Seed Success!

I arrived home from work today to find that my seeds were finally sprouting.  There is always a period of worrying between the time I put the seeds in the soil to start them and the day when they actually begin to show signs of life.  This year I felt like they were taking a really long time.  Last weekend, at the two week mark, I was sure they were all going to be duds.  But alas, nature once again did its job.

There are some easy ways to ensure your seeds will germinate and continue to grow.  First, use a decent dirt.  The pre-made seed starting kits can work fine, but if you're not using one of those I would suggest getting an organic soil mix that contains some compost.  Since I prefer to stay organic, I don't like the soils with mixed in fertilizer or growth stimulators, but those could probably be used.  Second, keep your seeds moist.  You don't want to water them so much that your soil starts to float or the dirt is soggy, but you don't want the soil completely dry to the touch either.  Your finger should feel slightly wet when you touch the soil.  Third, keep your seeds warm and exposed to sunlight.  A lot of people use special lights or plant heating pads to aid germination and growth.  I haven't tried those, but I have found that keeping them in a sunny spot away from any drafts is helpful.  Finally, be patient.  This is probably the most difficult part for me and I'll admit I was digging around in my containers last weekend trying to find signs of germination.  However, waiting is half the fun and it is pretty rewarding on days like today when tiny plants start to pop up.