after you plant seeds they will often be washed out, washed deeper or moved too close together.

Follow label directions for planting

If you don’t have a label, look up planting needs in a good reference.  Most seeds are buried about 3 times as deep as their diameter, but some seeds need light to germinate and should just be sprinkled on top of the medium and lightly pressed into the soil.  Most seeds like warmth for germination but some, like lettuce and pansies, won’t germinate if the soil or room is too warm.

The label should give you an optimum temperature for germination and the number of days before you can expect to see seedlings.  It will also tell you how many weeks before you want to plant outside that the seeds should be started indoors.  Don’t start too soon. 

Speaking of labels- don’t forget to label each flat or pot with the plant variety you planted. 

Use bottom heat for germination

Most types of seeds will germinate faster with gentle bottom heat.  This means sitting the pots or flats on a special seed starting mat you plug in, a waterproof heating pad on low, or on top of a warm surface such as the top of your refrigerator or hot water heater.   There are exceptions to the bottom heat rule - such as pansies and lettuce, which germinate best in cool temperatures.

Too much heat can be as bad as too little.  The soil should not be heated to more than 80 degrees F. for most plants.  Soil temperature may be different from air temperature, especially when using bottom heat.  Use a soil thermometer, (usually less than $20 in a garden store), or any small thermometer pushed into the soil to check the temperature.

Seeds don’t need bright light until they germinate.  Once you feel most of the seeds have sprouted, you can then move them into the greenhouse or under grow lights.  After they are growing air temperature can also be cooler.  Most plants will thrive at air temperatures between 65-75 degrees F. in the day and 55-65 degrees F. at night.

Water carefully

Seedlings should be watered from below if at all possible, especially when plants are still small.  This means sitting pots with holes in the bottom or absorbable pots like peat or paper into trays that hold water.  Use warm, not hot water and make sure the water absorbs until the pot surface looks moist.

Don’t over water; it will rot the roots of the seedlings.  Only the very bottom of the pot should be in standing water for more than a few minutes.  Allow the pot surface to dry before adding additional water to the tray.  Paper and peat pots will need to be watered more often as water evaporates into the air from them. Use rain water or distilled water if you can for seedlings. 

Once the seedlings are larger and growing vigorously you can use gentle overhead watering if you like.  But seedlings should always dry off quickly, always water long before dark. 

Transplant or thin

Don’t let seedlings get too crowded, they will be weak and spindly.  You can cut off excess seedlings with a pair of small scissors or gently prick them out of the soil and transplant them. 

When transplanting seedlings handle them only by the leaves.  If you bruise or break the stem the plant will generally die, a leaf can be replaced.  A good time to transplant seedlings is when they have 2 sets of true leaves.  The first set of leaves that a broad leaf plant seedling has are usually two thick, rounded leaves, often with a piece of seed coat still attached.  In a few days additional sets of leaves that look like the adult plant leaves will develop.  In a monocot, ( grasses, lilies, onions, and a few others,) one thin narrow grass like leaf will generally appear first, with additional leaves following.

After transplanting or thinning your seedlings you can begin fertilizing them with a liquid fertilizer unless the potting mix contains fertilizer.  Check the label.  Follow label directions on the fertilizer container for seedlings or if there are none cut the amount for container plants in half for seedlings until the plants are several weeks old and well grown.

With a little care homegrown seedlings will provide you with unusual and rare varieties of plants as well as hours of enjoyment during a cold Michigan winter and early spring.

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Special germination needs of common garden seeds

Many gardeners collect seed from their plants and want to know how to germinate those seeds. Storing seeds – or a dry, dormant period – whether in cold or room temperature surroundings, may be all that’s need for some seeds to germinate.  You take them out of storage, plant them inside or outside, keep them moist and soon get new plants.  Common garden annuals, perennials and bi-annuals like zinnias, marigolds, cleome, calendula, nasturtium, annual sunflowers, petunias, poppies, hollyhocks, coleus, begonias, dill, borage, basil, sage, thyme, carrots, lettuce, beets, radishes, spinach, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, peas, beans, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, melons, squash, pumpkins, and cucumbers will do fine this way.

It’s important to note that some of the above seeds can fall on the ground in late summer and survive moist freezing weather and sprout in the spring when the weather is warm.  But they don’t have to be stored this way to germinate unlike some other plants.  You could plant the seeds of the above plants in the ground after you collect them and mark the spot, then hope they appear in the spring.  But you risk them blowing away, being eaten by animals, getting too wet and rotting or you mistaking them for weeds when they germinate in the spring.

Stratification

Some plants need stratification to properly germinate.  In nature stratification occurs when seeds lay in moist soil and are subjected to freezing and thawing.  Then they are ready to quickly germinate when warmer conditions occur- the amount of warmth to get them sprouting will vary by species.  The period that they need to be cold also varies.   In most cases cold stratification is needed, but in a few plants the seeds must be stored in warm and moist conditions to get good germination.

Many common garden perennials need stratification to germinate properly.  These include; Aconitum, Alchemilla, Asclepias (Milkweed), Baptisia, Bloodroot, Buddleia, Candytuft, Caryopteris, Chelone, Cimicifuga, Clematis, Chinese Lantern, Delphinium, Eremurus, Evening Primrose, Filipendula, Fuchsia, Gentians, Geranium species (Cranesbill Geranium), Helianthemum, Helianthus, Heliopsis, Helleborus, Heuchera, Hardy Hibiscus, Hypericum, Incarvillea (Hardy Gloxinia), Knautia,

Lavender, Marsh Marigold, Mazus,  Nepeta (Catmint), Penstemon, Persicaria, Phlox (all types), Platycodon, Primrose, (all types), Ranunculus, Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan, most types), Saponaria (Soapwort), Saxifrage, Scabiosa, Sedums, Sempervivums (Hen-and-Chicks), Sidalcea, St. John’s-Wort, Stokesia, Thalictrum, Tiarella, Tricyrtis (Toad-lily), Veronica, Violas Violets, Virginia Bluebells.

