05 Mar 2010

Seeing Green

Photo by María Helena Carey

No, I’m not talking about money, though if you do things right, getting seeds started early and keeping an eye for your local nursery’s offerings might save you some money and give you the satisfaction and bragging rights of having grown something yourself.  I’m talking about the start of the growing season in our area; and of all the fun, fulfillment and friendship (the three Fs of gardening, perhaps?) that can be had by those who work the soil.

For the new or uninitiated, Washington DC is in zone 7a; we get tender-plant-killing frosts that are not enough to kill everything– most years, anyway.  We get some sporadic snow (ha!) that keeps the soil cool just so that lilacs and bulbs can thrive, or so I tell myself; and our planting season is starting NOW!  The soil is slowly warming up and in most places you should be able to work it and start seeds directly into the ground.  Just make sure you stick a trowel or a stick or any kind of digging object into the ground: if you hear and feel an awful thwacking sound, then the soil is not ready.  But thanks to the milder weather of this past week, this may not be the case in your garden.

If you go down to Frager’s, you will find an amazing selection of all the seeds you ever need, and some you may never ever find a use for (sorry, kohlrabi!). This year they even have a new line of seeds called Botanical Interests, a line of non-genetically modified seeds –many of them heirloom, and therefore of older origins and allowed to thrive without genetic modification for large-scale agriculture — which has detailed and lovingly hand-drawn illustrations on the seed packets, as well as a history of each seed you plant.  Elizabeth Philbrick, the garden manager, told me that Botanical Interests even has an iPhone app that is absolutely amazing and engrossing.

She also has some insights for the novice gardener.  Here are a few notes from a seasoned pro:

1. If any of your shrubs have been damaged by the storms, or if you just have the perfect spot to fill with a bigger plant in your garden, early spring is the time to get bushes, shrubs, and young trees in the ground.  There are many Japanese Maples waiting for a good home, and they have to be snapped up before they start coming out of dormancy!

2. Right now is the time to get seeds in the ground: lettuce, spinach, kale, beets, radishes and peas can all go directly in the ground.  For the warmer weather plants such as tomatoes and peppers, you can start them from seed indoors.  For the shade garden –yes, I am talking to those of you with your north-facing front yards!– you can seed foxgloves right now.  These lovely biennial (two-year growth cycle) plants are a great addition to the shade garden and will reward you for years, as they self-seed once they are established.  Other flower seeds that can go right in are Rudbeckias (Black-eyed Susans) and Shasta Daisies.

3. If you want to start from seed, it can be tricky but it can be done with seed-sprouting kits and windowsill greenhouses.  Make sure you have a warm location in your house and sixteen –yes, sixteen– hours of light in this spot.  If you don’t have these requirements (and who does, this time of year?) you can set up a lamp close to your seeds (no more than 4″ away from your greenhouse).

4. Finally, Elizabeth has one piece of advice for the overly eager newbies: “Your seeds contain all of their own nutrients; you don’t want to over fertilize them!  Wait until the third week after you’ve planted them to give them any kind of fertilizer because you do not want to burn them.”

Happy seeding!


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4 responses to “Seeing Green”

  1. Dirt Digger says:

    Gonna need some help. I pay in beer.

  2. Maria Carey says:

    If you pay me in PBR, I can be the Hipster Horticulturist.

  3. J says:

    This is a great post, thanks very much.

    If we don’t have 16 hours of sun or a lamp, but want to grow tomatoes/peppers/etc., should we start from seed indoors now? Or start from seed later (if so, when?)? Or buy already-started plants and transplant later?

    Thanks!

  4. Maria says:

    Thank you, J! If you don’t want to bother setting up a lamp for your seedlings, your best bet is to go with slightly larger seedlings or young plants. The key is to get them when the soil is warmer (usually when the nights stay in the 50s), so you want to wait to get your young plants in late April or May.

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