Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Starting Herb Seeds, Spring 2020

  With so much construction happening in and around the garden this year, I have not really had a chance to plan my spring garden.  Nevertheless, I do plan on having one planted!  I looked through my seeds yesterday and found some herb seed packets given to me by a friend last year.  Stored in a cool, dry place, they should still be just fine. (Seeds are an excellent gift for a gardener, by the way!)


Cilantro, Basil, Dill, Parsley, and Thyme
Starting from seed is a very frugal way to grow a garden.

  I prefer to start my herb seeds in pots, as opposed to direct sowing them in the ground.  I like to save the plastic 6-pack containers that I get from the nursery, and that is what I used this time.  I filled each one with potting soil and added about three seeds to each individual square section of the container.  This is just in case a few of the seeds don't germinate. Once they start sprouting, I'll choose the best looking seedling from each section and pull the others up. This way I should end up with six of each herb.


The back of each seed packet will tell you when to plant each
 type of herb based on your location, as well as planting depth,
days to germination, and plant spacing.

  After getting all of my seeds planted and labeled, I placed all of the containers on a cookie sheet that I keep specifically for this purpose and watered them.  Keeping them on the cookie sheet keeps the water from getting all over my potting table and other surfaces, and it allows me to easily move seedlings in and out of the weather until they are strong enough to be transplanted into the ground.
I have a stash of cookie sheets and baking pans that I keep in
my garden shed specifically for transporting my seedlings.
They were all purchased very inexpensively at garage sales and thrift stores.

  Now I just need to make sure my soil stays warm and damp for my seeds to germinate! What about you? Have you ever tried growing herbs from seed?

6 comments:

  1. Kelsey, before long those little seeds will be pushing up through your soil! It's an exciting time of the year for sure!

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    1. Spring is just around the corner, Patsi! Tomorrow we are tackling a big project that has been on our do-do list since we moved to the ranch. Once that is finished, I'll be able to get some things planted in the garden and I can hardly wait! Thank you again for the shout out on your blog!

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  2. Hi Kelsey,
    I'm loving your blog so far:) I'm a mum to two beautiful girls with a new addition due in June/July. Here in North Qld Australia where I live we finally have had some good Rain. In 2 weeks I've seen the area turn from dead and brown to alive and green. What a blessing rain is to a dry parched land.

    As soon as I get my "Jungle" mowed inbetween rain showers. (Im unable to access my garden due to the long grass:) I too also plan to start my vegetable garden this weekend. Until now it has just been too hot to grow much more than native warrigil greens/ Asian water spinach/sweet potato greens on the pattio in pots. Thankyou for your honesty about waiting for things to be perfect:) I too get the same way:)

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    1. Thank you, Di! I'm glad to have you here. Congratulations on your new baby coming soon! That is so exciting :)
      Yes, I do understand what a blessing rain can be, as well as a break from extreme heat. Here in South Texas, drought is often a threat and we are always praying for rain. I'm glad you received some and have some green grass!
      I hope you have fun planting your vegetable garden this weekend. We are having another cold spell just now, but they don't usually last long.

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  3. Hi Kelsey, so lovely to see you here. I live in a subtropical environment and plant all year round. I like to plant seeds and take them all the way through to cultivation. This past summer started with us in drought and with water restrictions. I covered most of the garden in a thick layer of sugar cane hay and just watered the trees to keep them alive. In the past two weeks we have had lots of glorious rain. I planted out seedlings from the plant nursery but have also planted out seeds for succession planting. I am looking forward to following along on your journey.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jane, I'm so glad to have you here! I'm thankful you were able to get some good rain. We could really use some here! We have realized good mulch is key to keeping everything from drying out so quickly, as well. A year-round garden must be so nice! We can almost plant year round (depending on what it is), but we do have risk of light frost during the winter, so warm weather plants get a head start indoors just in case. I'm excited to have you following along!

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