Many wildflowers/natives that a gardener might want to establish also require cold stratification.  Check with experienced growers or it wouldn’t hurt to assume that most wildflowers that drop seed in late summer and fall would need stratification.

Gardeners can achieve stratification by simply planting the seeds of the above plants in the fall in the ground where you want them to grow and marking the spot.  Or you can place the seeds in moist vermiculite in containers in the crisper of the refrigerator, which will be cold enough for most seeds.  A compromise is to plant the seeds in pots of sterile potting mix, well moistened and sink them in the ground covered with mulch.  Remove the mulch when the ground thaws.

If you want to start plants early inside, make sure that they get about 12 weeks of cold, dark treatment before moving them to a warmer, lighted place for germination.

Scarification/soaking

Some seeds require scarification to allow seeds to germinate.  This is the breaking of the seed coat to let moisture in.  These plants may also require a cold period before the scarification process.  In nature the breaking of hard seed coats may happen when animals eat seeds and pass them in feces, with freezing and thawing, with long periods of soaking, or other mechanical breaching or softening of the seed coat.

Some common garden plant seeds that require scarification/and or soaking include morning glories, moonflower vines, wisteria, bedding geranium-(Pelargonium), purple hyacinth beans, babtisia and canna.  These may also require soaking.

Assume that very hard seeds will at least need soaking before they can take up water and germinate.   Soak seeds in warm water for overnight only.  Too much soaking may drown the embryo inside.  Then wrap the seeds in moist paper towel, slide that in a plastic bag but leave it open just a bit for air.  Place the bag in a warm, well lit place and watch for signs of a root sprouting.  As soon as you see roots the seed can be planted in the ground or pots and kept moist until the leaves are seen.

To actually break the seed coat you can use a nail clipper to chip a tiny hole or a nail file to score one.  Examine the seed before you begin.  You do not want to damage the embryo inside.  There will generally be a slight indentation and a tiny pore where the embryo rests against the inside. The spot may be a different color. Score or chip the seed on the opposite side.  Some people even resort to cracking larger hard seeds with a nut cracker, but you only want to crack, not remove the seed coat.  Then soak the seeds as above. 

Seeds that should not be stored very long

These seeds should be planted soon after you collect them.  If they are cold hardy you can plant them outside. Otherwise plant them  in pots inside.  The sooner they are planted the better germination will be.

Anthurium, Asparagus species, Clivia, perennial Delphinium, Geranium (Pelargonium) Gerbera, Ginkgo, Impatiens, Kochia, Philodendron, Magnolia, onions, Passiflora, Potentilla, Salvia splendens Tanecetum coccinium (or Pyrethrum).

Lily seed pod.

Special needs of some common plants

Baptisia australis needs to be stored cold (dry) about 6-8 weeks (or longer is fine).  Then soak overnight in warm water, add inoculant for peas and beans and plant inside or outside after danger of frost.  Or plant outside immediately after collecting the seeds using inoculant and expect sprouting in late spring.

Lilies- Asiatic and trumpets - plant outside as soon as seed is collected or save seed in cool area and plant in pots in early spring inside at 60-75 degrees.  They take a long time to germinate, up to 6 weeks, and should not be left in pots very long before transplanting outside.  Oriental lily seed should be planted in baggies or small pots of moist vermiculite and left in a warm, (65 degrees +) bright room for 3-4 months until a small bulb forms.  Then they should be placed in a cooler area for 3 weeks- about 50 degrees, and then an even colder place, just above freezing for a cold dormancy of 12 weeks.  Keep barely moist.  After 12 weeks bring them back into a warm bright area or plant outside.  Lilies grown from seed take several years to bloom.

Gladiolus- To possibly have flowers the first year store glad seeds in the refrigerator crisper until January.  Then pot them in a warm bright place, they can take a month to germinate- and move outside after frost is over.  Dig up corms before frost and store overwinter.  Almost all will bloom the second year outside.

Iris-  Bearded iris- you can plant them in the ground or pots sunk in the ground right after collecting.  Or rinse seeds in a mix of 10% chlorine bleach, and store seeds in a bag of moist vermiculite in the refrigerator crisper for 3 months.  Then germinate at 55 degrees in bright light.  Plant outside in spring.  It will take 2-3 years to get blooms.  Siberian and Japanese iris seed should be soaked in a bowl of water which is emptied and re-filled each day for 2 weeks.  Then they are given a final rinse of 10% chlorine bleach and stored in moist vermiculite in the refrigerator crisper for 12 weeks.  Any that have sprouted should then be potted and placed in a warm bright location.  Un-sprouted seeds should be warmed every day for three days by placing them in water that feels barely warm to the touch for about a half hour.  Then plant them in a warm bright location and plant outside as soon as possible.

Yucca- yucca has a low germination rate outside but a better one if started inside.  Keep the seeds in moist vermiculite in a warm, dark location for at least 30 days.  Then pot up and keep at 65-75 degrees and in bright conditions.  The potting mix should be very well draining, but kept moist.  It can take a year for germination so be patient!  They can be planted outside when they are a few inches tall at a frost free time.

