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Survival Garden Seed Germination
March 17, 2010Why Survival Garden?
Growing your own survival garden is a way of life and one way to combat the recession, add to your food storage, be prepared, live frugal, and survive hard times. It is also a calming and rewarding experience.
I call it the Survival Garden in the spirit of the World War 2 Victory Garden which was encouraged by the US government during the hard times of the war. Although today’s US government has not campaigned for its citizens to become more self sufficient, common sense should tell us to learn how to be as self sufficient as possible and to implement a plan to suit your skills.
Being more self sufficient goes against the very grain of ‘the system’ today which is doing a very good job at keeping the majority slaved to its debt. One may argue that ‘the system’ works well enough, but only to the point prior to exceptional corporate and personal greed, unserviceable debt, and so long as ‘the system’ does not break down. Guess what, ‘the system’ is breaking down. The economic collapse of the developed nations of the world has been in progress for years now, and will continue to worsen to the point at which it becomes a rapid decline when currency inflation erodes purchasing power, even to the extreme point of becoming essentially worthless (from printing so much of it) all to service the burgeoning debts. It is a world fact that no fiat currency has ever survived in history. Each one has eventually ended up worthless.
Now I have gone off track. Let’s get back to my intended post…
Germinating your own seeds is very self rewarding and can save a surprising amount of money compared to buying your own plants. Knowing how to start and grow your own food is a valuable and liberating skill. To get the most from your survival garden crop yield this year, sow seeds early.
Start your seeds indoors, early enough to move seedlings outside as soon as the weather permits in your local area – a few weeks after the threat of freeze or frost is gone. Depending on your growing season, if you start early enough you may even have the opportunity to sow two crops.
Discover your zone and last frost date (US growing zone finder), and then work backwards to figure out when you should start your indoor seeds. For example, my locality is in Zone 9 and is safe from frost in early March. My Tomato seed packet reads to sow indoors 5 – 7 weeks before last frost date, meaning the earliest I could start would safely be mid to late January.
Soil for Seed Germination
The best and simplest choice of soil to use for indoor starter seed germination is to use premixed store bought seed starter mix, specifically designed for germination. Seed Starter mix is actually not soil at all, since real soil has the risk of disease and contaminants which could harm young seedlings.
For my indoor starter, I purchased Miracle-Gro Seed Starting potting mix. The mixture is 90% sphagnum peat moss, and the remaining consists of perlite and the Miracle-Gro secret sauce fertilizer.
The key factors for successful germination are moisture and temperature. You could actually germinate seeds in a folded paper towel so long as it is kept moist at between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course once it sprouts you will soon have to move it directly to a potting mixture for additional nutrients.
Rather than purchasing premixed potting soil, there are lots of recipes out there to make your own. The ideal mix should be able to hold some moisture but drain well, and supply nutrients.
Typical ingredients for generic all-purpose potting soil include varying portions of sphagnum peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, sharp sand (builders sand), compost, and soil. Check online for potting mix recipes and ideas, which vary depending on your plants and needs.
Note that Seed Starting Mix typically does not include soil because its main objective is to simply hold moisture with a light consistency that does not compact easily and good drainage. Peat moss mostly serves this purpose.
The word, sphagnum, in sphagnum peat moss refers to the moss that grows on the top of peat bogs. Sharp sand has angular edges and differing granule sizes which allows for better drainage.
Here are a few generic potting mix recipes. There really are lots of recipes out there, but most include a common set of ingredients (Sphagnum Peat Moss, Vermiculite (or Perlite), Compost and Builders Sand).
A generic recipe for seed starting potting mix
- 2 part sphagnum peat moss
- 1 part perlite
- 1 part vermicultie
A generic recipe for potting mix
- 1 part Sphagnum Peat Moss
- 1 part Vermiculate
- 1 part Compost
- 1 part Coarse or Sharp Sand (Builders Sand)
Containers for Seed Germination
The seed germination containers should be a few inches deep and must be able to drain excess moisture (holes in the bottom). You could fabricate your own or buy your own seed trays. There are some nice seed tray kits available online. Just be sure they drain, and ideally have a see-through cover which helps to keep the moisture inside while providing light to the seedlings after they sprout.
This year I am using peat pots because I found some while browsing at a local Dollar store (24 for a dollar). The peat pots make for an easy transplant to outdoors since the roots will easily grow right through the pots and therefore don’t cause any root damage compared to having to remove the young plant from a solid container (if handled with care, this shouldn’t be a problem).
How to Germinate Seeds
The process begins with the right potting mix, seed starting trays or pots, and of course the seeds. Fill the pots and moisten the mix, or moisten the mix and fill the pots. The mix should be quite saturated to the point where the excess is just draining out. I then use the eraser side of a pencil to impress into the mix to the recommended depth, which is typically one eighth to one quarter inch for many common vegetable seeds. The rule of thumb is twice the depth of the seed dimension. Don’t forget to sketch out a map which shows what seed varieties are in each location in your tray – unless of course they are all the same.
After dropping the seed in, cover it up. Once completed, it is beneficial to cover the tray or pots to help keep the mixture moist. It is critical to keep the seeds moist. If they dry out, the seeds will die. I am using pieces of clear Plexiglas that I had lying around, to rest on top of the pots. Plastic wrap will work well too. Most of the seed starter tray kits will come with a snap-on clear plastic cover. Check to be sure the mixture remains good and moist during the germination period.
The temperature needs to be warm, 70 – 75 degrees is ideal for most seeds to germinate. Just be sure that you keep your seed trays in a location where it is most likely to maintain this warmth, but not in direct sunlight where it may heat up too much, especially if covered. Heat mats are available to keep your trays at the perfect temperature.
Once the seeds have sprouted, be sure the seedlings get fresh air. Don’t let the soil mixture dry out, but water when the surface begins to dry out. Move the seedlings to the sunlight. If they do not get enough sun, they become long, stretched out and ‘leggy’. If you notice this, be sure to move to a window with direct sunlight. Do not handle the seedlings by the stem, only handle by the leaves (stem damage is permanent – leaves grow back). Keep growing until it is time to begin the hardening process to move them outside.
Seedlings after one week.
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