People and plants: Seeds -- a new beginning
Apr. 4—Instead of the sleep fairy bringing me sunny dreams last night, the little jokester impregnated my brain with a philosophical question. In our world, most everything has a beginning, a middle and an end — a sentence, a thought, a breath, an ocean wave and all life. Even fleeting emotions, physical pain and arguments have a beginning, a middle and an end.
I wanted to write about seed starting today and immediately labeled the seed as a beginning. But, then I realized a seed also represents the end. When a plant nears the end of its life cycle or growing season, it goes to seed. So, is a seed the beginning or the end? That was the question the sleep fairy wanted to know.
After pondering the inquiry, I have decided there is a distinct possibility that the cycle of life is not as we thought. Perhaps, life is more like complete metamorphosis — like when the caterpillar forms a chrysalis then has a new beginning as a beautiful butterfly. Maybe everything that ends is simply having a pause (another middle) before beginning again. Welcome to the inner workings of my brain!
Whatever we call the seed — the end or the beginning — it is a marvel of nature. Seeds are basically a reproductive delivery system. They contain live embryonic tissues with their own food reserves. All of this goodness is wrapped in a seed coat. Germination occurs when the seed is exposed to the right conditions. Light, temperature and moisture impact seed growth.
Now is the time to begin seeds indoors for your spring and early summer plantings. Cool season vegetables, such as lettuce, broccoli, peas, radish, spinach and turnips, can be sown indoors now and planted outdoors in a few weeks. Warm season vegetables, such as corn, tomatoes, pepper and summer squash, can be started indoors now and transplanted to the garden in mid to late May.
Decide what you want to grow this year then find your seeds. After purchasing your seed packets, take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with the information on the back of the packet. It will tell you the planting depth of the seeds, light requirements and average days to germination. Other helpful information is seed spacing and days to harvest, especially if you're planting an edible.
I personally use seed starting trays with dividers and rooting cubes. It makes for nice easy planting. You can also use small individual containers, even ones made from peat. If you want to forego the cubes, use a soil-less media. A specific seed starting blend would be ideal. The University of Minnesota Extension has a nice seed starting guide online. You can learn more about additional requirements, such as light, heat, fertilization and transplanting your seedlings. https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/starting-seeds-indoors.
Arianna Kelley Rawlsky has an M.S. in horticulture and is the director of Bringing People and Plants Together, an organization dedicated to bringing horticulture education and therapy to the community. For more information: PeopleAndPlantsTogether@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook.