Wisteria – the seeds need to be nicked or cracked and soaked for 24 hours before planting, preferably outside in fall or they can be planted inside at normal room temperatures and bright light.  They take years to bloom from seed.

Trumpet vines- You can plant the seed outside after collecting or store it in moist vermiculite in the refrigerator crisper for 12 weeks, then plant in pots at a moderate temperature inside.  Germination may take weeks.  Plants take a few years to bloom and should be transplanted while still small.

Canna- Canna seeds are very hard and need to be first nicked or scratched and then they are put in a pan and boiling water is poured over them.  After you hear pops – or in a few minutes remove the seeds. They are then soaked in cool water overnight and should have doubled their size.  Next they are planted in pots in a warm 75 degree + room with bright light.  They should sprout within a week.  The temperature can be lowered slowly to about 65 degrees.  Plant outside after the danger of frost is over and if started in February they will flower by August generally.  They do not sprout well if the seed is simply planted outside in the spring.

Daylilies- daylilies can be direct seeded in the garden and will sprout in spring.  However daylily breeders believe they germinate better if started inside. The seed must be placed in moist vermiculite or in rolls of damp towels in the refrigerator for 6 weeks.  They are then potted in individual small pots and kept in a warm, bright room until they are planted outside in spring.  It takes 2 or more years to get a bloom.

Hosta- hosta seed can also be planted outside in fall but many gardeners collect the seeds and store them inside dry in the refrigerator. To germinate after at least 6 weeks cold storage, soak the seeds for a half hour in warm water and then pot them in early spring to get a jump on the season.  Grow in bright light inside in moderate temperatures. Plant outside in late spring.  Full leaf coloration may not develop until the second year.

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Recycling for seed starting

All through the winter those gardeners who like to start seeds inside should be saving up items for seed starting.  You don’t need expensive peat pots and plastic flats when you can re-purpose other items you have around.  But before I get into a list here are some things to remember. 

Wash all recycled items that have had food or other materials in them with hot soapy water.  If you are using things that once held other plants or soil first wash with hot soapy water and then rinse with a solution of 1 part household bleach to 3 parts water. This is to kill any disease organisms.

Don’t re-use containers that held toxic chemicals such as strong cleaning solutions, pesticides and so on.  Even washing some of these containers might not remove all traces of the former product.  If washed and rinsed well bleach and laundry soap bottles are safe.

Everything must have drainage.  Paper and thin cardboard pots will generally allow moisture through without holes.  Punch holes in thicker cardboard.  Holes can be easily melted through plastic items with the tip of a skewer, icepick, fork or knife that is heated to red hot on a stove.

Pots, especially paper and cardboard ones, will be easier to handle if they are set in trays.  Deli trays, old pans, used flats, disposable aluminum pans, plastic tubs and food keepers, dish pans, plastic lids off containers and so on can work.

Re-closable clear plastic storage bags can have several small pots inserted in them and function as a mini- greenhouse while containing water that drains.  Larger plastic bags can be slipped over trays of pots or flats.  The greenhouse effect can raise humidity and warmth and protect baby plants from drafts.  Open the bags slightly if they are in full sun on a warm day to prevent over-heating.  If excess moisture builds up on the bag sides open the top for a short time.

If fungus gnats hatch from your choice of potting mix the bags help contain them.  It can also prevent things like white flies or aphids present in the environment from reaching the new little plants.  And the bags make moving plants in fragile paper pots easy.

Here are some things to save to start seeds in;  Deli containers, disposable serving pans and platters, plastic and foam cups, butter, cottage cheese and other food containers, small cardboard boxes- (trim them down to a good size if needed), plastic bottles ( also can be cut down) cardboard tubes from paper towels, gift wrap and toilet paper, ( cut into several sections, either set in tray with open bottom or make several small cuts around the bottom and fold a portion inside to make a bottom).  You can re-use cell packs, flats and small plastic pots you bought other plants in.

Paper pots are easy to make from stiff paper, thin cardboard or several layers of newspaper.  They can be planted directly in the soil outside. 

DO NOT USE EGGSHELLS for starting seeds.  This is a common spring tip probably because eggs are cheap and we are all thinking about decorating eggs for Easter.  But despite all the folksy lore, eggshells do not break down quickly in the soil and plants transplanted in them generally suffer from root crowding and circling.  Eggshells don’t have room for much potting medium anyway and are tricky to handle and get to stand upright.  Even if you crush the shell as you plant it in the garden or take the plants out they are just not worth the trouble.  And the shell doesn’t break down fast enough to give the plants any nutritional boost either.

Do Not Use ICE CREAM CONES for seed starting

Ice cream cones as seed pots are being promoted on many garden sites.  This is quite ridiculous.  Wet soil in these cones will turn them into a soggy, sticky mess very quickly.  The starch and sugar in the cones will promote fungal growth.  If you manage to get these to hold together long enough to plant in the garden they would attract animals which would dig up the cones to eat them.  

Don't be fooled by seedlings plugged into ice cream cones a minute before the picture was taken.  This is a ridiculous idea.

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How to Make Re-cycled Paper Pots

Many gardeners are beginning to prepare for spring by starting seeds indoors.  Instead of going out and buying peat pots why not make almost free pots from waste newspaper, junk mail and office mistakes?  You won’t need to buy any fancy gadgets either to make your pots.  Your recycled pots will break down in the garden soil just as quickly as peat pots, if not more quickly.  These paper pots are good for starting cuttings in also.  They’re so simple to make that even small children can help with the project.

