The Seed Lab

Earlier this week I set up the seed lab in the dining room. Along the back counter you can see all the seed packets lined up. The bright green tags hanging above them note when I should start them, and if I’m going to start them indoors or outside, directly in the soil. So if you count the green tags, I’m supposedly going to do seven plantings.

The black trays on the right are for the indoor sowing. The table contains various books and a notebook to help me map out my Plan.

Last year (and all other years, really, that I’ve been trying to do this), I get seriously disappointed. I think my garden and seeds are doing okay. They’re alive! But then I walk by somebody else’s parking strip plot of haphazard plantings only to see gigantic pumpkins! Oodles of tomatoes! Such dark, dark green and stout vegetation! What the hell. How come my corn turned out to be the only pygmy corn, never getting taller than knee-high? Whoever heard of that?

I always buy plants from the nursery to transplant in later, too. Things I can’t resist, and always overplanting tomatoes. (You just can’t really do well in our climate unless you let the greenhouses handle getting these going. Not warm enough, and our season is shorter.)

This year, I am really making an effort to pay attention to the info on the packets about when to plant. I’m also trying to stick with the guidance of the Maritime Northwest Garden Guide. This means I’m starting less inside, and being choosier about those things. I’m planting more things directly in the beds, but many of my favorites I’ll actually do later than I usually want. (I always thought it had to be better to start early and give them more time!) Maybe things will look better and be healthy this way.

And then I went to the nursery a day later and was given MORE sheets on planting times and companion plants/antagonistic plants…. So I have some cross-checking to consider. (I’ll post my current plan in the next blog entry.)

I have used these seed-starting tabs in trays for about 4 years or so. I think they’re fun, and they don’t look too bad sitting out in the house.

Before you add water:


After you add two quarts of water per tray (72 peat tabs per tray):