Helpful Seed Starting Tips

  Every seed represents a potential life of abundance for that plant. We can either help or hinder that potential. We’ve grown many plants from seed for many years and in many different ways. Along the way we’ve found what works and what doesn’t work, but truth be told….living things WANT to live and will be forgiving of us if we screw up a bit! So dig in and let’s start some plants!

Some of the basic needs some seeds require.

Cold Stratification: This just means that certain species need to undergo a cold period that mimics Winter. 

For our small seeded perennials and annuals this is easily accomplished in plastic bags in the fridge for a month, often with a moist medium like sand or peat. 

Seeds that DO require cold stratification: Lovage, Milkweed/Butterfly weed, Echinacea, Sweet Cicely, Partridge Pea

Seeds that DO NOT require cold stratification: Senna, Hollyhock, Amaranth, Baptisia, Bronze Fennel, Catnip, Tulsi

For our tree seeds like Chestnut, Hazelnut, Walnut, Pawpaw, Persimmon, etc. we do this in crates of moist woodchips or sand. These can be buried in the ground or brought in somewhere cold for the winter. The crates should drain and be protected from rodents. If you order these seeds from us in late winter or spring, we will have them already cold stratified them so you can be ready to plant!

Scarification: This differs from stratification in that it abrades the hard seedcoat of some species. We do this by heating a pan of water to ALMOST boiling, but not quite, then pouring it into a bowl of seeds to soak overnight. Not all seeds need scarification.

Seeds that benefit: Baptisia, Senna, Honey Locust, Black Locust, Partridge Pea