What you will need

You’ll need waste paper or thin cardboard.  Newspaper, cereal and cracker boxes, old poster board, junk mail, and used copy paper are good examples. You don’t want to use glossy colored pages from magazines or junk flyers because the colored ink on those items may contain lead.

Newspaper and thin copy paper are good for starting seeds that will only need to be in pots for a couple weeks before transplanting outside or into larger containers.  Thin cardboard and poster board are better for starting seeds that will need a month or longer until transplanting.  Don’t use cardboard that food has been in direct contact with, such as pizza boxes.  This can cause mold to grow in the planting medium.  Most packaged products have an inner liner which can be discarded and the cardboard box can be used.

You’ll also need a regular office stapler with staples and a pair of scissors.  That’s it.  You will need seed starting medium for filling the pots.  Don’t use garden soil or compost unless you sterilize it.

Directions

Start by deciding how big of a pot you want.  Two- three inch pots would be a common size for starting seeds or cuttings.  They can be made from 1 layer of thin cardboard or several layers of thin paper.  Larger pots should be made of cardboard, even doubled cardboard. 

Cut your paper or cardboard into squares, ( 4 even sides), 3 times the size of the pot you want to make.  For a 2 inch pot start with a square of 6 inches, for a 3 inch pot start with a 9 inch square, and so on.  

Now fold or mark your squares into 3 even parts going in each direction.  You should have a grid of 9 even small squares on your larger square.  

With the scissors cut down the 2 creases or marked lines on one side to the first line or crease going in the opposite direction.  Turn the cut side away from you and cut the 2 crease line or marked line on the other side to the first line going the other way.   Cut only 2 sides directly opposite each other.

With a cut side facing you, fold the center square upward and then pull the two uncut sides up and fold over the center square.  Staple the 3 pieces together and repeat on the other end.   You should have made a square cube open on one end.  To make a thicker pot, stack several cut pieces of paper and treat them as one when folding.   You’ll have several layers to staple through.

Instead of using staples you could glue the ends together, or use a paper clip to hold the ends together and remove it at planting.    The paper pots should be put into trays before filling with planting medium.  Save plastic deli trays, foam meat trays, aluminum cake or pie pans etc. for this use.

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What you need to know about seed starting soil or medium

As we near spring the gardeners thoughts turn to growing things and many gardeners decide to start some seeds indoors, to have plants ready to go when the weather conditions are right.  If you are going to spend a lot of money on seeds or have precious saved seeds you want to start, you need to know what type of seed starting soil will be best for your investment of time and money.

Before we go further, let’s get some terminology straightened out.  Most “soil” you purchase doesn’t contain any real soil- which is earth with a mineral base that is found in nature.  Rather it is a mixture of several organic ingredients such as peat, vermiculite, shredded bark and other things.  That’s because real soil is heavy, tends to turn into a hard brick when bagged, and each batch would be different, even if the soil was collected from the same area.  What is sold in stores for planting and starting seeds is properly called planting medium or planting mix.

The thing that you don’t want to do is use soil or compost from outside or to use soil you have recycled from containers other plants have grown in to start seeds.  You don’t want to use real soil sold in garden centers as topsoil either.  This is because seedlings are very susceptible to a fungal disease called “dampening off” and outside soil or soil that plants have grown in is likely to carry the fungal spores and infect your new seedlings.  It can also carry other diseases and insects that can harm your seedlings.

Planting mediums vary from company to company and different formulas are available for different types of planting activities and different plants.  Some planting mixes contain a slow release fertilizer and some contain special water holding granules.  A general purpose planting mix could be used for seed starting but it is much better to choose a special mix termed seed starting mix.    These mixes are finer in texture and some have been sterilized.  The label should plainly state – “seed starting mix”.  If you have tiny seed, hard to germinate, rare, or seeds with sentimental value always use a seed starting mix.

If you have larger, relatively inexpensive seeds you could choose a general purpose planting mix.  If you are a strict organic gardener you may want to check the label for things like inorganic fertilizers or moisture granules. There are organic mixes available and some even have organic fertilizers added.

Choose a brand name or a house brand made by a well-known company. (Check house brand labels to see who makes them.)   Miracle Gro, Shultz, and Hyponex, and are some big name brands.  These companies are more likely to have quality control on their products and they stand behind them should some unlikely contamination or other problem occur.  Start with a small bag of the mix if possible, to see if you like it.  Different gardeners often prefer different brands of planting/seed starting mix.

Some gardeners prefer not to use mixes that have fertilizers and add their own fertilizer as the seedlings grow.  Just remember that if you do choose a mix that doesn’t have fertilizer that the normal minerals found in outside soil that plants need for growth won’t be there.  Seedlings can start growing quite well without added fertilizer but as they get their second and third set of leaves they really need some fertilizer added to the mix, if it doesn’t contain fertilizer.  If the mix does have fertilizer don’t add more.   The mixes use a slow release type of fertilizer that is good for at least 3 months.

Using the seed starting mix

Keep your seed starting mix closed until ready to use, in a warm location.  If the mix is cold let it warm to 60-70 degrees before you use it.  Make sure your planting containers are new or scrupulously cleaned before use.  For very expensive or rare seeds you may want to start with sterilized containers.  Always wet the seed planting mix before you put it in the containers.  Use warm water if you can as it absorbs better.  You’ll probably want a large bucket or bowl for mixing the soil and water. 

