Five Tips to Prepare to Seed
A clean and organized work space will make the fast pace of seeding run more smoothly. This means taking inventory, cleaning and testing equipment. Below are 5 tips and a few resources to help you prepare and organize.
Clean Your Seeds
Clean, package and label seeds with name, color and date. It might seem basic however properly stored seeds are less likely to spill and are easier to store.
Pots and Trays
Clean your pots and trays. Use a mild detergent and rinse. Spray with a mixture equal parts vinegar and water to get rid of hard water deposits. Cleaning your pots and trays will reduce the chance of fungal and bacteria disease to help ensure seeding success. I like to use these brightly colored trays available at Boot Strap Farmer. They make it easy to color code your crops!
Propagation Mix
Using a high quality sterile propagation mix is key. Your mix should be lightweight so your seedlings can easily move through the medium. It should be balanced to allow drainage and retain moisture.
Organize Your Seeds
First divide your seeds by their light requirement for germination. Light for germination means that the seed requires less than 1/4 of an inch of medium to cover. Dark for germination is more than a 1/4 of an inch of medium to cover for germination. This is helpful when sowing multiple varieties of seed in one tray. Then organize them by sow dates so that you can easily grab and sow.
Labels-Equipment-Keeping Record
Pre make your plant tags ahead of time. Then you can sow seed and pop the labels in right away. Check the grow lights and heating pads ahead of time. It’s easy to over look testing the equipment. However having to order replacements mid stream is a drag. Keep your sowing records. You will thank yourself next year. Botanical interest offered a free downloadable sowing guide to help stay organized here it is.