Come follow me on my first journey to become a seed saver as well as a producer of heirloom vegetables. Let me clarify something first, when I say producer, I don't mean a big time supplier. I'm talking family, friends maybe a restaurant or two.
I ordered my seeds from Baker's Creek Heirloom Seeds. I went to a wholesale plant supplier and bought my plug trays, Redi-earth plug and seedling mix, and white plastic tabs to record type of plant and date planted. I filled the trays with the seedling mix and it happened to be raining that day so I sat them outside to get the soil wet. When you water these trays, sit them down into water and the water will absorb from the bottom up. Don't pour water over the tops of the trays. I hadn't planted my seeds yet so I could let the rain soak the trays.
To plant the seeds: I used tweezers. Be careful not to damage the seed by pinching the tweezers to hard. Lay a seed in each plug. Then go back with the opposite end of the tweezers or a toothpick and gently push the seed barely under the soil...not to deep.
I have my seed trays sitting in front of a big south window that gets plenty of sunshine. You do not want your seedlings to get below 50 degrees. At this time, I do not have a commercial heating pad for plants so I'm using a regular heating pad and putting it between a folded towel and sitting the tray on top of it. If it's a pretty day and the sun is shining I turn the heating pad off. If it is cloudy and cold I leave it on. I started putting the heating pad on low and that wasn't warm enough so I raised the heating pad to medium and that has worked very well. Make sure you water when you see the soil dry out. It is usually every other day. I try to water in the morning and let the plants sit in the sun. If you water in late evening or at night, it cools the soil too much.
On the white tabs put the name of the plant, the day you planted it, the day it sprouted, and the day you transplanted it to a 2 or 4 inch pot.
I have planted 14 different varieties of heirloom tomatoes. I went crazy looking at all the varieties and I couldn't stop myself. I have also started 4 different varieties of basil, dill and echinacea. My rosemary, lavender, chives, mint and oregano have made it through the
winter. We have had a more severe winter this year than we normally have. I was pleasantly surprised that those herbs survived.
As my seeds progress on their journey I will keep you informed of their progress every step of the way. Hopefully, this summer my garners will be full furnishing every kind of produce!
At this time, I want to share with you this beautiful story "A Seed's Prayer." It is written by a dear friend who is a writer and I loved it and wanted to share it. Hope you are blessed by it!
You actually want me to die?Yep, He says. Life from death, that's My way.I don't want to do that - it's painful. How could You love me and want this for me? I feel safe where I am.But you are confined, He says. This is not what I created you for. And what a world you are missing, down there deep in the blanket of warm soil. No blue sky? No sunsets? No thunderstorms even?What? What are those, Lord?Trust me, little seed. Growing is breaking apart life as you know it. You won't know about these things unless you are willing to leave what you think you know.So, out of the seed, stretching and thirsting. Some of the journey takes me through darkness still. Thirst overwhelms me. I'm in more need than ever before. Is this right, I wonder? Should I stop right here? Give up in the temporary darkness, longing to go live back in my seed. At least, there was a hard shell to protect me. But I can't go back. My life will never be that tiny womb again. It's broken. And though I pray for Him to fix it, He is strangely silent on the matter.Lord, help me keep stretching, allowing You to do what is natural but what doesn't feel natural to me.I can hear Your voice coaxing me . . . telling me there is a promised land. And it's near . . . The soil doesn't help me get there, I cry out. It's pushing on me from all sides, resisting me . . . and it's still dark. Yes, the soil is helping you, I hear You say. I created the soil and it serves My purpose in your life. He doesn't explain exactly how . . . how could He explain the science of nutrients and oxygen to a small green shoot? That I need the soil to grow. That the soil is endless on either side of me. He doesn't reveal that part to me, it would be too daunting right now. But I would be glad to know that later, this soil will give my roots just the room I need. This same soil will serve me. What is important for me to know right now is this - I must move upward.Keep stretching, keep letting Me do what comes naturally to Me . . .Trust Me. The promised land is near. And oh, the things I have ahead for you, little seed.
