The oyster mushroom gets its name from its cap which, some say, resembles an oyster. The stem of the oyster mushrooms is perhaps more distinct; it unfurls something like one of those old-time paper lady's fans. The oyster mushroom has...

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Simple Seed Starting

Getting seeds started indoors can be as simple as re-purposing pressed-paper egg cartons. Egg carton cups are just the right size for starting seeds and growing seedlings on to size. Half egg shells and newspaper cones set in egg carton compartments will work just as well.

Poke a hole in the bottom of each egg compartment (or egg shell or newspaper cone) and fill with moistened sterile seed starting mix. Use the egg carton lid as a tray beneath the compartments.

Sow two or three seeds in each compartment and just cover them with seed starting mix; the rule of thumb is to cover seeds to a depth of three times their diameter.

Use a clear plastic bag as your seed-starting greenhouse. Place the egg carton in the plastic bag (don't tie the bag--germinating seeds need fresh air) and set it in a warm, light place--on a kitchen countertop or under fluorescent lights. A consistent temperature of about 70 to 75°F is best to ensure quick sprouting. Keep the starting mix just moist until seeds germinate; remove the plastic bag if mold should start to grow.

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Seed Saving

Save seed only from open-pollinated plants. Plants that pollinate naturally without special manipulation are called open pollinated. Open-pollinated plants produce true-to-type seed--meaning their seedlings are like their parents.

Open pollinated varieties are the result of the repeated natural selection of superior plants from the same strain or variety. Open-pollinated plants are essentially identical genetically through natural selection and pollination.

(Remember that plants can be either self pollinated or cross pollinated. Cross pollination can occur naturally by insects or the wind--resulting in an open-pollinated plant--or by design and outside manipulation--human plant breeding, resulting in a hybrid. Open pollinated plants that are not self pollinating are susceptible to cross pollination by a different strain or variety of the same species. This may produce plants with mixed traits not suitable for seed saving; this, for example, can happen if a pollinating bee carries the pollen of a different plant strain or variety to the plant it pollinates.) Read more about plant pollination: open pollination and hybrids click here.

Only open pollinated plants are suitable for seed saving. Seed from hybrid plants commonly do not grow true-to-type. Hybrid plants are produced by selection, manipulation, and breeding of parent lines. While hybrids combine the best traits of their parents, the seed of hybrids usually revert to the less desirable characteristics of the generations that came before.

Open pollinated plants that most easily produce true-to-type seed are those that are self pollinating. A self pollinating plant has male and female parts in the same flower or separate male and female flowers on the same plant. Self pollinating plants commonly produce seed true-to-type because there is a very short distance for the pollen to travel to achieve pollination. Self-pollinating vegetables include beans, chicory, endive, lettuce, peas, and tomatoes.

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How Vegetables Are Pollinated: Open Pollination and Hybrids

Vegetables are pollinated in two basic ways: self pollination and cross pollination.

• Self pollinators are plants that produce flowers that are usually fertilized by their own pollen, commlonly when the male and female flower parts are contained within the same flower.

• Cross pollinators are plants with flowers that require pollen from another flower (a male flower on the same plant--thus a form of self-pollination--or from another plant) to produce a fertilized seed. Cross pollinators commonly require the help of insects or the wind to achieve pollination.

Self-pollinated vegetables include: bush and pole beans, lima beans, chicory, endive, lettuce, English and Southern peas, and tomatoes.

Wind-pollinated vegetables include: beets, chard, sweet corn, and spinach.

Insect-pollinated vegetables include: asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, gourds, kale, kohlrabi, muskmelons, mustard, okra, onions, parsley, parsnip, hot pepper, pumpkin, radish, rutabaga, spinach, squashes, turnips, and watermelon.

How a vegetable is pollinated is important if you want to grow plants that are true-to-type, meaning the same as the parent plant: for example, if you want the same fruit size, color, shape, and flavor, the same plant height or growing habit, the same days to maturity and harvest. If a vegetable is cross pollinated by a plant that is not the same strain or variety, it will not grow true-to-type.