If you fill the containers with dry mix and try to add water the seed starting mix will float, areas of the mix may remain dry, and it’s just a general mess.  If you can, use warm rain water or distilled water rather than softened and treated water, which can contain minerals, salts, or chemicals that harm plants. When properly mixed your seed starting mix should be very moist, without dry pockets but water should not drip when you pick up a handful.  If you get the soil too moist put in containers with drainage holes and let it drain before planting the seeds.  Pack the soil into the containers with your fingers or with a small block of wood.

Check your seed packages or a good reference for the depth to plant seeds and how to space them.  Some growers prefer to cover fine seed with a sprinkle of clean sand instead of planting mix.  Make sure to label seeds, so you know what you started. 

If for some reason you must use soil or compost from outside or that has been previously used you should sterilize it.  Get it moist and spread it an inch or less thick on cookie sheets.  Bake at 160-200 degrees F. for 30 minutes.  The smell will not be appetizing.  Let it cool before using.

After you have transplanted seedlings into the garden you can re-use any planting mixture left in outside containers of annuals or put it on your compost pile.  It can also be worked into garden soil.

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Dampening off – seedling disease

If your seedlings suddenly fall over or look like the stem is pinched and blackened they probably have dampening off- a common name for the presence of several fungus diseases that affect plants.  You may also see gray mold on the potting soil surface or on plants.  These fungal diseases are common and the fungal spores can be carried by wind, insects, contaminated soil or pots, humans and many other things. 

There are some anti-fungal solutions that some commercial growers drench the soil with to help prevent dampening off but the home seed starter probably won’t want to use these.  Home remedies of garlic oil, chamomile tea, tea tree oil, red pepper and other things have not been proven scientifically to help and may even cause more problems. Use at your own risk.  These things are used to prevent fungus infection, not cure it.

Here’s a suggestion for those of you who like home remedies for everything that I am going to suggest.  I haven’t tried it yet but I have heard from a few people that it seems to work.  Since there is scientific basis for it, I’ll tell you about it and let you decide if you want to try it.  There’s no guarantee, but it could be an interesting experiment.  Once again, its prevention, not a cure.

Coffee grounds have been shown to have fungicidal properties in several scientific studies.  Used coffee grounds retain those properties.  Sprinkling coffee grounds on the surface of seeded pots or flats might help to keep the fungi that produce dampening off from growing.  I don’t think it could harm anything.  I would use a light even layer for the soil surface.  If you do this and it seems to work for you let me know about it.

Once the seedlings are infected with dampening off there is no cure.   A few seedlings survive dampening off infections but most will die and the disease quickly spreads.  When you notice it remove the plants with the disease and dispose of them.  If the disease is in one corner of a large flat you can try removing that section but if it appears in a small container you should dispose of the whole container of seedlings.  Don’t re-use the container until it is scrubbed and disinfected with bleach.

To prevent dampening off use clean containers and sterile seed starting medium for seed starting.  Let the soil surface dry a bit between watering.  Watering from the bottom and keeping leaves dry can help.  Some professional growers use a light layer of fine gravel (parakeet grit, baby chick grit) or diatomaceous earth on the soil surface after the seedlings sprout to keep the soil surface drier. 

Good air circulation can help.  Many people use a fan blowing gently over seedlings to increase airflow.  This dries the foliage and soil surface. Solar radiation seems to help.  Seedlings exposed to sunlight and not artificial light seem to have fewer problems.  This may be because the suns heat also dries the soil.  But keeping plants too warm can harm their growth, so raising room temperatures may not help, unless your conditions are on the cool side, say below 60 degrees.

Open up plastic or glass covered containers if heavy moisture develops on the sides. If you are using a small greenhouse and water is dripping from the ceiling and sides you need to increase air circulation.  Wet foliage is more prone to fungal infection.

Growing your seeds in several small containers rather than all in one flat or container may keep you from losing all the plants since you can quickly remove the infected containers and make changes if needed to keep other containers from being infected.

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Why some plants grown from seed may disappoint you

While almost any plants seeds could be started, some garden plants seeds will probably be a big disappointment or take years and years to become flowering or fruiting plants.  Most gardeners will want to propagate these plants in other ways.  Of course to get new varieties of plants some of these plants must be propagated by seeds, the plants grown to maturity and then selected or culled depending on the plants attributes.   Some plants can take years to become mature and the gardener would have to have room for them and time to care for them. 

 Genetic variability is the reason for sexual reproduction, which in a plant means producing seeds.  In all life sexual reproduction allows an organism to change to suit conditions or to be manipulated to suit uses humans have planned for it.  Helpful mutations in genes can be passed to other organisms through the gene recombination that occurs during sexual reproduction.  But sometimes a gardener doesn’t want something different- just more of the same.

If you want an exact duplicate of the hosta Great Expectations for example, you would be better off dividing the original plant than breeding one hosta Great Expectations to another and planting the resulting seeds.  But if you want to produce something different or don’t care about color or leaf shape letting different varieties cross breed and collecting the seed is fine.

Plants that don’t allow close breeding

Apples and some other fruits never produce the same type of fruit from saved seeds.  In other words Delicious apple seeds planted will not produce a tree that has apples like the red delicious.  That’s because apples are sterile if two closely related varieties pollinate each other- and won’t have fruit.  The apple flowers reject pollen from the same tree or from a close relative.

