Monday Jan 24

Monday Jan 24,2005

When the garden is buried under a foot of snow there is not much a gardener can do except plan for spring. The 2005 garden and seed catalogs have arrived in my mailbox and I’m enjoying looking through them for new plants and ideas. Although working in a garden center allows me access to an endless supply of plants, some selections are easier to get mail order.

This is especially true for the newest varieties, the unusual varieties and often for the trendy new plants touted in the garden magazines. The newest varieties aren’t always available to retailers until growers are convinced of their worthiness or they get enough seeds/plants into production.

So every January I order seeds of these new plants I want to try in the garden. The earlier that you send in your order, the better the chance of getting the ones that will likely be in short supply. Besides the new varieties, catalogs also offer many heirloom flower and vegetable seeds. Heirloom seeds are older varieties, often passed down through families or brought to this country by immigrants.

In 2004 I grew tomatoes from an heirloom tomato that I received at a tomato-tasting event the previous summer. I saved the seeds from that exquisite tomato and planted them in a small seed tray in late March. To the save the seed, the gelatinous seed portion of the tomato had to ferment in water for a few days. Once the gel broke down the seeds were rinsed and set out to dry. The seeds were stored in a cool dark place until late winter.

The seed tray was set on a warm surface (the top of my refrigerator) to encourage germination. Within a week the sprouts were up and the tray moved to their growing location- the cool basement under fluorescent lights. The lights were placed 2-4 inches from the top of the seedlings and controlled by a timer. The lights were on for eighteen hours a day.

The plants were checked every few days for water and they were given a weak fertilizer once or twice. As they grew the lights were raised so as not to scorch their leaves accidentally.

By May 15^th the tomato plants were ready to be planted out in the garden. On planting day they received the same care as the other varieties of tomatoes I was planting. Into each hole I add a generous handful of compost and they all get a good drink of water. The tomato cages were set up at planting time so they are easy to train from the start.

By August we were picking those delicious tomatoes. They quickly became the favorite of everyone who tasted them- even non-tomato eaters! Most heirloom vegetables are noted for their great taste. Newer hybrids are bred for better disease resistance, space-saving habit, and uniformity. Sometimes traditional flavor is secondary.

If you want to try growing some plants from seed, now is the time to select your seeds and gather the necessary equipment. Seeds are available in the garden centers as well as by catalog. Seed-starting trays can be purchased wherever the seeds are sold. But you can get creative and recycle materials on hand. Paper cups, yogurt containers and egg-cartons are all good choices. The container should have good drainage and not be too large. Large pots usually stay too moist for developing roots. Used containers can be washed with a mild bleach solution before planting. It is important that all the equipment is clean. Sterile containers and soil-less mixes will give you the best results.

The soil-less potting mixes are free of any pathogens that would be present in garden soil. They are also lightweight giving tiny roots a good medium for development. Keep the mix moist but never soggy. Use fertilizers sparingly and only after the seedlings have grown two sets of leaves.

Seed packets and catalogs are good sources for growing instructions. The packets give information on spacing, expected size, planting and harvest dates. The catalogs are even more helpful, almost condensed how-to gardening books. Pay particular attention to the suggested planting time. A common mistake is starting the seeds too early. Seeds are started indoors a certain number of weeks before the frost date. The number of weeks depends on the seed variety. The average last frost in our area is May 15^th. The whole process of growing vegetables and flowers from seed to harvest can be extremely rewarding. It is an excellent family project that children of any age can help with.

Beth Nardone, botanist, is a resident of Hillsborough and is the Nursery Manager at the Belle Mead Co-Op. Questions and comments can be sent to bethtanical@patmedia.net