I ordered my seeds from Baker's Creek Heirloom Seeds. I went to a wholesale plant supplier and bought my plug trays, Redi-earth plug and seedling mix, and white plastic tabs to record type of plant and date planted. I filled the trays with the seedling mix and it happened to be raining that day so I sat them outside to get the soil wet. When you water these trays, sit them down into water and the water will absorb from the bottom up. Don't pour water over the tops of the trays. I hadn't planted my seeds yet so I could let the rain soak the trays.
To plant the seeds: I used tweezers. Be careful not to damage the seed by pinching the tweezers to hard. Lay a seed in each plug. Then go back with the opposite end of the tweezers or a toothpick and gently push the seed barely under the soil...not to deep.
I have my seed trays sitting in front of a big south window that gets plenty of sunshine. You do not want your seedlings to get below 50 degrees. At this time, I do not have a commercial heating pad for plants so I'm using a regular heating pad and putting it between a folded towel and sitting the tray on top of it. If it's a pretty day and the sun is shining I turn the heating pad off. If it is cloudy and cold I leave it on. I started putting the heating pad on low and that wasn't warm enough so I raised the heating pad to medium and that has worked very well. Make sure you water when you see the soil dry out. It is usually every other day. I try to water in the morning and let the plants sit in the sun. If you water in late evening or at night, it cools the soil too much.
On the white tabs put the name of the plant, the day you planted it, the day it sprouted, and the day you transplanted it to a 2 or 4 inch pot.
I have planted 14 different varieties of heirloom tomatoes. I went crazy looking at all the varieties and I couldn't stop myself. I have also started 4 different varieties of basil, dill and echinacea. My rosemary, lavender, chives, mint and oregano have made it through the
winter. We have had a more severe winter this year than we normally have. I was pleasantly surprised that those herbs survived.
As my seeds progress on their journey I will keep you informed of their progress every step of the way. Hopefully, this summer my garners will be full furnishing every kind of produce!
At this time, I want to share with you this beautiful story "A Seed's Prayer." It is written by a dear friend who is a writer and I loved it and wanted to share it. Hope you are blessed by it!
You actually want me to die?Yep, He says. Life from death, that's My way.I don't want to do that - it's painful. How could You love me and want this for me? I feel safe where I am.But you are confined, He says. This is not what I created you for. And what a world you are missing, down there deep in the blanket of warm soil. No blue sky? No sunsets? No thunderstorms even?What? What are those, Lord?Trust me, little seed. Growing is breaking apart life as you know it. You won't know about these things unless you are willing to leave what you think you know.So, out of the seed, stretching and thirsting. Some of the journey takes me through darkness still. Thirst overwhelms me. I'm in more need than ever before. Is this right, I wonder? Should I stop right here? Give up in the temporary darkness, longing to go live back in my seed. At least, there was a hard shell to protect me. But I can't go back. My life will never be that tiny womb again. It's broken. And though I pray for Him to fix it, He is strangely silent on the matter.Lord, help me keep stretching, allowing You to do what is natural but what doesn't feel natural to me.I can hear Your voice coaxing me . . . telling me there is a promised land. And it's near . . . The soil doesn't help me get there, I cry out. It's pushing on me from all sides, resisting me . . . and it's still dark. Yes, the soil is helping you, I hear You say. I created the soil and it serves My purpose in your life. He doesn't explain exactly how . . . how could He explain the science of nutrients and oxygen to a small green shoot? That I need the soil to grow. That the soil is endless on either side of me. He doesn't reveal that part to me, it would be too daunting right now. But I would be glad to know that later, this soil will give my roots just the room I need. This same soil will serve me. What is important for me to know right now is this - I must move upward.Keep stretching, keep letting Me do what comes naturally to Me . . .Trust Me. The promised land is near. And oh, the things I have ahead for you, little seed.
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