If the Delicious apple tree has fruit it was pollinated by a different type of apple.  When you plant seeds from that apple they may be a nice eating apple – or not- but you will wait many years to find out.  Most apple varieties are propagated by grafting cuttings onto a root stock. The cuttings will produce the same type of apples as the tree they came from. Plums, sweet cherries, almonds, pears and some citrus are also self- sterile and seeds won’t produce the same variety as the parent.

Hybrid varieties and plants having unauthorized sex

Any hybrid plant whether, a tomato or zinnia, will produce seeds that when planted, will look nothing like their parent.  In general about 50% of the offspring of hybrid plants will be inferior to the parent plant; the other 50% might have some value.  This is true whether you grew only one variety of hybrid tomatoes for instance, and they pollinated each other, if the hybrid plant self-pollinated, or the plants crossed with other varieties of the same species in the garden.  That’s because the genes of at least two plants were used to produce the hybrid parent and in sexual reproduction the genes will be randomly re-combined.  You can save the seeds of hybrid plants and experiment by planting them, but you will often be disappointed with the results.

If garden plants are open pollinated- or pure bred- and you grew them close to other varieties of open pollinated, pure bred plants the seeds they produce may also surprise you.  The seeds they produce will grow hybrid plants, a cross between varieties.  In many cases these will be nice plants, because they have what is known as hybrid vigor, but they won’t be exactly like the parent plants.  If you want a particular variety of plant to produce seeds that will turn into plants looking like the parents, then you need to isolate that variety of plant from other varieties.  Thirty feet away from each other is a good rule of thumb to keep plants from crossing, but some plants will require even more space.   

Some plants can even cross with close relatives that look nothing like them. Plants that cross easily are the summer squashes, gourds, pumpkins and winter squashes because they are closely related and many species of melons.   Sweet corn will cross with field corn, ornamental  corn or popcorn.  

Cabbage, kohl rabi, Brussells sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower can cross breed, although gardeners rarely allow them to go to seed.  Plums and apricots, peaches and apricots and other stone fruits sometimes crossbreed although once again gardeners rarely save seeds from them.   Some crosses are edible, even tasty, but you may be surprised.

Surprises even with controlled pollination

Of course many people want two varieties of plants to cross so they can get new exciting varieties, better flavor or more disease resistance.  You can do this by planting two varieties close to each other and hope the wind or insects spread the pollen from one to the other.  Or for more precise results you can deliver pollen from one plant to another by hand, and prevent the receiving flower from being pollinated accidently by wind or insects.

Many varieties of flowers and vegetables cross breed easily within the species - that’s how we get new varieties.  There is always some genetic variation in sexually produced plants- when you grow plants from seed- even when you cross two supposedly identical varieties. That’s because some genes are hidden.  A plant’s flowers may be white and if you cross the plant with the same variety of white flowers, you may get white flowers again on seeds grown from that cross.  But if one parent or both had genes for pink flowers you may also end up with some pink flowered plants.

Sometimes natural mutations occur.  These can be exciting or disappointing.   A flower’s petals can be doubled or it may only have a few straggly petals.  A fruit may ripen very early or never get juicy and sweet.  When a natural mutation pops up that you want to keep you will probably want to propagate the plant by cuttings or division.

Few clues from the seeds

Once pollination has happened, the fruit (ovary surrounding the seeds) and seeds of the parent plant won’t give you any clues as to what the seeds will produce when they grow.  You can save the seed from a big round, orange pumpkin and get odd blue warty fruits when you plant those seeds because pumpkins can cross breed with many types of winter squash that might have been growing by it.  A beautiful red, juicy beefsteak tomato may have seeds that produce plant with tiny yellow tomatoes.  A stunning purple gladiolus may have seeds that produce glad plants that have tiny pink flowers.

 There is one exception – at least in the common garden plants- where the seeds can tell you if two varieties have crossed.  If you plant a yellow variety of sweet corn next to a white variety and when you take the ears off the yellow corn and see bi-colored kernels, you’ll know the two varieties crossed and if you saved those kernels (seeds) and planted them you would get bi-color corn, white corn and yellow corn ears in the second generation.  Crossing varieties of corn can also affect the taste of the corn, sweet corn pollinated by field corn, for example, will be tougher and less sweet.

Why some plants don’t develop seeds

Some hybrid plants have been genetically modified so that they are sterile and don’t produce seeds.  This may be because they are invasive, or because we don’t like eating the seeds as in the case of seedless watermelons. The seeds or fruit could be too messy or look bad.  Or the sterility could be a side effect of breeding for double flowers, odd colors or other things.  Besides watermelon you may get sterile daylilies, roses, crabapples, and various other plants. The common ditch daylily is always sterile.  These plants are propagated by cuttings or division.

Plants may not produce seeds because they are not mature enough.  If a plants flowers don’t get pollinated because of poor weather or lack of pollinators there won’t be seeds. Some plants require pollination by another plant and if the right partner isn’t close enough they can’t produce seeds.  In some exotic plants a pollinator is required that doesn’t exist where the plant is being grown. And some plants require a set of environmental conditions that are just right before they bloom and produce seeds.

Many plants that reproduce by runners, rhizomes or bulbs don’t produce many seeds or any seeds.  They can reproduce quite well without seeds and don’t put the energy into seed development.  And of course if you dead head flowers- take the flowers off after blooming- you aren’t going to get seeds.

If you want to read more about collecting, saving and growing seeds there are some links below to other articles.