Continue reading "How Vegetables Are Pollinated: Open Pollination and Hybrids" »

Seed Shelf Life

Seed vitality or shelf life is an important concept. If you saved seed from last season or the season before or if you've been given seed and are not sure how long it's been around, you might want to perform a seed vitality test a couple of weeks before you plan to sow.

Seeds more than a year or two old may not germinate well or at all, particularly if they have not been stored properly. Some seeds, even after a year of proper storage, may not produce the number of plants you expect or need.

To test your seed for germination, place two paper towels on top of each other and moisten them with warm water. Next place 10 or 20 seeds in the middle of the towels. Fold the towels over from the four corners to the center. Place the towels in a glass with about 1 inch of water in the bottom--enough to keep the towels moist without submerging the seeds. Cover the glass with clear plastic bag and set it in a warm place.

After the average number of days to germination, unwrap the towel and count the number of seeds that have germinated. If none have sprouted re-wrap the towel and replace it in the glass and wait several more days. If seeds have sprouted, count the number of sprouts and divide by the total number of seeds on the towel. That will give you a good estimate of the germination rate for that batch of seeds and the success you can expect when you sow in the garden.

Check out the How To Grow Archive for planting details for all vegetables and herbs.

Vegetable	Average rate of germination at 1 year (%)	Average years seed will germinate	Number of seeds per ounce	Average days to germination
Asparagus	90	3	1,000	14-21
Beans	90	3	90-100	6-15
Cabbage	85	4	5,000	10-14
Carrot	75	3	14,000	14-21
Cauliflower	75	4	14,000	10-14
Corn, Sweet	85	3	125	5-7
Cucumber	85	5	1,000	7-10
Eggplant	75	4	5,000	7-14
Lettuce	90	6	12,000-16,000	7-10
Muskmelon	85	5	1,200	6-10
Mustard	85	3	18,000	8-12
Okra	85	1	425	10-14
Onion	80	2	12,5000	7-14
Parsnip	85	1	600	21-27
Pea	90	3	50-150	7-10
Pepper	75	2	4,000	10
Pumpkin	90	4	100	7-10
Radish	90	4	5,000	4-6
Spinach	80	3	3,000	8-12
Tomato	85	3	6,000-7,500	5-7
Turnip	90	4	10,000	7-10
Watermelon	85	5	175-225	6-8

Complete seed germination details: everything you need this year now in THE KITCHEN GARDEN GROWERS' GUIDE.

Continue reading "Seed Shelf Life" »

Spring Outdoor Seed-Sowing Schedule

Here's a quick outdoor seed sowing schedule for spring. These suggestions are on the conservative side. Hardy vegetables can withstand frost and will grow best in cool weather, coming to maturity before the weather turns hot. Tender crops can not withstand frost. If you plant tender crops and frost threatens, use a cloche or row cover to keep them warm.

Approximate date of last spring frost:_________________________

Need specifics: check out the How To Grow Archive: click here.

Very Hardy	Hardy	Semi-hardy	Tender	Heat-loving
Sow 5-7 weeks before last frost	Sow 2-3 weeks before last frost	Sow 1-2 weeks before last frost	Sow on or just after last frost	Sow 2-3 weeks after last frost
Dill	Chervil	Beets	Beans	Cantaloupe*
Garlic	Coriander	Broccoli*	Corn	Cucumber
Leeks	Lettuce	Brussels sprouts*	Pumpkin	Lima beans
Onions (seeds/sets)	Mustard	Carrots	Summer squash	Eggplants*
Peas	Parsley	Cabbage*	Winter squash	Peanuts
Shallots	Turnip greens	Cauliflower*	Zucchini	Peppers*
Spinach		Chard		Sweet potatoes
		Kale		Tomatoes*
		Kohlrabi		Watermelon
		Parsnips
		Potatoes
		Radish

* Best as transplants: start indoors 6 weeks before transplanting to garden.

Grow 80 vegetables: THE KITCHEN GARDEN GROWERS' GUIDE

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Seed-Starting Vegetables in April

Getting seed started indoors is essentially the same as sowing seed directly in the garden, the main difference is that the germinating medium or seed-starting mix should be sterile and slightly damp, but not wet, when the seeds are sown. You can make your own seed-starting mix by combining sand and peat, half-and-half.

