Raising Seeds

Raising seeds is one of the most satisfying and soul-enriching things you can do.  Its great fun for both the young and the young-at-heart – and certainly something you can share an excitement about. 

Raising organic seeds gives you the added satisfaction of knowing that you can save your seed from the ensuing plant, and grow more from it.  With most of the non-organic seeds you buy from nurseries today, the seed the plant produces non-viable seed (meaning it won’t grow a new plant).

Raising heirloom varieties allows you to grow vegetables that don’t appear in the supermarket any more.  These are the foods that our ancestors knew, but that have become obsolete in our fast-paced world because they either don’t transport well, or take too long to grow (neither of which are a problem to the home gardener).

 

Step 1

Collect some items.  You will need some shallow polystyrene boxes such that they use in fruit & veg shops.  For an average backyard gardener, you will probably need about 4.  Make sure they have holes in the bottom for good drainage.
You will also need 24 used 2 litre milk bottles.  The local café is a great place to source these, as they go through so many in one day.  Cut the top and the bottom off the bottles so that you end up with 24 12cm high squarish cylinders.  Cut some triangles out of the waste plastic to use as markers later on.
Seed raising mix and growing medium (recipes provided at the back of this guide if you want to make your own).
Buy some seeds.  There are some great organic seed providers in Australia today, with secure websites making ordering easy.  See the back of this guide for details.  Some of these sites also have seed raising calendars, helping you decide what seeds to plant at certain times of the year.

Step 2

Fill one of your polystyrene trays with seed raising mixture.  Pat it down softly.

Step 3

A good rule of thumb for understanding the depth to plant a seed:  Plant it as deep as it is large.  So, for small seeds such as lettuce, scoop back 5mm of soil from one area, sprinkle some seeds in that area and then push the scooped soil back over the top.

 

 

 

 

Step 4

For larger seeds, poke holes in the soil to the depth of the size of the seed, and drop the seeds into the holes and cover over.

 

Step 5

You may want to remember what you planted where, as it is very difficult to know later on.  This is where I use the tags that I cut out earlier.  Use a permanent marker to label the plastic, and place in front of the seeds.

Step 6

Water with a fine spray daily in winter and morning and night in summer.  They will appreciate full sun in winter but generally need shade cloth in summer.
Most seeds will take about a week to germinate, some a little longer.

Step 7

When your seedlings are about 5cm in height, its time to prick them out.  Place 12 cylinders into a polystyrene tray and fill them with growing medium to the top.  Water the soil well and then make a small hole in the top of each.

Step 8

Using an old fork, prick out your small seedlings by using the tines of the fork to get under the roots, scoop it out and plant it immediately in the growing medium.  If you do this in the shade, your seedlings rarely suffer any shock at all.

Step 9

Place your trays of cylinders in full sun and water daily.  When they are large enough (usually about 2-3 weeks later), dig a hole in your garden, scoop a cylinder up in your hands, and plant the whole thing.  You then slip the cylinder up through the soil to either remove it completely, or if you wish, leave some buried in the soil.  This leaves the sleeve to protect the young plant for a few weeks, to be removed at a later date.

Seed Raising Mix Recipe

A half medium grade river sand (if you are in a sandy area, just use soil)
A half dried cow pats.
Use a garden sieve and work the ingredients in together to form a fine textured soil. 
The mix can be re-used over and over.

Growing Medium Recipe

A third medium grade river sand (again just use soil if you are in a sandy area)
A third dried cow pats
A third good quality compost
Mix together without worrying about sieving, although breaking any big lumps down is helpful.

AUSTRALIAN Organic Seed Providers

www.Edenseeds.com.au
www.GreenPatchSeeds.com.au
www.Diggers.com.au
www.Greenharvest.com.au