Good Gardening—A New Year: How Do You Prepare, When Do You Start Seeds?

[Michie]

Welcome back to Good Gardening! It is my great joy to restart this community and our discussions for the year 2023. After a mild winter, Italy is moving rapidly into an early spring, yet no doubt some of you are already seeding or starting in warmer climes.

For those in America’s northern reaches which proved themselves this winter to be a tundra, perhaps your seed cells, pots, and beds remain empty. But don’t worry, because as they say in Italy, “Forza e coraggio perche dopo Aprile viene Maggio!” (Strength and courage because after April comes May!”

With no reader-submitted content to share, I will open the discussion with one of my favorite gardening influencers, stealing a march on March with a February planting guide.

Continued below.

Good Gardening—A New Year: How Do You Prepare, When Do You Start Seeds?

Good Gardening is GNN's weekly discussion thread focused on building community, soil, good gardens, and good vibes.

www.goodnewsnetwork.org

 

[Diamond7]

I usually get an old plastic shoe container, fill it with soil and throw seeds in that. They sprout in a week or so and I transfer them to a plastic glass 3 or 5 ounces. If it is warm outside I will put them out in the sun. If it is cold I keep them by a window where they get sun. Then when it is warm enough outside I plant them. I get a lot of flowers for a dollars worth of seeds and a little bit of potting soil. I keep the cups in the same plastic contains so they are easy to handle and move around. The seeds almost always grow. One year we planted a lot of sun flowers that got 6 or 8 feet and attracted a lot of birds, bees, and butterflys that I photographed. I still have a lot of photos but they are not well organized.