Instead of using clear water, you can speed up germination by watering in new seed with a dilute solution of manure or compost tea. If you sow seed indoors in paper or peat pots they will stand the shock of final transplanting to the open garden much better, simply because their will be less injury to the root system than if taken up by the root ball from the starting tray. If you are potting up seedlings from trays to pots, do it as soon as the first true leaves develop.

When its time to transplant a seedling to the open garden--whether you started the seedlings yourself or bought it at the garden center, make sure the soil in the garden has been prepared in advance. Dig the holes, properly spaced, before you begin transplanting. Set plants in the ground no deeper than they were in the hotbed or cold frame. If the seedlings are in paper or peat pots, set them even with the soil of their former containers; this will help prevent stem rot which sometimes comes with banking soil too high around plants.

Water in newly transplanted crops and then shade them from the sun and wind until they are established.

If you are direct sowing outdoors, scatter seed evenly in shallow trenches, then cover the seeds by raking fine soil over them to the recommended depth, and frim the seed in with the back of the rake. Seeds must make close contact with the soil to germinate. Generally, seeds should be sown to a depth from two to four times their diameter.

Need to know exactly how to plant your crops: click here for all of our How To Grow articles.

Need complete seed starting info at your fingertips: THE KITCHEN GARDEN GROWERS' GUIDE--click here.

If you are starting seed in the garden during a dry spell, germination and growth will be speeded if you first fill the trench or seed row with water. As soon as the water has seeped into the soil, you can sow your seed and cover them with loose dry soil.

Continue reading "Seed-Starting Vegetables in April" »

Seed-Starting Vegetables in March

To get a head start on the growing season: start your vegetable seeds indoors. Cold soil and unsettled weather will challenge seeds sown directly in the garden in early spring.

For early cool-season crops try indoor seed starting this year; you can get started this month. Crops that are the easiest to start indoors from seed are broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, lettuce, onions, peppers, and tomatoes.

Start warm-season crops indoors 6 to 8 weeks before you plan to set them into the garden: beans, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, tomatoes, and squash are best started in bio-degradable peat or paper pots that can be planted whole into the garden (that way you won't disturb their roots at transplanting).

Here is a checklist of what you will need to start seed indoors:

□ Containers: flats or individual containers at least 3 to 4 inches deep.

□ Seed-starting and potting mixes: peat moss, fine compost, perlite, and milled sphagnum moss will work for seed starting. Later you will need a potting mix: 1 part garden soil, 1 part perlite or builders' sand; 1 part fine compost.

□ Lights: adjustable up and down fluorescent lights will do to keep plants growing.

□ Capillary mats placed under containers will wick up moisture to the seeds and seedlings.

□ Half-strength fertilizer to get seedlings growing: fish or seaweed fertilizer or compost tea.

Continue to the next page to see your regional seed guide for March.

See all of the HarvestToTable.com seed-starting articles: click here.

Continue reading "Seed-Starting Vegetables in March" »

Seed Starting: February Vegetables

Starting seeds indoors will give you a head start on the growing season. Starting seed in the garden can be challenging--for the seed, that is: soil too cold or too wet are the chief obstacles to germination. For early cool-season crops try indoor seed starting this year; you can get started this month. Plants that are the easiest to start indoors from seed are broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, lettuce, onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Flowers that are easy to start from seed include alyssum, cosmos, marigolds, Shasta daisies, and zinnias.

Here is a list of the basic seed starting equipment you will need:

□ Containers: flats or individual containers at least 3 to 4 inches deep.

□ Lights: adjustable up and down fluorescent lights will do to keep plants growing.

□ Capillary mats placed under containers will wick up moisture to the seeds and seedlings.

□ Half-strength fertilizer to get seedlings growing: fish or seaweed fertilizer or compost tea.

For several Harvest To Table articles on seed starting: click here.