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How to plant flower seeds in the fall

You may think the planting season is over when the leaves fall off the trees but there are some common garden flowers that drop their seeds in the fall.  Those seeds need a period of cold to germinate and may need the freezing and thawing cycle to crack a hard seed coat and allow moisture in for germination.  You may have some of the garden plants that require these conditions in your garden and they will self- seed for you if left alone.  If you don’t have the plants and want them in your garden now may be the time, before the ground freezes solid, to sow some of those seeds.

Seeds that can be sown in the fall include: Bachelor's Button, Coreopsis, Cosmos, Echinacea, Flax, Larkspur, Moss Rose, Marigolds, Milkweeds, Morning glory, Nasturtium, Pansy, Poppy, Strawflower, Sweet pea, Verbena, Viola and Zinnia.  Buy the seeds or collect dry seeds from friend’s plants if you don’t have them.  Some of these may also be planted in early spring.  Some wildflower and grass seed may also be suggested for fall planting.  Check the label, plant description or a reference.  Chances are if nature drops the seed in late fall it likes fall planting.

Zinnia seed can be fall planted.

When you are collecting seed from the garden remember that seeds from hybrids like most marigolds and zinnias you purchased in a garden center last spring will not come true from seed.  That is they will probably not look like their parent.  But that said they are often just as pretty although you may get a range of sizes and colors.  And you could get something unusual and exciting if you experiment.

What to do

Clear a spot in the garden of vegetation and loosen the soil.  Sprinkle the seeds over the area. You may want to sprinkle them thickly as some will not germinate.  You can thin in the spring.  Very small seeds like poppy seed should not be covered but press them against the soil.  Larger seeds like morning glory seed should have a loose layer of soil about a half inch thick placed over them.  Don’t water the seeds; it tends to wash them into clumps or away from your prepared area.  Nature should take care of the watering for you. 

You can apply a very thin layer of mulch such as pine needles or chopped straw but don’t use leaves or anything that mats over the seeds and don’t make the mulch deeper than a half inch.  (Poppies, larkspur and moss rose will germinate better if not mulched.) Make sure to mark the spots where you sow the seeds.  Some may wait until warmer weather to emerge so don’t be in a big hurry in the spring to plant over them, thinking they didn’t sprout.  If you have trouble with birds pecking at your seeds cover the area with netting.

It’s not too late to plant the seeds until the ground freezes solid.  After all nature will still be dropping them, even after the snow falls in some cases.  It’s an easy, inexpensive and effective way to get more plants into your garden.

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Seeds and fruits that could kill you

While some gardeners are eagerly collecting and saving seeds they should remember that some seeds and fruits of common garden plants are not your friends.  Some plants have devised very effective ways to protect their babies from being destroyed by animals; they have made them poisonous with various chemicals. You won’t want to eat any of these.  Here is a list of some of those well protected, poisonous seeds and/or fruit.  This list may not include all poisonous seeds and fruits and certainly doesn’t cover all garden plants with poisonous parts.  The list includes plants whose seeds or fruits are most likely to attract adventuresome eaters.

If you wish to save and grow some of the seeds listed below make sure to label your containers poisonous and make sure that children and pets can’t get to them.    In the garden you may want to remove most of the flowers after they fade so fruits and or seeds don’t form, leaving only enough for you to save for the next year. 

Black Locust- the beans from this tree are toxic.  The trees have fragrant white flowers that turn into bean-like pods. 

Castor beans- The castor bean makes a beautiful garden plant that has some of the most deadly poisons in the world.  Ricin, which comes from castor beans, can kill an adult with a dose the size of a pin head.  Castor oil is also made from those beans, which is used as a folk remedy laxative, and is also a not so friendly home remedy.  If you grow the plants and have kids, vulnerable adults or pets make sure to cut the flowers off before they go to seed.  The plant should not be eaten either.

Castor bean , beautiful but deadly

Daphne- Daphne is  a shrub with white or pink spring flowers that turn into poisonous black berries.

English Ivy- All parts of English ivy are poison but grown outside English Ivy can produce red berries that may be attractive to kids and pets but are quite poisonous.  Grown inside as a house plant it rarely flowers to produce berries.

Horse chestnut- Horse chestnuts are sometimes planted in the landscape for their beautiful spring flowers.  The nuts produced by these trees are covered with a spiny outer coat.  While the “seed” inside may look like an edible chestnut it is poisonous and should not be eaten, even after cooking.

Jerusalem Cherry- These plants are generally grown as a houseplant that is loaded with small red berries.  They are often sold around Christmas as a decorative plant.  The berries are quite poisonous and the plants should be kept away from kids and pets.

Jimson weed or datura- This plant is sometimes grown as an ornamental for its beautiful white trumpet shaped flowers.  It’s often called Angels trumpets or moonflower although both of those names are used for other plants too.  The seeds of this plant are inside a thorny capsule.  They are a potent hallucinogenic but can be deadly if too much is ingested.  Other parts of the plant are also poisonous. Teenagers often hear of the plant and steal seed pods to get the seeds.  They often end up in emergency rooms after ingesting them and some people have died from overdoses.

Lilies of the valley- These plants with their tiny, white fragrant flowers produce a red berry that is poisonous.  Other parts of the plant are also poisonous.

Mistletoe –Mistletoe is usually purchased as a Christmas decoration but the white berries are very toxic. Keep it away from kids and pets.

Morning glory- the Morning glory produces round papery seed pods full of hard black seeds.  These seeds are hallucinogenic if ingested and too many could be fatal.  This is another seed that is attractive to teens through word of mouth but can cause serious medical problems if ingested.  Other parts of the plant are poisonous too.

