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« The irresistible orchid | Main | Flower show is fantastic! » February 14, 2008Are old seeds worth digging out?I have a fine fat stack of plant and seed catalogs on my desk. That must mean the gardening year has begun, in some fashion. This is where I must admit I’m kind of a fraud: My last packet of seeds, a lovely Franchi Sementi puntarelle, is still on my kitchen counter, unplanted, after 2 years. At this point, it’s questionable whether I’ll be crunching my insalata di puntarelle any time soon. But, part of me argues, paleobotanists germinated seeds they found in the pyramids at Giza, Egypt, after 2 milennia! Well, that’s the Power of the Pyramid for you, folks. With most seeds the germination rate drops way off after even one season. This includes grass seed. It doesn’t mean it’s not worth planting, but don’t have as high expectations as the first year. If you’re the kind of person who Needs To Know, you can test their germination rate by scattering a few on a damp paper towel for a few days (then fold it over and put it in a plastic bag, loosely closed) and seeing if they sprout. Or you can just be the kind of person who scatters them liberally with sunny optimism and willing heart and hopes for the best. (We’ll be having advice on how to start seeds indoors later in the season in the Home section.) If you’re a beginning gardener, don’t try something that requires you to start seeds indoors and transfer plants outside. You want something that says “Sow seeds directly in the ground after danger of frost has passed.” That will be around mid-late May. In fact, you don’t have to deal with seeds at all: A few nice little flats of tomatoes or peppers or ornamentals will keep many people entertained all season. My favorite things to plant from seed? Nasturtiums. With seeds big enough for young or old hands to scatter easily, fast germination, lily-pad leaves, wiggly stems and bright all-summer-long flowers they offer big rewards for little work. Plant these old-fashioned sirens in a bed, a pot or a window box. If you grow them organically, the peppery leaves and blossoms are even edible. Gardening is supposed to be enjoyable. Strike a balance you can live with and enjoy it. Posted by Paula Constantine Commentskaren anne | February 16, 2008 2:16 PM link Okay, it's not gardening, but it's nature - and probably too late to make it into the garden blog before it happens - lunar eclipse and glimpse of satellite on its last legs karen anne | February 20, 2008 5:21 PM link Post a commentPlease be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. |
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CATEGORIES Beauty/oddities in nature
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This has motivated me to try to start some nasturtiums indoors. The seeds are at least five years old... But let's see what happens.
These aren't the standard orange nasturtiums, which I planted as a kid and seem to remember reaching blooming size two weeks later. That can't be right, can it?
These are shades of cream and pale orange, that I bought from Shepherd's Seeds back when. I was not sure what had happened to Shepherd's since they were bought by White Flower Farm, but I just googled and found that they were shut down. The founder of Shepherd's, as you may know, now runs Renee's Garden, www.reneesgarden.com, which seems to sell similar seeds. Lovely drawings on her web site.
This will keep me entertained, while I wait four weeks for my broken foot, sigh, to heal.
Now all I need is dirt, which is, of course, outside, down and up some steps.