For February seed starting suggestions starting with the warmest regions first, continue on to the next page:

Continue reading "Seed Starting: February Vegetables" »

Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors

Starting vegetable seeds indoors will give you a head start on the growing season--actually extend your growing season--and make your garden more productive.

Starting seeds indoors eliminates one of the biggest unpredictables of vegetable gardening--poor outdoor germination conditions. Light, temperature, water, nutrients, and spacing are planned and regulated indoors; seeds find it much easier to grow into edible plants.

Starting seed indoors also will widen your choices. Many, many rare, unusual, and tasty vegetable varieties are available from seed, many more than are offered as starts in garden centers and nurseries.

Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, onions, and celery are almost always started indoors. These plants require the time and care to get going that the gardener can offer indoors. Cold climate gardeners will often also start lettuce and squashes indoors.

Here is a guide to 15 vegetables that will benefit from an early, indoor start:

Continue reading "Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors" »

Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors and Out

There are three ways to get your vegetable garden growing:

• Sow seeds directly in the garden.

• Start seeds indoors and transplant them to the garden when the weather warms.

• Transplant seedlings purchased at the garden center into the garden.

Starting seed indoors will give you:

• earlier vegetables allowing you to stretch the growing season.

• a wider choice of cultivars than available for sale at garden centers.

• protection from early pests, soilborne diseases, and unpredictable weather

• savings: seeds are cheaper than store-bought transplants.

• satisfaction that you have grown your very own plants.

□ Crops best started from seed in the garden. Some crops are not easily transplanted to the garden. These crops simply want to be handled as little as possible; they are too small or too delicate as seedlings to be moved from one place to another. And when it comes to thinning, it's best to simply cut the thinnings of these crops off at soil level rather than lift them from the bed. Start these crops from seed in the garden:

beets

carrots

corn salad

garden cress

parsnips

rutabaga

salsify

turnips

□ Crops best started from seed indoors and later transplanted to the garden. Some crops do poorly in outdoor germination conditions--the soil or air temperature must be optimal for success. Started indoors these crops gain the strength necessary to do well in the garden.

Cool-weather members of this group need a head start indoors because they must reach maturity when the weather is cool, before spring turns warm. But the cold air and soil temperatures of late winter are too cold for them to begin growing. Start these crops indoors and set them in the garden to come to maturity before it gets hot.

broccoli

brussels sprouts

cabbage

cardoon

cauliflower

celeriac

celery

florence fennel

Continue reading "Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors and Out" »

Seed Viability

Is the seed you have on hand still viable--will it germinate?

A seed contains an embryo--a partly developed root and stem, a supply of stored food, and a protective coating.

Seeds sprout through a process called germination. Germination--depending upon the type of seed--requires just the right conditions for growth--usually an abundant supply of water, an adequate supply of oxygen, and the proper temperature. Water causes the seed's tissue to swell and break through the seed coat. Oxygen supports respiration, the burning of food stored in the seed necessary to supply the energy to grow. The correct temperature provides the optimal environment for growth.

A seed is viable if it is able to germinate under the proper conditions for that seed. Seed viability can range from a few weeks to 50 years. Most vegetable seeds are viable for up to three years, but not all.

If you have seed leftover from last season or the season before or if you have been given seed and are unsure how old the seed might be, testing seed viability can save you time and effort in the garden. Seeds can require a few days to more than a week or two to germinate; if you sow seed today and it later fails to germinate in a week or two you have lost time and wasted effort.

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Seed-Starting Vegetables in January

If you haven't started already there's no time like the first day of the year to jump-start spring. In the coldest regions, the first week of January is the time to begin planning the spring and summer garden. As soon as your plans are set, get seeds ordered.

Browse through seed catalogs today and make notes on what you'd like to grow this coming season. Two questions: What vegetables, herbs, and small fruits do you like to eat? How much room do you have? How many people will be sharing the harvest? Answer these basic questions first and you will begin to have an idea of how many packets of each seed you'll need to order.

Place your order as son as you can. Some varieties sell out quickly. And since most seed packets contain far more seeds than you'll grow this season, consider teaming up with a friend to share seed.

