Before you plant that first seed in the garden this spring, take a moment to ponder the wonder of it.
That dry, papery pod holds everything it needs to sprout and become a seedling. Just add water, and an amazing transformation begins.
The process of germination is complex. It’s a combination of metabolism, respiration, enzyme activity, and synthesis of RNA and protein.
“If you stop and think about it, it’s incredible,” says Peter Loewer, author of the book “Seeds: The Definitive Guide to Growing, History & Lore” (Timber Press 2005).
“Seeds provide more food for the human race than any other plant or animal,” he writes. “About one-fourth of the human energy demands of the United States are provided by cereal seeds, and seeds account for nearly three-fourths of the human diet in the rest of the world.”
How seeds arrived in our gardens is a fascinating history. Loewer writes about Columbus bringing seeds to the New World in 1493. In 1780 the first seed house was opened in America, and the first mail-order seed business began in 1853.
Many seeds have become extinct, but collecting, exchanging, and saving seed keeps many of our heirloom plants available. In fact, a National Seed Storage Laboratory can be found at Colorado State University.
Loewer is a botanical illustrator and author of 16 books on gardens and natural history.
His interest in seeds began in the late 1980s when he joined a seed exchange and received surplus seeds from arboretums around the world. The seeds of the night-blooming daylily (Hemerocallis citrina) opened the world of evening plants to him and resulted in his book “The Evening Garden.”
“Fifteen years ago, it was difficult to go into a garden center and get something other than a marigold,” he says. He joined a number of plant associations and participated in members’ seed exchanges, giving him the chance to grow plants that could be found only in other gardeners’ gardens.
When neighbors travel to exotic locales, he asks them to bring back seeds in exchange for cat-feeding duty.
“When you grow plants from seeds, you have a psychic connection to the person who brings you the seeds and to the plant,” he says.
He’s never been to Borneo, but he has a fragrant night-blooming rhododendron from there.
“When you collect seeds, you become a world traveler without leaving home.”
Loewer cites three advantages to growing plants from seed.
“It’s economical, it teaches us to be closer to the world of nature, and it allows us to grow plants that would otherwise be unobtainable.”
He can’t name a downside to planting with seed.
He grows a certain number of plants from seed each year, including spider lilies and cosmos. He also grows tender perennials that he keeps going all year in his Asheville, N.C., potting shed. One of his favorites is the grass-like restios from South Africa. The plant resembles elegant horsetails and is used in South Africa for thatching roofs.
Loewer gardens in Zone 7, although in a bad winter it can be Zone 6. In cooler climes like ours, where the growing season is shorter, some flowers and vegetables need to be started indoors and planted outside as seedlings.
“I think gardeners are surprised by how many plants they can get from a packet of seeds,” he says. When starting seeds indoors, he recommends saving excess seedlings and donating them to local plant sales.
Tomatoes and peppers are two of the more popular vegetables that do better as transplants.
Tender annuals are started indoors in mid-March and planted outside after the last frost date. For gardeners in the Denver area, the last frost is around May 18; it’s May 23 and later for areas above 6000 feet in elevation.
Plants that grow quickly, such as zinnias, marigolds, cucumbers and zucchini, do best when sown directly in the garden. Carrots, radishes and other root crops also prefer to be planted outside. Seed packets provide specific guidelines for planting.
If you have seeds left from last year, you can try a simple germination test to tell if they’re still good for planting. Put 10 seeds on a paper towel, cover with another paper towel and moisten the towels with water. Place them in a plastic bag and keep moist and warm.
After seven to 10 days, check to see how many seeds have sprouted and multiply the number by 10. If this percentage is above 75 percent, you can use the remaining seeds instead of buying new.
The basics of planting seed are simple: Place seed in the ground, cover seed with soil and keep soil moist until seed germinates.
However, for as long as people have been planting seeds, they’ve been trying to make it easier.
Indians rolled their seeds in clay balls to protect them from sun, wind, birds and other animals. The seed balls weren’t planted, but broadcast on top of the ground. Rain would melt the clay and begin germination.
Seed balls are still used today in natural farming around the world. Garden supply catalogs advertise this ancient seed-planting method as a new technique for planting wildflowers and hummingbird gardens. Ambitious home gardeners can even try their hand at making their own seed balls (see sidebar).
Other products are meant to speed the sowing process. Gardeners can invest in steel planting stakes to help keep rows straight, instead of two sticks and some twine. Seed spacers and handheld seed dispensers help distribute the seed more evenly and reduce the need for thinning.
Seed tape and seed carpet come preseeded and eliminate much of the work of sowing seeds. Just cut the tape to fit the area, place it on the ground, cover with soil, then water.
All the new gadgets might make it easier for some gardeners, but Loewer thinks we should be getting closer to the ground, not farther from it.
“All this new stuff, I don’t bother with it,” he says. He maintains that the only thing a gardener needs to make seeding easier is a pair of kneeling pads.
For those of you who are interested is making seed sowing simpler, here are a few sources:
Seed tape – for basil, baby’s breath, morning glories, parsley, sunflowers, and more, Park Seed Co., 800-213-0076;parkseed.com.
Seed Spacer – Charley’s Greenhouse, 800-322-4707; charleysgreenhouse.com.
Tiny Tim seed dispenser – Gurney’s Seed & Nursery, 513-354-1491;Gurneys.com.
Seed balls – For wildflowers, hummingbird garden, and sunflowers. Gardener’s Supply Co., 800-955-3370; gardeners.com.
Seed exchange: If you’re interested in saving or exchanging heirloom seeds, contact Seed Savers Exchange, 563-382-5990; seedsavers.org.
Seed balls are a mixture of seeds, clay and soil that are scattered directly onto the ground, not planted. They’re useful for seeding dry, thin and compacted soils.
Ingredients
- Dry teracotta clay, finely ground and sifted through a strainer to remove large chucks of clay
- About 3/4 cup dry organic compost
- 1/4 cup assorted seeds (various wildflower and vegetable seeds can be used)
- Makes approximately 30-40 balls
Directions
1. Mix organic compost and seeds together.
2. Add clay to the compost/seed mix. Blend everything together well. Next, mist water onto the mixture while stirring. Spray just enough water to allow the mixture to stick or bind together.
3. Take a pinch of the finished mixture and roll (in the palm of your hand) into penny-sized round balls.
4. Put seed balls in the sun to dry completely for a day or two.
5. Broadcast seed balls onto dirt area. Water or wait for rain to allow seeds to germinate.
Source: pathtofreedom.com
