So Many Seeds, So Little Time!

So Many Seeds, So Little Time!

Now that the greenhouse is in order, it's time for me to turn my thoughts to starting my seeds. The problem is I have hoarded so many seeds! It has gotten so bad I've had to store them in a tote bag.

The time has come to tame my obsession. I'm going to dump out the tote and see if I can weed out the older seeds. They say as a general rule that you shouldn't keep any older than three years. My oldest? Nearly ten years! Now granted I always store them in a cool, dark place, but that is really pushing it. For my purposes, I'm only keeping seeds up to two years.

Another method to test seed viability, is to take a small pinch of seeds and place in a bowl of water. Let it rest about 15 minutes. If the seeds sink, they are good. If they are floating, you can toss the packet as they aren't good.

Just doing that, has cut things down considerably. The fun part is sorting flowers from vegetables and herbs. Then I choose what I'm going to grow this year. After that, I sort according to if I need to start seeds...and when I need to do that by the calendar, and when I can direct sow.

I'm starting to get a little Spring Fever now. And before the day is over, I need to clean my pruning shears and take a few cuttings of my Forsythias. I'll cut about 6 inches, cut at an angle, leaving an inch just below a bud. I want to get about 20 starts. Jelly jars filled with water and placed in a sunny spot in the greenhouse should do the trick. In about 6 to 8 weeks they should be ready to plant.

Yep, I have so many seeds. It means I have so many possibilities. Now that I've cleaned them out and sorted them, I have an even better idea of the possibilities I do have. And what little time I have, I can use it to the best of my ability.