In warmer regions--zones 10 and 9--you can begin sowing seeds right away. Spring has already arrived even though the calendar says it's eleven weeks away.

Beginning with the warmest regions first, here is a seed starting guide for January:

Continue reading "Seed-Starting Vegetables in January" »

Seed-Starting in Three Steps

You can start vegetables, herbs, and flowers--both annuals and perennials--from seed. Starting plants from seed is less expensive than purchasing plants from a garden center. Seed starting will require some time and effort but can be very rewarding. Many more varieties of vegetables and flowers are available in seed than are offered at garden centers or nurseries.

Seed staring in containers

Planting seed directly in the garden can sometimes be risky. An unexpected frost or cold spell, a rain storm, or hot drying winds can reduce germination or wipe out seedlings. Starting seeds in container indoors and growing them under controlled conditions into robust seedlings can reduce the risk.

There are three basic steps for starting seeds indoors:

1. Fill a small container with moist seed starting mix. Sow the seeds and keep them moist until germination. Sow seed in four or six cell plastic packs or in 3- or 4-inch peat pots, bio-containers, or plastic containers for plants that grow quickly such as beans or squash. Fill each cell or container nearly to the top with moist seed starting mix, then place one to three seeds in each cell or container. Wet each seed cell with water from a household spray bottle and set the pots in a warm part of the house out of direct sunlight. You can keep the seed moist by spraying or by enclosing the containers in plastic bags. If you want to spend more, you can purchase a seed starting system at a garden center or online.

2. When your seeds germinate, place the containers under light for at least 12 hours a day. Make sure the seed starting mix stays moist, but is not overly wet. When containers dry out set them in a shallow tray filled with water so the starting mix absorbs water from the bottom. Bottom watering will encourage deep rooting and strong plants. Remember to remove the container from the water tray and allow the soil to drain each day. Feed seedlings once a week with a soluble fertilizer diluted to half or one quarter ordinary rate. Raise the lights as the plants grow to keep the tubes about 2 inches above the top of the leaves.

3. When your seedlings grow to 2 or 3 inches tall and develop their first true leaves (which are actually the second set of leaves--the first are embryonic "seed leaves")--transplant them to individual containers. Use 4-inch plastic or peat pots to grow your seedlings on. Fill the pots with fresh, moistened potting soil. Take each seedling gently by a leaf and lift it gently out of its starting container with a sharpened pencil or narrow Popsicle stick. Be careful not to disturb the roots and surrounding soil. Poke a hole in the soil of the new container, insert the seedling and fill around it to bury the roots. (You can suspend larger seedlings in a container while you add potting soil around the roots.) Place the newly transplanted seedling in its individual container under the light again, and water and feed as before.

When all danger of frost is past in spring and seedlings are 4 to 6 inches tall, you can transplant your seedlings into the garden. Before you do, be sure to "harden off" or acclimatize the seedlings to the conditions outdoors. Begin this process by placing the seedlings in a spot protected from sunlight and wind for a few hours each day increasing to full exposure over several days. In a week or so, your seedlings will be ready for transplanting into the garden.

Continue reading "Seed-Starting in Three Steps" »

Seed Starting Basics

When it comes to starting seed for the garden, do not start too early and do not start too late.

Seed started indoors should be ready for transplanting into the garden when the soil and weather are ready to take the seedlings into its proper growing season. That means the time to start seeds can differ widely. Some plants grow slower and need more time to develop than others. Depending upon where you live, the garden may need more time--the soil and weather may need to warm--to be ready for the crops you have in mind.

Most annual vegetable seeds can be started in the garden directly or started indoors 2 to 8 weeks before the last frost (most annual flowers can be started 6 to 8 weeks before the first annual frost). Most perennial seeds can be started 8 to 12 weeks before the last frost.

You'll need a calendar and the approximate frost-free date for your region. The frost-free date is the estimated day in spring--based on local meteorological records--when night time temperatures no longer dip below 35°F. (If you are unsure of the frost-free date where you live, check with the county extension office or the public library.) The exact frost-free date can vary from year to year--by several days or even weeks.

Continue reading "Seed Starting Basics" »

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