Thyme to Sow

Right now retail stores and nurseries are loaded with racks of pretty little packages of seeds...it's hard to resist filling your basket full of them! If they don't have you rows of primula's definitely will ( that's another post coming this weekend....stay tuned....)
If you plan to start seeds indoors you've most likely seen the toilet paper tubes or egg carton planters or even just the egg shells themselves being shared as nifty planting vessels. Let me warn you, after so many watering's, these paper based liners break down pretty quick and become quite unstable for transplanting...even rotting faster than your seedling can grow!
And as far as the egg shells go, you're going to have to crack them eventually so the plant can put on size, risking damage to the young roots. As darling as this method appears the truth is egg shells take years to break down in the soil....which is why they get crushed with my boot when I throw them into the compost. I have tried it all, so I know from experience.
A simple tried and true method for the virgin gardener would be to use peat pellets. They look like little brown discs the size of a Toonie...yep, I'm Canadian...eh :) I explain the easy steps below in the photo's.... For the full tutorial go to: http://www.sowanddipity.com/thyme-to-sow/
Some of the tools you can use to sow seeds. My favorite is my green dibbler but a chopstick with a narrow end works great too. ( even a pencil if you only have that on hand :)
You can buy little greenhouse kits like this one above to place your pellets in. I usually use long black seeding trays. Lay the flat round discs in an even row and add water. Add more water as it's quickly wicked up.
Once pellets have completely swelled (takes several minutes ) then use your dibbler tool to gently make a shallow indentation in each pellet.
Use your dibbler to sow seeds, it's the easiest way to handle them. With a moist end, gently pick up a seed and as you place these into the soil, it will be re-moistened for the next seed pick-up.
Place 2-3 seeds in each pellet. You will thin these later to the strongest seedling.
Gently squeeze the peat over the seeds. Now you talk to them and send lovingly growing vibes...well, that's what I do :)
Sow and Dipity
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Kelly S Kelly S on Mar 09, 2014
    The ones I have are some sort of fabric not muslin or canvas but like a cross between the 2. I'll be on the lookout for a tray to put under the shoe holders to catch the excess water. I just don't know which door to hang them on. It still gets too cold at night to hang them in the enclosed back deck. My hubby likes to use fresh herbs in his cooking and I don't see the why of buying it when you can grow it.
  • Kelly S Kelly S on Mar 24, 2014
    I started some peas and beans in peat pellets, some peas were directly sown in holes that I poked in the ground with #8 knitting needles along both the north and south fences in the back yard and the last 10 seeds were just broadcast. I'm performing several experiments simultaneously on the ones directly sown. Which will emerge quicker and last through the summer, north fence or south fence. The north fence is more sandy while the south fence is more mossy.The big variable will be which survive the dog digging, rolling and peeing. It looks to be an interesting year for peas and beans in my back yard.
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    • Kelly S Kelly S on Mar 26, 2014
      @Douglas Hunt , Thank you. I've been reading on here about not weeding between rows to reduce the need for weeding so I thought why not just poke holes in the ground and see what happens. The pack of peas seeds was only $1.35 and had over 100 seeds. I'll keep every one posted on the experiment's progress.
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