Privet- This common hedge plant produces black berries that are poison.

Purple hyacinth bean – While bean suggests it might be edible the bean pods and seeds of this plant are poisonous even if cooked.  It has purple stems and flowers as well as purple pods. Keep the pods cut off if you enjoy this plant as an ornamental.

Kidney beans- This may surprise you but raw kidney beans are quite poisonous.  Cooking makes them safe to eat.

Oleander- this plant is sometimes grown in pots in the north for its pretty flowers but in the ground in the south.  It has the common name of suicide plant because just a seed or two can cause death.

Pokeweed – This common weed is striking with its tall reddish tinged foliage and clusters of purple-black berries.  In late summer it’s one of the most requested plant identification subjects. The young shoots of the plant can be eaten in early spring if cooked in several changes of water. They are called poke-salad or poke greens.  However the berries are poison- regardless if they are cooked or not. 

Mature plant parts are also poisonous.  The berries are quite attractive to kids and even adults mistake them for elderberries or other edible fruit.  They cause many cases of plant poisoning each year in the US.  Pokeweed should not be grown where children, vulnerable adults and pets can find the berries.

Pokeweed without ripe berries.

Sweet peas- There are wild and cultivated varieties of sweet peas but they have one thing in common- the pods and beans are poisonous.  Don’t confuse them with garden peas.

Yews- Yews are a soft needled evergreen often found in home landscapes.  All parts of the yew are poisonous and even a few mouthfuls of yew can kill a grown cow.  Yews produce red fleshy berries with black seeds inside.  While the red fleshy part is not poisonous – birds like them- swallowing just one or 2 of the small seeds inside could kill a child.  Yews should not be planted in landscapes used by children, vulnerable adults or pets and should be kept far away from livestock areas.

Gardeners may choose to grow some of these plants and others that are poisonous which is fine if they are aware of the plants toxicity and take steps to protect those that aren’t knowledgeable.

Gardeners can continue to grow plants with poisonous seeds if they use common sense and a little care to keep the seeds and fruit away from curious pets and children.  Make sure children are told to ask you about a plant before eating any seeds or fruits they find in the yard or fields.  And if a child, pet or vulnerable adult eats something you can’t identify call poison control or your doctor.  Try to take a piece of the plant, including foliage and an example of the seeds or fruit eaten to the emergency room or wherever you are directed to go with the patient so the plant can be identified.

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Starting seeds on the windowsill

In earlier times it was common place for gardeners to start seeds in winter on a sunny windowsill.  If you want to start a lot of different kinds of seeds a small greenhouse or a grow light set up would be best but if you need just a few plants started sunny windowsills can work.  A sunny windowsill is not the same as a greenhouse but it is cheaper. There are some tricks to this method that you should know for best results.

First you need a south facing window with nothing outside it to obstruct the sun.   A west facing window may work for plants that are considered shade plants, such as impatiens.  Modern tinted windows or windows treated to reduce UV rays may not work well for starting seeds.  Even though house plants may be growing very well in a north or east facing window most garden plants require far more light than they can give to grow well.

The plants need to be as close to the window as possible.  Every inch you move away from the window will reduce the amount of light plants receive and 6 inches away may slow down the growth of some plants.  That means you will have better luck with plants only 1 or 2 deep on the window ledge.   A series of narrow shelves in the window will maximize your space.  You probably won’t have room for blinds or curtains so keep that in mind when you choose a window.

While seedlings need to be close to the window for light they may get too cold if the windows are older single pane glass or storm windows are leaky.  You could put the seedlings inside clear plastic containers to protect them, put this does cut down on the light received.  On really cold nights the seedlings may need to be moved out of the window.   Since many plants need more warmth for germination than they need for growing it may be better to germinate the seeds in a warm place away from the window and move seedlings into the window as they get their first true leaves.

As we get into late April and early May, seedlings may actually get too hot on a windowsill in direct sun.  The light is fine but heat buildup is not.  If the window can be cracked open at the bottom this will usually help.   A fan turned on to blow lightly across, not at, the seedlings can help too.

For windowsill growing its important not to start your plants too early.  Windowsill grown plants have a greater tendency to grow leggy and spindly than seedlings grown under lights or in a greenhouse.   Shortening the time before they can go to their garden homes is important.   

In a windowsill it’s better to have seedlings in individual pots rather than flats or multi packs. Use square or rectangular pots to maximize space on the window sill.  Use sterile seed starting mix to grow seedlings and make sure all containers drain well.  You’ll need trays under the pots to protect the window ledge and floor. 

So that plants don’t develop a lean toward the sun, rotate the pots a half turn every few days and if you have more than one row of plants rotate the pots from front to back row every few days also.

Once the sun is shining brightly in April and May small pots will dry out quickly.  You may need to water your seedlings twice a day.  Try not to let them wilt between watering as this stresses the plants.  If there is a heating vent forcing warm air up under the seedlings they will also need extra water.  

If your seed starting mix did not contain fertilizer your seedlings will need weak liquid fertilization once a week.  Mix the fertilizer according to instructions for seedlings or at half the strength listed for older potted plants.  Don’t over feed the plants as this contributes to leggy, weak plants.

Because Michigan is not known for its sunny winter weather some supplemental light is always welcomed by seedlings.  Lamps that could be aimed at plants on cloudy days or bright room lighting behind the plants will help your seedlings.

When you need just a few vegetable plants or flowering plants for the garden or want to experiment with a few seedlings the sunny windowsill can give you good results with a little care and save you money.