Yes, it's freezing out right now, and I spent part of my day sowing seeds. And it's not too too early to do so. Many seeds need a period of what's called "cold moist stratification," which means there needs to be a little moisture and some cold to help them break dormancy. This is mother nature's way of ensuring seeds will survive the cold winters here in the north and germinate in the spring when conditions are just right.
Wild Ones is all about sharing seeds and plants, and one of our plans is to cultivate plants grown from local seeds gathered by our members. We have been sharing seeds, and we hope to have many new plants to share in the spring. We aren't waiting around till spring to get started; some of us are starting now, and Triton College will be helping us out later this winter.
Below is a quick run-down of the process; if you are interested, there are plenty of resources online to help more. It is pretty addictive--especially one you see how easy it is to grow a lot of plants for little expense.
With native seeds, a great resource for learning about what your particular seed requires for germinarion is Prairie Moon Nursery's guide. For the two I did today, they just need the 60 day period of cold, moist stratification.
In February, I will bring them in and place them uder lights and a warming pad designed especially for starting seeds. The bottom heat is important because the soil warmth also helps the germination process.
What you will need:
--Seeds (either collected or purchased)
--containers (they should be very clean; you can purchase seed-starting flats and be sure to get ones with a top to help keep in warmth and moisture, or you can use all kinds of things--people have used milk jugs, salad clam shells, etc.)
--seed starting soil or coco-fiber blocks (available from Green Home Experts)
--marker
--bowl to moisten whatever medium you will use to cold stratify your seeds
--marker to identify seeds and date
There are different ways to cold stratify: I have used seeds in a moist paper towel kept in a baggie in the fridge, and I am trying out mixing the seeds with seed starting soil in a baggie in the fridge.
Today, I did it a way I usually do because there will be to me it seems simpler. You can take it right from where you left it to be cold, and then put in a warm place with light. Follow the pictures to see this method.
Happy sowing! You don't have to move south to garden all year!
Come join us too at our chapter page West Cook Wild Ones and on our Facebook if to learn more.
