It all starts with a seed packet.
What do you do?
Go ahead.
Open it very carefully so that the seeds don't fall out; and low and behold there's this
great insert from the US Department of Agriculture people Garden Initiative has all kinds of
great information about your seeds.
Next, find an egg carton or some paper cups and these will be your containers for starting
you seedlings.
If you have an egg carton just flip it over and then poke some holes in it.
You can you can use a Styrofoam one as well.
The holes are for drainage.
You’ll also want to find a tray to place it on or a plastic bag, because when you water
there will be some seeping.
As an alternative you can use a paper cup.
You also want to poke a hole in that, for good drainage.
You'll want a good clean potting soil, You'll want it to be new, because if its garden soil,
it might contain pathogens which might be harmful for the emerging seedling.
You can find this material in garden centers or hardware stores.
Wet the putting soil slightly, then fill up your containers halfway.
You'll want to keep it loose and not compacted so that the roots can freely grow.
Next we need to think about fertilizer.
And, we are in luck because in this People Garden Initiative seed packet, we have a special
fertilizer card - the instruction card.
And, it says on the back - you should check it out - take the card, tear it up, and plant
it to fertilize.
Now add a light dusting of potting soil
We’re now ready to plant seeds.
You take the seeds and gently ease them out of your hand.
I like to use the plant markers, which is a repurposed Popsicle stick.
And, one seed per cell will do.
Each one of these will become a big beautiful healthy tomato plant.
I love planting seeds it's like making a wish with every seed you plant
Now sprinkle about a half an inch of potting mix on top of each seed and gently press.
Not too hard, just enough to create a good point of contact between the seed and the
potting mix.
Then make your label with today's date and the variety name.
'Abraham Lincoln.'
Water well, making sure that you don't wash out the seed.
Place in a sunny windowsill and when the soil dries out on top, water again.
In about a month, your seedlings will look like this.