Sowing your seeds? Tips for success!!

We are now prime time for many us to begin purchasing seed and making plans for your perfect garden for 2010. I'd like to provide a few tips on how to ensure you will be even more successful in your gardeing endeavours.

Now is the time to start preparing for presowing perennials indoors if you can. Read your packets of seed to determine and calculate how long till they germinate. Seedlings can be transplanted to the outdoor location after the first and/or second set of true leaves appear and when the temperature of the soil allows for it.In most case two to 3 weeks shoud suffice.

Presowing indoors is a superb way to give your perennials a head start, this is especially true for those 1st year perennial plant that have the ability to produce a few flowers in their first year. (eg:) Delphinium,foxglove,dahlias,snow in summer and cupids dart to name just a few.

Setting out transplants of early sown plants including annuals herbs and vegetables can speed up production by many weeks and assists in increasing the yeilds of your perennial,herb and vegetable crops.

Germinating medium should be kept evenly moist at all times but never soaking wet. Small pots tend to dry out quick so it is important to check them often. Too much moisture can cause damping off or cause the seeds to rot beforee they have a chance to sprout. To little water will not allow the seed to germinate properly or remain alive and healthy. If you can, apply bottom heat with heating cables or have a south facing window this will suffice.

Before sowing your seed into your growing medium, we have found it most helpful to prewater the soil and let it drain throughly BEFORE you begin to sow your seeds.Once this is complete, sow the seeds as per the instruction depth on your packets. When needed use a fine sprayer to water newly planted seeds and tiny seedlings or, if possible, water from the bottom using drip trays. The practices above will ensure that the seeds do not get pushed to far into the soil which will hinder seeds germination ability.
Providing ample light after germination is a must to ensure your seedlings do not have to searh for light If they do, they may become leggy and unstable and this will not bode well for transplanting them to their outdoor location.

To learn about successful transplanting and hardening off go to our website through the following link http://www.brothernature.ca/sowing_seeds.asp